Ginseng is business for area family

When people grab an energy drink such as a Monster or a Rockstar, they may notice that the drink contains ginseng. If it weren’t for that, or the rising popularity of traditional Chinese medicine, people may never know what it does, which is a shame because it can do so many positive things for the body.

According to Tyler Saemrow of Ty’s Ginseng, firsthand accounts, and medical research, its natural properties can energize the body, act as an anti inflammatory, and help settle stomach issues and headaches.

Growing ginseng is something Saemrow’s family, located north of Morristown, has done for over fifty years. His grandpa, Ernst Hering, was the first in the family to find wild ginseng, and the continual growth and selling of it has been a family affair ever since.

Now Tyler, a graduate of Waterville-Elysian-Morristown High School, is taking over the business of growing ginseng after his grandpa first started it. His grandfather still helps out. But the work of growing, maintaining, and selling it is mostly up to him now. “My mom helps me with the selling,” he adds. “My dad sometimes helps out, too, when he’s not working at his dairy farm.”

Saemrow has been involved with the business since third grade. “Every day after school, we’d be out in the woods for at least two hours helping Grandpa take care of the ginseng. It’s been that way for a while now. We seldom hire outside help; we keep it within the family.”

The family has a few different woods that it grows their ginseng in. During trips to these woods, Saemrow learned about the goodness of ginseng. “My grandpa used to just gnaw on the root while we worked in the woods,” he said. “He explained that doing that was how he never got sick. It was true. He was never sick.”

He also learned how valuable ginseng was. “When we’d eat the roots, Grandpa would tell us kids, ‘What are you doing? You’re eating all the profits!’”

Grandpa Ernst wasn’t wrong. Ginseng has always been worth plenty of money throughout the world.

While it’s known for its uses in China, some ginseng did grow wild in the once plentiful woods of Minnesota. It was discovered by settlers a century before Saemrow’s grfather started growing it. The plant was abundant in the former Big Woods stretching from the Waterville area to as far east as the village of Nerstrand (where Big Woods State Park is located), and as far south as Morristown up to Burnsville.

According to a Mankato Free Press article from 2018 that Saemrow has clipped and kept displayed in his garage, ginseng cost 20 to 30 cents a pound in the 1860s. Thousands of pounds of ginseng were sold, allowing farmers who had become unable to plant crops due to high prices to invest in their farms again. Saemrow says he also remembers reading that a million pounds of ginseng was sold within Rice County during a period of time in the 19th century.

While that’s nowhere near the case anymore, some like Saemrow are still growing ginseng in the area. He still grows his ginseng around the local area his grandfather used. He estimates that there are about three and a half to four acres of woods where the plant flourishes.

He explains that ginseng prefers wooded areas, especially hilly ones with rich soil. “It requires about 85 percent shade. As it matures, it likes a little more sunlight.”

When it gets to be about three years since the germination stage, it can be harvested. “Some do it too early, which means the ginseng isn’t as potent or mature.”

However, Saemrow waits to harvest the plants until about six to eight years. “The great thing about ginseng is you can leave it in the ground for as long as you want,” he says. “The longer it’s in the ground, the more potent it gets.”

The optimal time to harvest is fall, similar to crops like corn and soybeans. If not picking the plant, it will lose its leaves for the winter. “When that time comes, we usually lay down some straw to insulate it in case of deep freezes,” Saemrow said. “Some winters aren’t that bad. But we’re in Minnesota. So you never know what the weather looks like.”

For those roots which are harvested, Saemrow sets them out on wire racks in a large wood box constructed by his grandfather. When that process is finished, Saemrow either sells the dried root as it is or grinds it to a powder to mix with any drink or food recipe.

At the right time, Saemrow also collects ginseng berries; these are planted to keep ginseng plentiful. “We have been given ideas on how to use the berries in other ways,” Saemrow says. “One lady at a farmer’s market said she made a jam with it. We might do that in a few years. But for now, we only use the berries for planting.”

Sometimes, Saemrow will sell the fresh roots at a farmers’ market. “We typically go to the Minneapolis Market every year from the start of June to October,” he shares. “People are usually happy when we have the fresh roots with us there.”

He and his mother have also been to Elysian’s farmers’ markets.

Hearing people’s stories about ginseng makes all the work worth it for Saemrow. “A neighbor told us she was having troubles with arthritis and I gave her a sample,” he remembers. “She’s told me she hasn’t felt a thing ever since.”

Ginseng can also act as an energy booster all its own–no need for the other ingredients included in energy drinks. “You don’t get a crash from it,” he explains. “It’s a very gradual boost of energy. You don’t really feel it at first until you don’t have it for a while.”

In a way, ginseng may be one of the world’s best kept secrets as more natural forms of medicine become popular. Just as the ancient Chinese used them for healing, Saemrow and his grandpa have also used them for general wellness.

“Grandpa instilled in us a work ethic and an appreciation for that work,” Saemrow says. “We’ve also learned how ginseng has medicinal properties and is a good energy boost. We hope that our product will help others like it’s helped us.”

Saemrow and his family will be selling at the Minneapolis Market all summer while making an appearance at the Elysian 4th of July Celebration in the coming weeks.