The long tradition of ginseng hunting in the U.S. can be traced from Daniel Boone, the folk hero frontiersman, to Glenn Miller, a retired concrete inspector.

Ginseng, a medicinal herb long revered in China, has become a hot energy-drink ingredient and a trendy remedy for all sorts of maladies. Miller, carrying his $2 ginseng-hunting permit, typically finds the leafy plant in Savage River State Forest on steep, shady slopes and digs up the gnarly roots with a long screwdriver.

"Once in a while out there, you run into a bear," said Miller, who lives in Lonaconing, a western Maryland town. "Last year, I ran into an old female, and two cubs walked up to me. That's always exciting. Of course, occasionally you run into a rattlesnake."