•   No license is required to dig wild ginseng on private land in North Carolina, though written permission of the landowner must be in the collector’s possession at the time of harvest.

•   A ginseng dealer’s permit is required to buy ginseng for resale or to sell it out of the state.

•   The harvest season for wild ginseng in North Carilina is September 1 to April 1 (except this does not apply on one’s own land). A Record of Harvest Season Collection must be signed by a State Inspector by April 1 for any ginseng that is not sold during this season.

•   State law requires all harvested plants to have at least 3 prongs, or if leaves are not present, at least 4 bud scars plus a bud on the neck.

•   North Carolina requires that seeds of collected plants be sown within 100 feet of a harvested plant. The law allows seeds to be removed for planting elsewhere, but only from plants that are not dug in the same harvest season.

•   Ginseng may not be harvested in any North Carolina State Park, though harvest on some State lands is allowed with proper permits.

•   The NC Dept. of Agriculture & Consumer Services, Plant Industry Division, Plant Protection Section, serves as the state’s ginseng coordinator. Contact at:

2116 West Jones Street
Raleigh, NC 27603
(919) 733-6930 x249

•   A permit is required to collect ginseng in all National Forests in NC. Contact National Forests in the state at or:

P.O. Box 2750
160-A Zillicoa Street
Asheville, NC 28802
(828) 257-4200