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Ginseng is in season, and demand is in full swing. Many people also drink red ginseng juice every day for their health, but few take care to check that the ginseng or red ginseng they buy at a premium is really worth it, as they would if it was wine. The Chosun Ilbo has some tips for choosing the best ginseng and red ginseng for consumers who want value for money.
¡ßLook for Certificates
Ginseng is harvested for only three months a year, between September and November, when the active ingredient, saponin, is at its highest level. Usually, ginseng becomes efficacious when it is four years old, reaching the peak of its efficacy at six years old. After seven years it turns white inside, which means it no longer does much good. Qualified inspection institutes for ginseng, white ginseng, taegeuk ginseng and red ginseng are under the National Agricultural Cooperative Federation and designated by the National Agricultural Products Quality Management Service. With ginseng products imported or smuggled from China, it¡¯s buyer beware: you cannot know whether agrichemical residues meet government criteria, and it is highly likely that they are low-quality products with false information about age and moisture level.
¡ßProcessed Ginseng
The government monopoly on red ginseng was scrapped in 1996. Since then, small and medium-sized companies specializing in ginseng have emerged. Big corporations like CJ, Dongwon F&B and Daesang have also made forays into the field recently, and the market for processed ginseng and red ginseng products is expanding fast. The labels on processed products contain name, original ingredients and their percentage, how to take them and the expiry date. Consumers need to pay close attention to the percentage of red ginseng. The term ¡°dry solid¡± (DS) refers to the percentage of pure red ginseng and determines the product quality. For example, when the label says DS 60 percent, red ginseng accounts for 60 g of 100 g of juice. Concentrated red ginseng extract with 60 percent DS and more than 70 mg/g saponin is often called ¡°100 percent¡± red ginseng juice among products available in the market. But in many cases, products with less than 3 percent of concentrated red ginseng extract or mixed with other medicinal stuff are sold under the name of ¡°red ginseng original extract¡±, and consumers should make it a habit to check the DS percentage.
¡ßFresh Ginseng for Cooking
Fresh ginseng makes good tea for the cold, windy season when marinated with the same amount of sugar after rinsing and mincing. Ground fresh ginseng also adds flavor to some dishes. Parents can make healthful soup for their children by adding one or two spoonfuls of ground ginseng per cup of rice to the soup. And even children who do not like ginseng may have no way to pick ground ginseng out. One or two teaspoonful of ground ginseng in cream sauce pasta can reduce the oily taste and add a special flavor. Fresh ginseng also goes well with pears or kiwis, so blending half a piece of fresh ginseng root with some plain yogurt and a quarter of a pear makes a good breakfast.
¡ßMyths
The bigger the better?
In fact, good ginseng is rather small and has lots of root hairs because the root hairs contain a lot more saponin than the stalk. Herbal doctors recommend boiling down ginseng with a ratio of stalk to root hairs of 1:1.
Raw ginseng is best
Red ginseng juice is better than raw fresh ginseng. The amount of saponin in red ginseng juice is almost twice as much as that in fresh or dried ginseng.
Better with soil
It is a myth that earth on fresh ginseng means it is fresher. Since earth on ginseng contains quite a lot of organic chemicals and some pesticide residues, it is important to rinse it thoroughly. Softly rub it with a toothbrush under running water several times. Those who know nothing about ginseng will take less risk by buying dried ginseng with certificates.
(englishnews@chosun.com )
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