American Ginseng (Panax quinquefolius) found in eastern North America, and most famously grown in Wisconsin, is one of the world's most sought-after varieties of ginseng.

American Ginseng is a temperamental plant that requires expertise in cultivation, and with increasing demand its existence is being threatened by illegal foraging of wild roots. The popularity of American Ginseng today can be associated with its purported medicinal properties, and its use as a dietary supplement. Used by Native Americans who introduced the root to European settlers in the 1700s, the compound known as 'ginsenoside', found almost exclusively in ginseng, is thought to be behind its pharmacological uses.