• An Iowa Ginseng Harvester permit is required to harvest wild ginseng in the state, even on your own land, and must be in your possession when harvesting, possessing, or transporting wild ginseng.

• A state dealer’s permit is required to buy and sell ginseng in the state of Iowa.

• The harvest season for wild ginseng in Iowa is September 1 to October 31. Wild ginseng may be sold from September 1 to March 15 of the next year.

• A harvester may retain up to 4 ounces (dry weight) of wild ginseng for personal use for upto one year after the expiration of an annual permit.

• Iowa state law requires all harvested wild ginseng plants to have at least 3 prongs.

• Seeds from ginseng plants harvested in Iowa must be planted within 100 feet of the parent plants. Seed from wild ginseng may not be sold or transplanted away from the site of the parent plant.

• Ginseng may not be harvested in any state park, preserve state forests and wildlife management areas in Iowa. Questions about harvest in county conservation board areas should be addressed to individual county headquarters.

• The Iowa Department of Natural Resources, serves as the state’s ginseng coordinator. This office can be reached at (515) 281-5951, or by addressing correspondence to:

900 East Grand Ave.

Des Moines, IA 50319

Provided by the American Herbal Products Association, in cooperation with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and United Plant Savers