Ginseng and the first US ship to China
verdavita editorial team · 2026-11-05
When the Empress of China left New York in 1784 and opened direct US trade with China, ginseng was a key part of its cargo. The trade began decades earlier, with Mohawk knowledge of the forest.
A search in New France
Jesuit missionary Joseph-François Lafitau knew of ginseng from reports about northeastern China and reasoned that a related plant might grow in similar forests in North America. In 1716 he found it with the help of Mohawk people near Caughnawaga.
A trade across the world
A trade soon followed, around 1718, with harvesting by Native Americans, French fur traders and frontiersmen, including Daniel Boone.
1784
The Empress of China sailed from New York on February 22, 1784, carrying ginseng as a main export. Accounts of the cargo size and profit differ, but the voyage is widely seen as the start of the American China trade.
Wild ginseng's history also includes heavy harvesting, which is one reason its trade is regulated today.
Sources
History, not health advice. A plant's past does not show what a supplement does. Images are illustrative.