Ginseng in the Dairy State By Ken Tanemura

Ginseng in the Dairy State? Exactly. Ninety-five percent of the country's ginseng comes from Wisconsin, and Paul Hsu has a big stake in it.       Hsu Enterprises, which owns over 1,000 acres of prime ginseng farmland in north central Wisconsin, produces over $20 million worth of ginseng annually. Hsu Ginseng Enterprises is the largest ginseng operation in the United States. Most of Hsu's crops are exported to China.

Ginseng, common name for Araliaceae, is a family of tropical herbs, shrubs, and trees that are often prickly and sometimes grow as climbing forms. The Chinese use Taoist philosophy to differentiate varieties of ginseng.  According to Taoism, the human body, like the universe, is composed of opposing natural forces, yin and yang, that eternally strive to balance one another. Yin is soft, cool, and feminine. Yang is bright, hard, and masculine.        Wisconsin-grown ginseng is yin, which is hard to find in China. The Wisconsin root is also considered milder and easier for senior citizens to take for life-prolonging purposes.  The U.S. is yin to China's yang.       The icy soil and cold weather of Marathon County are very conducive to growing "American ginseng." According to Paul Hsu, the distinctive flavor of upstate Wisconsin ginseng parallels the unique character of champagne grapes that are grown in French vineyards.       The high regard for Wisconsin grown ginseng has led to marketing and fraud problems in China. "American ginseng grown in China is called 'China white,' and it's considered by the Chinese to be inferior,"

according to Robert Beyfuss, a ginseng expert at Cornell University. "That's why those with fewer scruples label their product as 'Wisconsin ginseng' even if they use Chinese-grown American ginseng, or Korean ginseng, or mix real Wisconsin root in with whatever else they could snap up on the market."       Apparently, 'China white' isn't as good as 'Dairy State white.'  In Shanghai, labels on ginseng can be faked, so that the customer doesn't know whether it comes from Wisconsin, Korea, Canada, or Siberia.       "Everyone is faking the seal," Hsu said.  "The customer doesn't know who to believe."       Oftentimes, sellers falsely put "Grown in Wisconsin, USA " tags on their ginseng. This poses a threat to Wisconsin ginseng farmers who cash in on the Wisconsin brand name.  For years, Wisconsin ginseng farmers have refused to sell their growing secrets to China, thus curbing China's attempt to grow Wisconsin's brand of American ginseng root.       The competition between ginseng growers in the U.S. and in China is based on claims of authenticity; not cultural authenticity, but brand-name/designer-label authenticity. Chinese ginseng farmers are trying to beat their Wisconsin competition by claiming a connection to the Dairy State. TianHui, a ginseng company started by Hou Shunli, a former Communist Party official with an economics degree, advertises that the Beijing Yanshar Mountains have "the same latitude as the original place of American ginseng, Wisconsin State, U.S., and have similar conditions in top soil, climate and hydrology."       This is the same sales pitch that Wisconsin ginseng growers had been using for many years until their product took off.       Peter Choi, a Wisconsin trade delegate, toured the TianHui facilities and was flabbergasted by what he saw. "It kills us," he said.       So what will Wisconsin ginseng growers do to ensure that China doesn't overtake the ginseng market?       "We need brand distinction," said Joe Heil, a Wisconsin ginseng grower who compares Wisconsin-grown ginseng to a Rolex watch.         Wisconsin ginseng growers rely on China, which has a 4,000 year-old history of herbal healing. China relies on Wisconsin ginseng growers to the point that a pharmacy in Shanghai recently displayed Wisconsin roots on linen-lined jewelry trays. The Wisconsin roots were sold at $477 a pound!       Who will corner the market on ginseng remains a question. For now, the harvest time for Wisconsin ginseng growers began in September and ended Nov. 1. The ginseng harvest in Wisconsin is an annual fall ritual, always a good harvest, which supplies Chinese customers with the magical herb known as "in the image of man."       Ken Tanemura is a freelance writer based in Milwaukee.

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