A. Species
Scientific name: Panax quinquefolius
Common name(s): American ginseng
Global IUCN Red List Threat Status:
B. Location of use
Geographic location(s):
- United States
Country/Region:
C. Scale of assessment
Scale of assessment: National Level
Name/Details of location: United States
D. Timescale of use
Start Year: 1995
End Year: 2007
E. Information about the use
How is the wild species sourced?: Wild species sourced from its natural habitat
Type of use: Extractive
Practice of use: Gathering/Cutting/Collecting terrestrial plants and fungi or their products from the wild
Lethal or non-lethal: Lethal
Does this use involve take/extraction of: The whole entire organism
Purpose(s) of end use: Medicine and hygiene
Motivation of use: Largescale commercial exploitation for trade
Is this use legal or illegal?: Legal under national law
F. Information about the Users
Which stakeholder(s) does the record primarily focus on?: National / local private sector
G. Information about the sustainability of use
Is there evidence that the use is having an impact on the target species?: Wild species sourced from its natural habitat
Has an assessment (or judgement) of sustainability of the use of the target species from an ecological perspective been recorded?: Yes, considered sustainable
Details of assessment carried out: This CITES NDF Case study.
Brief summary on why the use has been assessed/judged to be sustainable or unsustainable: A recent study initiated by the U.S. Scientific Authority found a positive relationship between State / county harvest data and predicted abundance levels of P. quinquefolius based on field census data. In most States, harvesters are required and encouraged to plant seeds of harvested plants near the vicinity of where plants are growing (e.g., within 30 m).
Has an assessment (or judgement) of sustainability of the use of the target species from an economic perspective been recorded?: No, sustainability not determined
Details of assessment carried out: This CITES NDF Case study.
Brief summary on why the use has been assessed/judged to be sustainable or unsustainable: Given management in place to promote ecological sustainability and that almost 30 tonnes of ginseng root are exported each year, this use is implicitly of economic value and appears sustainable.
Has an assessment (or judgement) of sustainability of the use of the target species from a social perspective been recorded?: not recorded
Has an assessment (or judgement) of sustainability of the use of the target species from a human health perspective been recorded?: Yes, considered sustainable
Details of assessment carried out: This CITES NDF Case study.
Brief summary on why the use has been assessed/judged to be sustainable or unsustainable: This aromatic root has been used in East Asia for over 200 years for a wide variety of health concerns caused by stress, overwork, poor diet, sleep difficulties, traumatic injuries, and aging.
Has an assessment (or judgement) of sustainability of the use of the target species from an animal health/welfare perspective been recorded?: not recorded
Recommendations provided in the record to maintain or enhance the sustainability of the use of the target species
In order to ensure that the harvest is sustainable and does not impact the long-term viability of the species, an adaptive management approach that provides flexibility for relevant institutions and stakeholders to react to changing conditions (e.g., invasive species, disease, predators) is useful so that adjustments can be made in a timely manner (e.g., revise harvest regulations, restrict exports, establish annual quotas, or etc.)
Record source
Information about the record source: grey_lit
Date of publication/issue/production: 2008-01-01T00:00:00+0000
Source Reference(s):
A NON-DETRIMENT FINDING FOR PANAX
QUINQUEFOLIUS: A CASE STUDY WITH TWO PERSPECTIVES (UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND CANADA) (2008).
By Patricia Ford.
U.S. Scientific Authority. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 4401 N. Fairfax Dr., Suite 110
Arlington, Virginia, U.S.A. 22203.
NDF WORKSHOP CASE STUDIES
WG 2 – Perennials
CASE STUDY 6
Panax quinquefolius
Country – UNITED STATES
Date of record entry: 2023-09-26