| |  | | Bloodroot as a Commercial Crop
Answered by: Richard Alan Miller
Question from: Rob Jordan
Posted on: March 20, 2001
I work for a non-profit organization called the Yellow Creek Botanical Insitute located in Graham Co., NC. We are trying to set up some field trials along with local farmers, in the cultivation of bloodroot and other native medicinal botanicals. I was wondering if could share any information in regards to bloodroot cultivation. Or is all commercially marketed bloodroot wildcrafted?
I read in Andrea Gunner’s report entitled ‘Technical Feasibility Study for Medicinal and Aromatic Herbs’, that bloodroot "is a crop that could be commercially cultivated and yield as much as 2,000 pounds per acre in the third or fourth year after planting." Do you know where I might find more information to support these figures?
I have written on bloodroot, and gave that information to Andrea Gunner probably more than four years ago... it all comes back home....
Most bloodroot is now cultivated, very much like goldenseal and ginseng. You might also consider mandrake and wild indigo, as they require similar habitats. I have written a new book not yet in print titled Forest Farming. It sequels my Native Plants of Commercial Importance (Acres, USA), and suggests ways to do it in it’s native stands.
I have attached a copy of a chapter I have written on this crop. Of course, I am available as an outside consultant, and would also be available to help market this crop when ready for that phase.
Be aware that there are only three primary buyers for this crop in North America. That’s changing, of course, but the markets are still quite limited. I suggested this as an alternative to the ginsengs in the Okanagans of British Columbia. How else can I help you in this project?
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