Hello, dear listeners! Welcome back to the “Curious Traditional Chinese Medicine Institute”! Today, we’re going to talk about a magical plant—ginseng! This is the ancient royal health secret, the life-saving remedy of martial artists, and the energy booster for modern professionals.
In today’s health and wellness world, ginseng is everywhere, but did you know that hundreds of years ago, it was a “symbol of status,” only accessible to the royal family and nobility?
So, how did ginseng go from being an emperor’s exclusive supplement to a wellness essential that everyone keeps in their cupboard? Today, let’s uncover how ginseng conquered the world.
1. Exclusive for Emperors: Royal Health Tech“Hmm, this tastes great. My royal body feels even stronger now.”
That’s right—ginseng was the ultimate health booster for emperors in ancient times! Legend has it that the Qianlong Emperor of the Qing Dynasty loved ginseng so much, he would drink a bowl of it every day. Why? Because the emperor had to worry about the nation’s big affairs and ensure his longevity—otherwise, the throne would be in jeopardy. In an age without energy drinks, ginseng was pretty much a miraculous life extender.
2. Too Expensive for Ordinary People? The Ginseng BattleFor ordinary folks, ginseng was out of reach. In its heyday, ginseng from Changbai Mountain was as precious as gold. Every root dug up could be bought by the royal court, ending up in the hands of wealthy merchants as a luxury item. There was even a bizarre law during the Qing Dynasty—private ginseng hunting was illegal! All ginseng resources belonged to the state. If you found a root, too bad—you had to hand it over to the government. Otherwise, you’d face a fine or even exile. That’s when “ginseng peddlers” came into play—specialized folks who would sneak into the mountains, secretly dig up ginseng, and then smuggle it into the black market. A prized old ginseng root could buy you a mansion! Can you believe that, back then, ginseng was worth more than today’s Bitcoin? And because of its high value, people became even more obsessed with it, believing it had life-reviving powers. In many folk tales, martial artists and legendary healers were said to use ginseng to “cling to life.” For example, in Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio (聊斋志异), there’s a story about a “ginseng baby”—a ginseng root that, after consuming too much ginseng, turned into a spirit, even becoming human and hopping around the mountains. Sounds like some kind of high-end wellness fairy, right?
3. Ginseng Goes Global and Conquers the WorldSo, how did ginseng go from China’s deep mountains to the global market? The answer is trade. In the 17th and 18th centuries, ginseng started to make its way through merchants and shipping routes, reaching Korea, Japan, and even crossing oceans to Europe and the Americas.
Korean Ginseng Culture: Koreans are truly in love with ginseng. They make it into kimchi, candy, drinks, and even ginseng fried chicken. The brand “Goryeo Ginseng” has become synonymous with high-end ginseng worldwide.
American Ginseng Craze: In the 18th century, American merchants discovered that ginseng also grew in North America, and they immediately jumped into the market, even trading ginseng with China!
In modern times, ginseng has become part of pop culture. In just a few hundred years, ginseng has gone from being a royal supplement to the MVP of global wellness, and now even in laboratories, it can be artificially produced.
Today, scientists are researching how to make the production of ginsenosides more efficient, like using microbial fermentation or genetic engineering to create high-purity ginsenosides. In the future, we might not need to dig up wild ginseng anymore—we could “grow” super ginseng directly in laboratories! However, no matter how technology evolves, the legend of ginseng continues...
So, what other magical uses do you think ginseng will have in the future? Leave your thoughts in the comments, and let’s discuss! See you next time!
