Bryson City, NC (WVLT) -- A pair of North Carolina men have been convicted in federal court on charges of poaching American ginseng.

Norman D. McCoy, 50, of Cherokee and Nicholas B. Bryson, 27, of Topton both pleaded guilty to the charges.

McCoy was sentenced to 20 days in jail and a $125 fine for possessing 18 wild ginseng roots when apprehended in October by Great Smoky Mountains National Park Rangers.

Bryson was sentenced to 15 days in jail and fined $135 for possessing 77 roots when he was apprehended, also in October.

According to officials, the illegal harvest of plants is a serious problem in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, particularly ginseng.

The root has become a favorite target of poachers because of its high profit margin on the black market.

Ginseng has been a traditional ingredient in Chinese medicine for thousands of years, and its popularity in the United States and other counties has increased substantially in recent times.

On the legal trade market, wild ginseng can bring cost between $500 to $800 per pound of dried roots, with older and larger roots costing even more.

Ginseng poaching in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park has been illegal for nearly 75 years.