The Medicinal Properties of Korea Insam
Ginseng is a root vegetable whose shape resembles the human body, and its name (pronounced insam in Korean) contains the Chinese characters for “man.” Korean ginseng is also known by the names of Korea's last two royal dynasties: Goryeo and Joseon Dynasties' ginseng. Its scientific name is “Panax Ginseng C.A. Meyer,” panax being a composite term formed from the Greek words pan (all) and axos (medicine), which also give us the English word “panacea.” Although Korean ginseng belongs to the same botanical genus as the product grown in Japan, China, the U.S., and Russia, substantial differences in quality and efficacy mark Korean ginseng as the best in the world.
Ginseng first appears in historical records about 1500 years ago. Opinions differ as to when ginseng was first grown as a crop, but it seems likely that this was first attempted during the Goryeo (918-1392) or early Joseon (1392-1910) periods.
Korean ginseng was first introduced to the West by Dutch merchants in 1610, and is also said to have been taken to England by traders of the British East India Company. When the effects of wild ginseng came to be known, Westerners began to think of ginseng as a cure-all medicinal root. In 1711, the French missionary Pierre Jartoux (1668-1720) produced an illustration of Korean wild ginseng, and in the book Joseon published by the Belgian author Goschen in 1902, Korean ginseng is described as a product so rare and precious that it had been presented as a gift to the French king Louis XIV (r. 1643-1715). That the French philosopher and author of Emile, Jean Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778), was fond of Korean ginseng, is recorded in his works, while in 1996, when France's former president Francois Mitterand died, the newspaper Le Monde reported that although doctors had given Mitterand three months to live, this had been extended to seven months by the consumption of Korea Insam (Ginseng).
These are just a few examples of how the medical marvel of Korean ginseng has come to be known far and wide. The ancient Chinese medical text New Agricultural Manual, compiled around the 5th century, states that “Ginseng strengthens the five viscera, stabilizes the mind, makes the eye clear and the body nimble, and promotes longevity.”
Recent research has startled the medical world by showing that ginseng is effective against a wide range of conditions including fatigue, stress, arteriosclerosis, high blood pressure and blood sugar levels, aging, impotence, alcoholism, and skin conditions such as pimples, freckles, and eczema.
