Wild American Ginseng

Wild American Ginseng, America's most famous medicinal plant, is in trouble. In plain prose, James McGraw explains why as he translates the latest in ecological and conservation science findings on this unassuming understory herb. As the world's foremost authority on wild ginseng, McGraw is uniquely poised to present this story based on over 20 years of uninterrupted field research. In this volume, he traces the dramatic ecological history of ginseng in North America, documenting the ginseng-centric view of a world increasingly dominated by both direct and indirect actions of humans. Far more than a story of a single plant species, ginseng becomes a parable, a canary in the coal fields, for what is happening to dwindling wild species across the globe. He documents lingchi, death by a thousand cuts, in human interactions with wild species, that is slowly eroding biodiversity and diminishing our collective 'biotreasury.' Not content to just document our destruction of nature, McGraw offers a pathway to anoptimistic future for ginseng and the wild species with whom we share the planet. A dramatic expansion of our commitment to sharing the planet with our fellow planetary companions is the key to preservation, and now is the time to do so--