Have you ever heard of ginseng? Thus, its benefits are scientifically unexplainable, there is proof that it helps you from many sicknesses. Today I will talk about the types, benefits, side effects, countries that produce ginseng, and the history of ginseng.

Ginseng is largely divided into seven types. The most common ginseng which we can easily buy online is the cultivated ginseng. There are also red, white, fresh, wild cultivated ginseng which are all cultivated like the cultivated ginseng. Another type of ginseng is the wild ginseng. The wild ginseng is the rarest of all ginseng. As per google, 15-20 year old wild ginseng cost 4,226$ while 100 year old and above costs 169,040$ to 253,560$. There is also dried blanched ginseng which is produced when fresh ginseng is slightly boiled, taken out, and dried.

The main countries that produce ginseng are China, Vietnam, US, Canada, Korea, and Russia. China produces 70% of the world ginseng but it has a lesser quality compared to South Korea. In China wild ginseng is almost extinct, so it is almost unavailable to find wild ginseng. Due to its quality Chinese ginseng are mostly used for soup, not medicine. Even American, Vietnamese, Canadian, and Russian ginseng have poor quality as well. However, Korean ginseng has better quality so, it is used mostly for medicine. According to google, Korean ginseng has the best quality compared to ginseng from other countries.

Ginseng was first mentioned in the Korean book, “The history of the Three Kingdoms” and (“Hyangyak Gugugubang”/incense first aid room) 1500 years ago. Due to this, Korean ginseng was traded in a high price in Asia. Most ginseng hunters were employed by the emperor, while there were also people who weren’t. There were many risks for being a ginseng hunter, though as there were many bandits seeking ginseng. In the US, ginseng was an important item to the Native Americans. It was used as medicine for the Native Americans as well. In “The Travels of Marco Polo” ginseng was mentioned as an important medicine. During the Age of Discovery, Korean ginseng was introduced to the Western World which made Korean ginseng famous in the Western World due to its’ huge benefits compared to Chinese or American ginseng. This made the demand of ginseng to get higher. This made ginseng to be rarer, and the price of ginseng skyrocketed until now.

Ginseng has many benefits to people. It can help brain function, boost the immune system, have benefits with cancer, and many more. Also, ginseng can easily heat the body and can help stomachaches as well, when it is boiled into soup. It can also affect one’s mood as well. However, there can be some side effects of ginseng as well. There could be allergic skin reactions, diarrhea, dizziness, and etc. Plus, the side effects and benefits are different per ginseng type. For instance, some people are allergic to red ginseng but aren’t allergic to fresh ginseng. This makes ginseng not always a benefit to people.

Ginseng is still a high quality product, and is getting rarer time by time, as ginseng is endangered worldwide. It is usually worth 50-500$ from at least anywhere per pound. All in all, ginseng is still a beneficial product to many people in many ways.