Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
lion pounds (up to 1.5 million) annually. It's among the top (often number one) agri-
cultural cash crop exports for the state.
THE IMAGE OF MAN
Ginseng means the “root in the image of man.” Ginseng's the cure-all for any ail-
ment.
Inessence,ginsengpreservesthecrucialbalanceofyin(cool,dark,feminine)and
yang (warm, light, masculine). In Asia, you don't simply slam a glass of ginseng
daily. It's part of a whole package of life. (And certain personality types—especially
“hot” ones—shouldn't drink it at all.)
Ginseng is most highly revered in China and Korea. Legends tell of “mountain
ginseng” as being a gift from the gods, caught in a mountain stream through light-
ning. Koreans say that if a fortunate event occurs in your dreams, you'll find wild
ginseng—and maybe save someone's life. The Chinese will pay a month's wages for
prime ginseng.
Western scientists remain divided on any of its efficacy. This mostly stems from
lack of research—despite the boom in the popularity of supplements such as gin-
seng, testing lags behind in this country. A stimulant-like effect has been observed
on the central nervous and endocrine systems, and it has also been shown to affect
hormones and decrease blood sugar.
THE PLANT
All ginseng is not the same. All are members of the Aralinceae family, relatives of
celery and carrots. Ginseng has always grown wild across the eastern half of the Un-
ited States from as far south as Mississippi. Daniel Boone traded it, and John Jacob
Astor got his legendary fur company started by dealing it to the Chinese.
It's tremendously difficult to cultivate. Cash- and labor-intensive, the root is ex-
traordinarily sensitive to temperatures and susceptible to rot and basically every
known pest and blight. One acre can yield a good 2,000 pounds. Unfortunately,
however, it takes four seasons to reach maturity—and, once an acre has grown gin-
seng, it's “dead” for at least another century.
