Ginseng Diggers
Jul. 24th, 2024 09:20 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
marycatelliGinseng Diggers: A History of Root and Herb Gathering in Appalachia by Luke Manget
While this does cover some of the botany and ecology of the plant -- and other gathered plants -- it is chiefly focused on the development of the trade in crude botanicals.
Ginseng in particular was important to the China trade, but there were all sorts of barks and roots and flowers that were deemed useful. Physicians preferred mineral based ones. There were all sorts of effects. The American Civil War introduced more botanicals into the Confederate pharmaceuticals than Union ones, because of the blockade, and after the war, the ginseng trade was valued because it could bring cash to areas impoverished by the war.
It was the legal practice that anything growing wild could be harvested from unimproved land, whoever owned it. This produced a lot of issues.
Also, it was heavily women's work. One shop had a third of its customers women, but half of those who traded in herbs. On top of that, there were men who would offer the "yerbs" the womenfolk had gathered; perhaps some were hiding their own gathering, or cooperation in the gathering, but others were actually bringing the plants the women of the family gathered.
Over-harvesting, and conservation efforts when they occurred. Green vs. dried vs. "clarified." The changes from using it to buy from stores to selling to dealers. And more.
While this does cover some of the botany and ecology of the plant -- and other gathered plants -- it is chiefly focused on the development of the trade in crude botanicals.
Ginseng in particular was important to the China trade, but there were all sorts of barks and roots and flowers that were deemed useful. Physicians preferred mineral based ones. There were all sorts of effects. The American Civil War introduced more botanicals into the Confederate pharmaceuticals than Union ones, because of the blockade, and after the war, the ginseng trade was valued because it could bring cash to areas impoverished by the war.
It was the legal practice that anything growing wild could be harvested from unimproved land, whoever owned it. This produced a lot of issues.
Also, it was heavily women's work. One shop had a third of its customers women, but half of those who traded in herbs. On top of that, there were men who would offer the "yerbs" the womenfolk had gathered; perhaps some were hiding their own gathering, or cooperation in the gathering, but others were actually bringing the plants the women of the family gathered.
Over-harvesting, and conservation efforts when they occurred. Green vs. dried vs. "clarified." The changes from using it to buy from stores to selling to dealers. And more.