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 CRITICAL] Not 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

韓國（錦山、豐基等傳統參鄉） — AU bulk 'panax ginseng' is likely white sun-dried root rather than true Korean red ginseng

Availability in Australia

Herbal shops / specialists

Pairs well with