. >> reporter: we're with mountain man rufus kuehne, searching for something that's been part of the appalachian culture for hundreds of years. part of its history. >> daniel boone was digging it out of kentucky, got $80,000 out of what he dug. >> reporter: now worth its weight in gold. then out of the blue -- there it is. >> right there by your feet. all of this is ginseng. there's the three prongs. see all these? >> that's amazing. >> jimmy: ginseng. >> reporter: a plant root long considered a natural aphrodisiac and cure-all in asia. for thousands of years. >> oh my goodness, look at that. >> reporter: i grew up hearing about its mythical properties from my very korean parents. >> i grew up hearing about all cures. so this is the body, the stalk. >> right. >> reporter: this root can retail up to $15,000 per pound in upscale asian boutiques. and it's set off a black market. investigators in west virginia confiscating more than 400 pounds of illegally harvested ginseng over the past few years. they say its street value, over $5 million. and along with it, all sorts of other contraba