Wisconsin farmers say the demand for ginseng is slumping
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CNN's Jeff Flock reports from the ginseng fields of Marathon City, Wisconsin
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MARATHON CITY, Wisconsin (CNN) -- The Chinese have long valued the medicinal properties of ginseng, but now the perennial herb is faced with a new epidemic: the Asian economic flu.

Ginseng, grown commercially in parts of North America, is sold throughout Asia. However, the current slump in key Asian economies has slowed demand, and that means bad news for its growers.

"The prime market for ginseng is the Orient and they don't have as much money as they used to," one grower in this Midwestern town said.

Chicago Bureau Chief Jeff Flock reports.