• A Ginseng Collector’s Permit is required to collect wild ginseng in Vermont. Collectors are also required to obtain permission to collect wild ginseng on property owned by persons other than themselves.

• A Ginseng Dealer’s Permit is required to buy wild or cultivated ginseng harvested in Vermont. Collectors that export their Vermont harvests are also required to obtain a Ginseng Dealer’s Permit.

• The harvest season for wild ginseng in Vermont is from August 20 to October 10. Wild ginseng harvested during this season must be inspected and certified by March 31 of the next year.

• Vermont state law prohibits the harvest of any wild ginseng that has green, unripe fruit or less than three 5-leaf prongs.

• Vermont requires that seeds of collected wild ginseng be planted in the immediate locale from which the root was taken.

• The necks (“rhizomes”) must be present to certify wild ginseng roots for export from Vermont, unless age can be determined without the necks present.

• Ginseng may not be harvested on state owned lands in Vermont, nor in the Green Mountain National Forest.

• The Vermont Department of Agriculture, Food & Markets, Plant Industry Section, serves as the state ginseng coordinator. This office can be reached at (802) 241-3544 or at:

116 State Street
Montpelier, VT 05620

Provided by the American Herbal Products Association, in cooperation with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and United Plant Savers