The Roots Spring Up
In The Root of the Matter, I mentioned the price of Ginseng roots I saw displayed in a shop window.
In that same Causeway Bay shop window, the price tags of replacement roots had climbed to six digits.
The one on the right was $138,000 (about US$17,690); some folks don't spend that much on a car. The one on the left was $30,000 more.
Intrigued, I researched how the herb was qualified and found a local company's description of Wild Chinese Ginseng:
This is truly the 'King of Tonic Herbs'. It is quite normal for wild Chinese ginseng to cost between US$150 - US$450 per gram. Please beware of the source of purchase. Imitation wild Chinese ginseng is rampant in the world market. Generally, the basic 5 characteristics of wild ginseng are the presence of many layered bowl-shaped heads tightly packed, branched-out head roots, prominent fine horizontal striated lines, long and bright flowing whiskers and 'pearl' dots on the fine roots.
Quite normal ... because they say so?
According to an explanation of its properties, Chinese ginseng is a wonder herb:
Chinese Ginseng is well known for its revitalizing properties. The most valuable ginseng is the wild variety which thrives in the remote mountains and dense forests of North-east China, notably those from the Chang Bai Mountains in Ji Lin Province. These places have just the right amount of moisture, ideal temperature and a unique soil quality for their optimum growth.
Is there a Chinese Juan Valdez finding these roots?
The efficacy of ginseng improves with age; the older the root, the more efficacious it is. It is quite common to hear of people who cherish a 300 to 500-year-old Chinese ginseng root for consuming when it's needed. In China's distant past, wild ginseng was the property of the imperial court, and those found having wild ginseng at home were severely punished.
It must not have been needed if it reached 500 years old. How bad does one's health have to be?
Wild ginseng revitalizes the ancestral energy (Yuan Chi), an inherent energy source in the body, similar to one's principal deposit in a bank. Within the Chinese Materia Medica, wild ginseng is one of a handful of herbs that can reawaken this storehouse of vital energy.
Wild ginseng also tonifies the lungs and spleen, promotes the secretion of body fluids and relieves mental stress. It is effective for treating serious exhaustion, anaemia, heart weakness, impotence and women's menstrual problems resulting from the lack of Qi and blood.
$168,000 (about US$21,540) is enough to buy more than 2,200 tabs of Viagra, a six-year supply if you took one tab per day. Viagra doesn't provide the other benefits of ginseng; it might even increase exhaustion and heart weakness.
Wild ginseng improves digestion, calms the mind, sustains alertness and restores strength and energy levels after illness. People prone to nervous or emotional disorders will benefit from its calming effect. Taken regularly, wild ginseng keeps the body in good health and is believed to promote longevity.
Would you feel calm after dropping that much cash for an herb?
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