• A Wisconsin Ginseng Harvester’s License is required for anyone that sells their harvested wild ginseng (even from their own land, though there is no fee for such license) or that digs ginseng on land that is not their own, whether or not for sale. The license must be in the digger’s possession when harvesting or selling wild ginseng.

• Anyone who buys more than 8 ounces of wild ginseng in Wisconsin for resale must obtain a Wisconsin Dealer’s License form the WI Department of Natural Resources.

• The harvest season for wild ginseng in Wisconsin is from September 1 to November 1. Ginseng harvested during this season may be sold by harvesters from September 1 to March 31 of the next year.

• Under Wisconsin law, all harvested ginseng plants must have at least 3 prongs and a fruiting stalk, and the berries must be red in color. Diggers are required to keep the prongs and stalk from each harvested plant to provide proof that they were present.

• Ginseng diggers in Wisconsin are required to replant the seeds of harvested wild ginseng in the area of the parent plants.

• Ginseng may not be harvested on state or federal owned lands in Wisconsin.

• The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, serves as the state’s wild ginseng coordinator, and can be reached at

(608) 267-5066 or at:

Ginseng Coordinator, ER-6
P.O. Box 7921
Madison, WI 53707