Korean red ginseng
Panax ginseng steamed until amber-red and dried to a dense, translucent hardness, sold as whole roots or slices in graded boxes. Assertively bitter-sweet and aromatic, it is sliced thin and gently double-boiled, never hard-boiled, giving the tong a powerful, warming ginseng character.
TCM properties
Nature · warming Flavour · sweet、bitter Meridians · spleen、lung、heart
Traditional food therapy
In the tradition it is the strongest of the ginsengs, reserved for profound depletion and convalescence, taken as a slow double-boiled tonic to greatly replenish the original qi and support spleen and lungs.
Cautions: read first
- Safety criticalNot for full heat, rising liver yang or blood pressure that is not under control, not while you have a cold with fever, and not for yin deficiency with rising fire
- Children and pregnant women need a practitioner's direction
- Do not take it together with radish or strong tea
- Too much of it can bring dry heat, poor sleep and nosebleeds
Preparation
Slice it and mostly double-boil it (隔水燉, the covered jar sits in a water bath). Keep the heat gentle rather than fierce.
Origin · Geo-authentic (道地) source
South Korea (traditional ginseng country such as Geumsan and Punggi). AU bulk 'panax ginseng' is likely white sun-dried root rather than true Korean red ginseng
Availability in Australia
Herbal shops / specialists
