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Newsletter
Fraudulent Wisconsin American Ginseng Products Deceives Consumers
American ginseng grown in Wisconsin has a unique earthy and mildly bitter taste that attracts locals and foreigners. Therefore, it is not a surprise to find out that for years, American ginseng has been one of Wisconsin’s top agricultural goods exported to China. However, along with Wisconsin American ginseng’s worldwide recognition there is a drawback. Every year more and more fraudulent products enter the market deceiving customers avid for authentic Wisconsin American ginseng.
You may wonder, what makes Wisconsin American ginseng so special. Well, its popularity relies on its yin attribute. According to Chinese philosophy yin and yan are opposing natural forces in the universe, which also exist in the human body. These forces balance each other, yin is darker, softer and cooler, and has the life energy of a woman while yan is brighter, harder, and warmer with masculine life energy.
Wisconsin American ginseng’s distinctive characteristics can also be explained by the conditions in which it is grown. The farmers have learned to use the cool climate and the loamy soil of Wisconsin to their advantage by imitating the natural conditions of the hardwood forests where wild American ginseng grows. However, unlike other growers of American ginseng, Wisconsin farmers follow strict pesticide controls that ban the use of an herbicide called quintozene. These conditions and the strict pesticide guidelines have resulted in high quality Wisconsin American ginseng roots with a strong concentration of ginsenocides as their main compounds.
Despite the great effort done by Wisconsin growers in offering high quality ginseng to their customers, fraudulent options have entered the market. Many of these products have faked the authenticity seal while other contain a mix of low and high quality ginseng. In China, farmers are cultivating American ginseng, called China White, but they have not achieved the same high quality results of American ginseng grown in Wisconsin. These and other growers are not compelled to follow the strict pesticide guidelines imposed to Wisconsin farmers. Therefore, there is a high possibility they might be using Wisconsin banned pesticides since traces of DDT have been found in their ginseng roots. Moreover, many of the products found on the market do not mention their origin. However, this information is fundamental due to the high impact of the cultivation practices and herbicides/pesticides residuens have on the American Ginseng properties and quality. Therefore, be very careful where you buy your Wisconsin American ginseng roots. If at all possible, buy them directly from the grower. This will give you a warranty of the authenticity and quality of the American ginseng roots.
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