A thousand years of Korean red ginseng

Koreans have been making red ginseng for about 1,000 years. In 1123, Xu Jing, an envoy from China's Song dynasty, wrote about Goryeo's red ginseng in his account of the kingdom, the Gaoli Tujing (高麗圖經).

Centuries later, the Annals of the Joseon Dynasty (Gojong, book 39) record the royal household adding a new office, the Samjeonggwa (蔘政課), to run the kingdom's ginseng trade. Ginseng was that valuable.

Over 120 years of Korean red ginseng

Cheong Kwan Jang traces its roots to 1899, when the Korean Empire's royal household set up an office to manage the country's ginseng. Over the 120-plus years since, the name has become synonymous with red ginseng in Korea.

The royal ginseng office built a red ginseng factory in Gaeseong and created a thick concentrate by boiling down the liquid released while steaming the roots. Cheong Kwan Jang refined that method into the Hong Sam Jung you get today.

Eight years from soil to jar

Cheong Kwan Jang spends two years just preparing the soil before planting. The seedlings are tested before planting, the ginseng is checked again in its fifth year, and the roots are tested once more in the sixth year, with up to around 430 safety checks along the way.

12 steps, refined over 120 years

Once the 6-year-old roots arrive, they're washed, steamed, dried and stored. Then they're sterilized, extracted and cooled, centrifuged, concentrated and aged, filled into jars, checked for foreign matter and packed.

Nine of those 12 steps use Cheong Kwan Jang's own patented techniques.

Six patents behind every jar

Cheong Kwan Jang holds six Korean patents covering the key stages, from washing, steaming and drying the roots to extracting, concentrating, filling and inspecting.

What red ginseng may help with

Korea's Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) recognizes red ginseng as a health functional ingredient that may help with five things: supporting immune function, easing fatigue, supporting healthy blood flow (by helping inhibit platelet aggregation), supporting memory and providing antioxidant support.

Immunity: in a placebo-controlled trial, 99 adults aged 40–65 took 2 g of red ginseng a day for 8 weeks and showed a significant improvement in immune cell counts (T cells, B cells and white blood cells).

Fatigue: in a study of 24 healthy men, those who took 3 g of red ginseng extract a day for 8 weeks alongside exercise had significantly lower blood lactate after exercise than the control group.

Antioxidants: in an 8-week placebo-controlled trial of 57 adults aged 20–65, the red ginseng group had significantly higher levels of antioxidant enzymes (SOD, GPx and catalase) in their blood.

Memory: in a 12-week study of 82 adults aged 40–65, those taking 4.5 g of red ginseng powder a day scored significantly better on cognitive tests (ADAS and MMSE) than the control group.

Sources: Hyun S.H. et al., Journal of Ginseng Research 45(1), 2021; Yoon S.J. et al., Journal of Ginseng Research 32(3), 2008; Kim J.Y. et al., Nutrition Journal 11, 2012; Lee S.T. et al., Journal of Ginseng Research 31(1), 2007. These studies used red ginseng, not this specific product, and results may not apply to everyone. Individual results may vary.

How to take it

Take 3 g once a day (one spoonful with the spoon in the box), after or with a meal.

Have it straight from the spoon, or dissolve it in warm or cold water. Expect a rich, earthy and quite bitter taste: that's what pure red ginseng extract tastes like.

What customers say

From Cheong Kwan Jang's Korean store:

“It's really rich. You can tell Hong Sam Jung is different: the taste is deep and bitter. That must mean it's packed with good stuff.”

“I brought it home as a present for my mom, who only takes Cheong Kwan Jang red ginseng.”

“A birthday present for my dad. The packaging feels premium, and the spoon comes wrapped separately.”

Reviews from Cheong Kwan Jang's Korean store, translated by Gochujar.

Two sizes, the same extract

120 g jar: about 40 days at 3 g a day.

240 g jar: about 80 days at 3 g a day.

Both come boxed with a spoon. Store at room temperature away from direct sunlight; once opened, throw away the inner lid, close the jar tightly and keep it in the fridge (0–10°C / 32–50°F).

How big is it?

Each box holds one jar. On the left, the 120 g box and jar; on the right, the 240 g. They're shown next to a 500 mL bottle and a smartphone for scale.