For Riches to Rarity: American Ginseng

In a plant’s life cycle, there are a few key details such as germination, growth, egg or sperm production, pollination, seed production and dispersal, and finally death. In the germination phase the seed sprouts after a certain exposure to light, temperature, and moisture (Pima Community College). In the growth stage the sprout turns into a mature plant, this is followed by the production of an egg or sperm and then pollinated by other pollen transferred by the wind or an animal. Next is the seed production when the embryo and endosperm get a seed coat to form a new seed, the dispersal of the seed occurs it is transferred from the parent by interaction with an animal. Finally death, it’s pretty obvious, death is when the plant dies.

During the industrial revolution, Eli Whitney’ development of the cotton gin in the year of 1794, was an extremely popular and widely used invention throughout the United States of America. This particular machine, is capable of completely separating the seeds, from what we know as cotton. Prior to Whitney’s generous contribution, manual physical employment was necessary for this job. The cotton gin allowed quicker expansion of cotton, which quickly lead to an increase in the economy in the South. The fact that slaves were used to produce such cotton was one of the main causes for tension between the North and the South. The opposite sides had opposite views and opinions on

Now the United States has a shorter history of medical herbal use. Native American’s, and early European’s used herbs as medicines.

gin had a positive lucrative effect on the farmers and plantation owners of the South. As

“For all the Tea in China -How England Stole the World 's Favorite Drink and Changed History

natives knew about and used it was, because it grew in the wild. When the Europeans had

After the invention of the cotton gin was invented, American cotton moved in ever-greater quantities to the factories of Europe. The cotton industry was among the world’s largest industries at midcentury, drawing on the labor of 20 million workers.

Stage eight occurs on days eighteen through twenty. During this time, seed pods will develop. The final stage is stage nine, which occurs on days twenty-one to forty. This will be when the Fast Plant begins to wilt and die, and its seed pods will begin to become dry and eventually and await planting. Then the entire life cycle will begin all over again.

Wild American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius) is a medicinal herb that's used for its roots. Ginseng has been used for centuries in treating an array of ailments, and medical researchers have found that ginseng can be beneficial to the body in many ways. Wild American ginseng root can provide an anti-inflammatory effect, help to regulate blood glucose, fight cancer cells and support the immune system. The peeled ginseng root is eaten fresh or dried, taken as an extract, consumed in a tincture or taken as a fluid extract.

There is ample support for the claim that cotton became the leading U.S. export, with sales rising from 500,000 pounds in 1793 to a record 93 million in 1802 (Gudmetad, 2006). Many farmers shifted to cotton farming because tobacco and rice were no longer fashionable. Besides, one gin could process over 50 pounds of cotton in a day, thereby boosting productivity. America could exercise a monopoly in the global market because it was a large exporter of cotton. On this basis, it could be argued that this monopoly is to a large extent responsible for the dominance of American-based companies

Starting off, in America during the nineteenth century, Americans earned a substantial amount of money through agriculture. In fact, southerners heavily relied on exporting crops like cotton, sugar, tobacco, hemp, rice, and rum. Most of these crops were grown on farms that were worked on by slaves. The crops were produced for both personal use and for exporting for money. One of the most profitable crops for America during the nineteenth century was cotton. The invention of the cotton gin, which was patented in the late seventeenth century by Eli Whitney, greatly sped up the process to remove seeds from cotton fibers. By the mid nineteen century, cotton had grown to become America’s

The cotton gin fulfilled its goal and led to great economic success in America. Immediately after the invention, the southern states began producing more cotton than anywhere else in the world. With one person operating the gin, ten times more cotton could be produced than when the cotton was being picked and separated without a gin, and nearly 50 pounds could be harvested in a day by just a few slaves (Hamner). American cotton production increased by 800% in the next decade after the invention of the cotton gin (Aboukhadijeh). The United States could produce enormous amounts of cotton every day and sell it to England, and also maintain enough to manufacture their own textiles (Cotton NY Times). At this spectacular rate, America was producing

However, their knowledge of the intoxicant effects seemed absent and Cannabis was not yet widely utilized for its stimulating or medicinal effects. Nonetheless, diary entries from George Washington show that he personally planted and harvested cannabis for both the hemp fiber as well as the medicinal qualities, and both he and Thomas Jefferson advocated for a hemp-based economy (The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, 2003). By the mid-1800’s, Western Medicine finally started to catch up to what ancient Asian cultures long knew, and over 100 papers had been published in Western medical literature recommending the plant for its therapeutic benefits (Grinspoon & Bakalar, 1997).

Dating back as early as the 11th century, the lychee had been named the world's romantic fruit. In the Chinese culture the lychee fruit symbolizes love, beauty and well-being. There is ancient story of a Chinese Emperor named Teng Pao whose favorite mistress loved the lychee fruit. The Emperor would order his men to go over 800 miles to fetch the best lychee for his special lover. For almost two thousand years the Chinese have used the lychee for health and well-being purposes. The fruit is known to have medicinal powers. The lychees magic powers are said to decrease the chance of a stroke, boost the immune system and even fight cancer just to name a few. A fruit this good and packed with magic powers could not remain an ancient Chinese secret.

In the 1960s there was a large population of people trying to become more Earth oriented and nature friendly, so the herbal culture exploded once again.