Why is 6-Years-Grown Korean Red Ginseng so Wonderful?

Why do advanced-nation East Asians -- notably, South Koreans and Japanese -- live so much longer than the average American and Canadian? Is it that the US is involved in so many wars that life-expectancy is lowered? That's not right. The relatively peaceful Canadian average lifespan is virtually equal to that in the US. Our North American industries tend to be far cleaner with less industrial manufacturing, as well, so it isn't likely environmental. It's probably not stress. East Asians tend to work much longer hours with less over-all play time and more social obligations. So what is it this mysterious factor that adds 5-10% to East Asian lifespans, while Americans and Canadians drag behind?

You can probably already imagine that the answer is most likely found in our food cultures. While there is much to say for being more socially knit, it isn't as if North Americans lack friends or family. Rather, take a look at the average weight of the typical Texan and take a look at the typical Korean and difference is stark. Not everything bigger is better, even in Texas (sorry, Texas; the rest of us aren't far much better, either)! printing hearts on the boxes of carb-loaded foods. Is cereal really going to cut your chances of a heart-attack?

While most North Americans have caught on to the fact that a diet rich in fish, dark greens, limited red meat and whole grains, all quenched by herbal teas (rather than soft-drinks or hormone-infused industrial milk), with the occasional weekly treat, can dramatically change one's energy levels and life health. This can be described as a typical Asian diet. But few people have taken the time to learn about how do East Asians supplement this lifestyle?

In the West, we focus heavily on Vitamin C and Vitamin D almost to the point of nonsense (these chemicalized, artificial vitamins are now found in most of our foods), and we've made little progress other than printing hearts on the boxes of carb-loaded foods. Is cereal really going to cut your chances of a heart-attack? The evidence says not likely. So what do South Koreans and the Japanese consider to be their number one supplement? The answer is an old "Asian secret," called Korean ginseng (known as Cheong-Kwan-Jang). I put "secret" in quotes, because It isn't really a secret at all. Korean ginseng has been traded as a health food, powdered, extracted, boiled, and stewed into every manner of health food, medicine and even energy drink for over 2,000 years now!

Natural herbalists know that ginseng tends to be good for you -- but how do you pick the best? Although ginseng has existed and been consumed in both the East and, later, the West for over 2,000 years, this healthy natural herb still has a lot of mystery surrounding it. "Ginseng" tends to be a catch-all word for several species of woody, nutritious roots that supplement the immune system.

Ginseng has been consumed throughout Asia since as long as civilized medicine has existed and for good reason. Modern research shows that the active components of ginseng, called ginsenosides and saponines interact with the human immune system in a favorable way with regard to a variety of health conditions, which is why large numbers Western notables of yore (such as Queen Elizabeth II, Western philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau, and French President Mitterrand have used the extracted root for their personal health (and publicly have promoted its high efficacy).

While the choices may be confusing, ginseng comes in only a few varieties (namely, Korean, Asian, American, and Chinese). Korean ginseng is considered the most powerful variety for its significantly longer growing periods (Korea being the natural growing ground of ginseng, as where it evolved to take best advantage of seasonal growth periods), as well as the local cared for soil and quality control, under local regulation and regulated supervision.
 

 
Put another way -- even the Japanese get their Asian ginseng from Korea and Korean ginseng has been used as gifts to regional kings and even emperors for as long as the root has been grown. The fact that Cheong-Kwan-Jang Korean ginseng is guaranteed to be grown for an astounding 6 years (the ideal growing period, representing a tremendous investment), yielding roots saturated in approximately 40 times the healthy component content of lesser grown roots, Cheong-Kwan-Jang Korean ginseng is nearly universally regarded as the best (and most valued per ounce).


There are cheaper alternatives. Ginseng extracts and powdered products from from other places, like China and Hong Kong are often counterfeited with questionable fillers, grown in very questionable earth. And American ginseng, while having good earth standards, has only half the variety of healthy components (called ginsenosides and health saponins), and is typically industrialized for mass production of very young roots, lacking health-promoting qualities (being generally used as a added-value ingredient for marketing purposes in cheaper products like energy drinks, rather than produced for maximal health). By contrast, Cheong-Kwan-Jang Korean ginseng is grown to be medical grade quality (taken as such in Japan), and as the Korean ginseng industry is strictly regulated in South Korea, a first-world nation, the old adage, "you get what you pay for," may come into play. The most famous Korean ginseng company is, not surprisingly, named Korea Ginseng Corporation, and they hold about an 80% market share with numerous awards for excellence, abiding by global health standards, and having been devolved from the Korean government. Their Cheong-Kwan-Jang Korean ginseng have the probably the world's highest standards for the root, extracted, powdered, made into tea, or otherwise.