It might as well be a heap of gold to the brokers who are sniffing and poking to assess the roots' sizes, shapes and wrinkles at the state's first wild ginseng auction.

By the end of the day, the brokers will spend $267,974.55 to relieve the state of Kentucky of its entire inventory of wild ginseng. State and federal wildlife officers confiscated 312 pounds from poachers and brokers during a 21-month investigation of widespread corruption into the trade. The probe wrapped up in spring.

Kentucky is the USA's largest supplier of wild ginseng. Brokers will sell the highly prized Kentucky root for as much as $1,000 a pound to Asian markets, says Fitzgerald, who runs the state's ginseng program. Many Asian cultures revere the root for its medicinal properties.

Diggers, who harvest the tiny roots by hand, are demanding up to $800 a pound in North Carolina, says ginseng dealer Tony Hayes. "It's crazy. You'd think you were in Chicago trading futures."

As prices soar, so do interest and instances of poaching and fraud. In response, the federal government and officials in 19 states with ginseng programs are cracking down on the harvesting and sale of the root, which is protected under international law.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service controls what can be collected and exported without endangering the species. States must designate a digging season and regulate how much and at what age it can be uprooted.

Fish and Wildlife agents infiltrated the wild ginseng trade two years ago and arrested 17 Kentucky dealers during the past 18 months. At least 20 of Kentucky's 112 registered ginseng dealers were cited for federal crimes.

The investigation extended into Georgia, where state agents arrested 24 people for illegally selling wild ginseng in Atlanta medicinal herb stores.

Kentucky toughened its regulations this year and its Legislature will consider tougher poaching penalties next year. Other states, such as Georgia and North Carolina, also have stepped up enforcement.

Cultivated vs. domestic

Wild ginseng, found mostly in Appalachia, has drawn attention for its cure-all properties since the 1700s, says Michael McGuffin, president of the American Herbal Products Association.

"It's probably the highest-priced wild plant, and it's always been that way," McGuffin says. "I've been over to China to see single roots laid out on velvet cloths, and they sell for six figures."

Cultivated ginseng, grown mostly in Wisconsin, is used in energy drinks, teas, cosmetics and traditional medicine. It sells for $15 to $30 a pound.

Asian cultures favor the slow-growing wild variety because lore says the wild root that has survived tough conditions contains more energy.

"It's just got to look like it's suffered, has had to fight for its life," says Hayes, who purchased $76,716.03 worth of root at the auction.

Wisconsin has asked Congress to pass a law that would protect its cultivated ginseng root from what it says are inferior Canadian and Asian brands passing as U.S.-grown.

Sen. Russ Feingold, D-Wis., has called counterfeiting a "serious threat" to Wisconsin ginseng farmers. The bill would require wholesalers and retailers to indicate where the ginseng was harvested so consumers "are getting the real thing and not a knockoff," he said in a statement.

Kentucky's crackdown

In the states with ginseng programs, diggers may harvest only mature roots, at least 5 years old, at the end of summer and early fall. States that don't regulate properly can be banned from exporting.

When the Kentucky General Assembly convenes next year, it will consider poaching fines of up to $500. In Oregon, fines can go as high as $2,000. In Virginia, violators can get five years in prison.

"Kentucky had very little enforcement ability," says Steve Middleton, resident agent in charge for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Tennessee and Kentucky. "But they're doing much better."

Kentucky dealers must register with the Department of Agriculture and report their purchases and sales, Fitzgerald says. The harvest runs from Aug. 15 to Dec. 1. Dealers can purchase and sell ginseng from Sept. 1 to March 31.

Mitchell McCullough of the Ohio River Ginseng & Herb Company drives through Appalachia, buying roots from more than 3,000 diggers who meet him at gas stations, bars and farmers' markets. He will have to document each transaction.

"It's curtailed a lot of guys who were digging before the season, which ultimately hurts the plant," McCullough says. "The last thing anybody wants is for ginseng to go extinct."