Wild Ginseng Harvest Regulations

Harvesting ginseng on most state and federal lands is prohibited. 

You may not harvest ginseng on any property owned or managed by MDC. 

You may harvest ginseng on privately owned lands with the owner’s permission.

You do not need a license to harvest ginseng on private property, but get the property owner’s permission before searching for or collecting ginseng. Without permission, you are subject to prosecution for trespassing and/or theft. 

Wild ginseng may be harvested September 1 to December 31. 

Dates for the purchase, sale, or transport of ginseng: 

• Wet (undried) ginseng: September 1 to March 15
• Dried ginseng: September 15 to March 15

Certified roots may be possessed, purchased, sold, transported, or exported year-round. 

Wild and cultivated Missouri ginseng must be certified by MDC:

• When ginseng plants or roots are shipped out of Missouri. 
• When roots will be held between March 15 and September 1. 

Roots imported from other states, territories, or countries must have an appropriate certificate of origin.

To certify roots: Contact your local MDC conservation agent. 

• Take only mature plants and roots with at least three true leaves (prongs). See diagram. 
• Keep the fruiting stalk and stem (but not the mature fruits or seeds) with the plant until it is within your home or place of business. This will provide proof to law enforcement agents that the plants you took were of legal age.
• Plant the seeds from each harvested plant within 100 feet of the parent plant. 

Planting Instructions:

• Squeeze the seeds from the red fruits.
• Plant seeds within 100 feet from where the parent plant was harvested to ensure seeds are in suitable habitat. 
• Place seeds at least 6 inches apart and about one-half-inch deep in the soil. 
• Cover the seeds with leaf litter.