How Much Is American Ginseng per Pound?
Updated September 30, 2026, with prices from our store. The table below always shows today's prices.
Short answer: Cultivated Wisconsin American ginseng from our farm costs about $65 to $160 per pound right now. Blemish Mix, sound roots with cosmetic marks for tea and cooking, starts at $28 per pound. The price depends on how many years the root grew, how it looks, whether it is fresh or dried, how much you buy at once, and where it was grown. Everything below comes from our own price list, and we grow every root we sell on our family farm in Edgar, Wisconsin.
Looking for wild ginseng prices? Wild American ginseng is a separate, regulated market, and its price per pound is not comparable to farm-grown root. We do not sell wild ginseng. Ours is cultivated under shade on our family farm in Edgar, Wisconsin, and every price on this page is for that cultivated root.
Ready to buy? Choose a root by age, or save the most per pound with a bigger bag.
Our prices per pound
Current prices, updated automatically. Fresh roots are sold in season. 1 lb column includes 16 oz bags.
Looking for a lower price? Blemish Mix is the same farm-grown root with cosmetic marks, from $28/lb in bulk bags.
The 8 oz price is doubled so you can compare it with the larger bags. The 5 lb and 10 lb orders ship as five or ten of our regular 1 lb bags.
What makes one pound of ginseng cost more than another
1. Root age
American ginseng grows in shade gardens for three to five seasons before harvest. Every extra season means another year of shade cloth, weeding, mulching and care, and some plants are lost along the way. Older roots are usually larger. That is why a pound of 5-year root costs more than a pound of 3-year root. Compare 3, 4 and 5-year roots.
2. Size and appearance
Large, well-shaped roots with clean skin sell for more. Roots with a surface scar, a wrinkle or an odd shape are just as usable in the kitchen, so we sort them into our Blemish Mix and sell them for much less per pound. If the roots are going into soup or tea and nobody will see them, this is the lowest price per pound we offer.
3. Fresh or dried
Fresh roots are mostly water. About three pounds of fresh root dry down to roughly one pound of dried root, so a pound of fresh ginseng is much less root than a pound of dried. Compare fresh with fresh and dried with dried. Fresh roots are sold only during harvest, from September to mid-January. Fresh or dried: which should you buy?
4. How much you buy
Larger orders cost less per pound. On our dried whole roots, a 10 lb order costs about half as much per pound as an 8 oz bag. The table above shows the exact numbers for each root.
5. Where it grew, and whether the seller can show you
Wisconsin grows about 95% of the cultivated American ginseng in the United States. The species name "American ginseng" does not tell you where a root grew, since it is also farmed in Canada and China. Price differences between sellers often come down to origin, age and grading. A seller should be able to tell you all three. How to tell real Wisconsin ginseng.
Which option gives you the most for your money?
| If you want | Look at | Why |
|---|---|---|
| The lowest price per pound for tea and soup | Blemish Mix, 10 lb | Sound roots with cosmetic marks, sold by weight |
| Everyday cooking roots | 3-year whole root, 5 lb or 10 lb | Our youngest and most affordable graded root |
| A middle choice | 4-year whole root | Between our 3-year and 5-year in size and price |
| A gift, or the best looking roots | 5-year whole root | Our most premium roots, sorted for presentation |
| Ginseng in season | Fresh roots | Firm, undried roots from this fall's harvest |
| No cutting at home | Slices or powder | Cut or ground from our own dried roots |
Cultivated vs wild ginseng prices
Wild American ginseng is a separate, regulated market and sells for many times the price of cultivated root. Everything we sell is cultivated on our family farm in Wisconsin. If someone offers "wild" ginseng at a cultivated price, ask questions.
Buying for a shop, clinic or restaurant
For home use, the 5 lb and 10 lb orders bring the price down the most. Read our bulk buying guide. Herb and ginseng shops, TCM practitioners and restaurants buying 30 lb or more can apply for a wholesale account, with per pound pricing that drops again at larger quantities.
Shop every 5 lb and 10 lb bag in one place, with today's price per pound for each root.
How to tell if a price is fair
- Ask the root age and whether the roots are cultivated or wild.
- Ask where the roots were grown and dried. We grow and dry ours on our own farm.
- Look at the roots: firm, fully dry, light tan, with fine rings on older roots.
- Compare price per pound, not price per bag, and compare fresh only with fresh.
- Look for a harvest-lot code on the bag. Every one of our bags has one.
How to tell quality ginseng: a buyer's guide
Common questions
How much is a pound of American ginseng?
Our whole roots currently run from $65 to $160 per pound. Blemish Mix, sound roots with cosmetic marks for tea and cooking, starts at $28 per pound. The live table above shows which roots and bag sizes set that range.
Why is ginseng root so expensive?
A crop takes three to five years of shade, hand weeding and care before a single harvest, and the same field cannot grow ginseng again for many years afterward.
Is fresh ginseng cheaper than dried?
Per pound it can look that way, but fresh root is mostly water. About three pounds of fresh root dry down to roughly one pound of dried root.
Is it cheaper to buy ginseng in bulk?
Yes. Our 10 lb orders cost about half as much per pound as our 8 oz bags. Blemish Mix in the 10 lb order is our lowest price per pound.
Do prices change?
They can change with each harvest. The table on this page is pulled from our current store prices every time the page loads.