Episode 818: The Problem Of The Root
Planet Money
#818: The Problem Of The Root
Ginseng is a little ginger-like root that grows in the mountains of Appalachia. It has been used for thousands of years, mostly in China, as a remedy for everything from fatigue to cancer. It is poached from state forests, and it is farmed in secret locations. People have been killed over it.
Planet Money
#818: The Problem Of The Root
But not all ginseng is created equal. There's cultivated ginseng and wild ginseng. And the wild stuff is where the money is. It can cost a thousand dollars a pound, or more.
There's a problem with this market: No one quite knows what wild is. Today on the show, we go to a hidden ginseng farm and try to find out.
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