Source of Herbal Ingredients

The selection of plants to be used in herbal remedies can depend on many factors, and their quality is primarily dependent on the taxonomic expertise of individuals that gather them and the skill of those who prepare them for use. Misidentifying or even selecting the incorrect plant part is often the source of other than expected efficacies and adverse reactions. Those who wild-craft may be able to recognize the plants at only the family or generic 

The following example indicates how appropriate resource management of a rare and endangered medicinal taxa can be accomplished. Chinese ginseng (Panax ginseng) has been essentially extirpated in the wild, and export of its seed from China for cultivation elsewhere is prohibited. Also, harvesting of its American counterpart Panax quinquefolius), from its 

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