
Sign up to save your podcasts
Or


It’s a wild herb that countless cultures have used for centuries as a wonder drug to cure any ailment. It's so rare and valuable that it’s been dug to extinction nearly everywhere, except a small area of the United States. This time on Sidedoor, we go searching for the elusive wild American ginseng — and find that scientists, conservationists, and criminals are also on the hunt.
By Smithsonian Institution4.6
21582,158 ratings
It’s a wild herb that countless cultures have used for centuries as a wonder drug to cure any ailment. It's so rare and valuable that it’s been dug to extinction nearly everywhere, except a small area of the United States. This time on Sidedoor, we go searching for the elusive wild American ginseng — and find that scientists, conservationists, and criminals are also on the hunt.

90,841 Listeners

43,991 Listeners

26,248 Listeners

1,487 Listeners

6,890 Listeners

1,287 Listeners

3,650 Listeners

4,198 Listeners

2,688 Listeners

2,120 Listeners

16,352 Listeners

5,145 Listeners

691 Listeners

2,312 Listeners

1,743 Listeners