Kentucky, the nation's leading producer of ginseng, may have jeopardized its right to export the highly prized roots by not adequately policing their harvest and sale, said Pat Ford, a Fish and Wildlife Service botanist who oversees the nation's ginseng program.

Touted as a cure-all for everything from headaches to sexual dysfunction, ginseng is protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, which requires the federal government to ensure the roots being exported have been acquired legally.

But in Kentucky, Fish and Wildlife Service agents have found widespread violations of U.S. ginseng laws. Last year, they charged 17 ginseng dealers with illegally purchasing the tiny roots, each of which weighs a fraction of an ounce. Special Agent Bob Snow said those dealers had purchased roots from undercover officers during the spring and early summer months when digging is forbidden.

So far, 10 of the people charged have paid fines totaling $35,000. They also forfeited up to $200,000 worth of roots. None has been sentenced to jail. Seven others have pleaded guilty and are scheduled for sentencing in U.S. District Court on July 6.

Mac Stone, head of the ginseng program in the state Department of Agriculture, is urging legislators to toughen state laws against violators in an effort to convince federal authorities that Kentucky is serious about regulating the harvest and sale of the rare plant. Stone told lawmakers this week that inaction could jeopardize Kentucky's wild ginseng trade, which generates $5 million to $8 million a year in supplemental revenue for rural families, primarily in impoverished eastern Kentucky mountain communities.

Industry representatives say barring Kentucky ginseng would reduce U.S. exports of the roots to China and other Asian countries by about 20 percent and push the price to record levels. Kentucky accounts for 7 1/2 tons of the annual U.S. ginseng exports, which total about 30 tons.

All the nation's top ginseng-producing states are in Appalachia, but Kentucky produces nearly double the others. Tennessee, West Virginia and North Carolina produce about 3 1/2 tons each per year.

The Fish and Wildlife Service requires each of the states to monitor ginseng to guard against over-harvesting.

Ford said the federal investigation shows that at least a portion of Kentucky's ginseng wasn't legally acquired, as required by the international agreement, and potentially could lead to a ban on Kentucky exports.

"That certainly comes into question now," she said.

In the past 10 years, only Georgia has been removed from the list of states approved for wild ginseng exports. That was because Georgia hadn't filed a required annual ginseng harvest report to the Fish and Wildlife Service. Once the report was filed, the state's export privileges were restored.