Product Description
Premium Korean Red Ginseng should contain many bio-active constituents, but at the forefront of this medicinal arsenal should be ten primary ginsenosides that provide the majority of its therapeutic power. There should also be a trace presence of the medically important Compound K (a secondary metabolite of ginsenosides), in order to verify that this is true Korean Red Ginseng at maximum potency and bioavailability. This is why our extract contains a significant presence of all of these compounds, transparently proving that this product is genuinely the real deal and beyond comparison to any other product of this kind.
The Traditional Understanding of Korean Red Ginseng
Asian Ginseng is a herbal medicine with a legendary status - it can boost physical and mental energy levels and enhance overall cognitive function, improving our ability to concentrate and learn, strengthening our memory and elevating overall mood. It restores spent vitality and helps to regulate the stress response, supporting cardiovascular health, modulating the immune system and protecting the function of neurons within the brain. Red Ginseng in particular, can substantially improve energy metabolism within cells. Red Ginseng can increase physical endurance and it is also well known for strengthening sexual vitality and fertility in both men and women.
Traditionally, Ginseng has been regarded as the ultimate tonic medicine for many, many centuries. It is the ultimate adaptogen that modulates various metabolic pathways and dramatically improves our response to stress, which is perhaps more important nowadays than at any time in history. Traditional Chinese medicine categorizes Ginseng as a 'three treasure tonic' which harmonizes the three primordial energies (Jing, Qi and Shen) and regulates all five primary organ systems as well as the five accompanying vessel organs. Red Ginseng possesses all of these same attributes, except it has a stronger ‘yang' energy that is more warming and stimulating than its white counterpart. It is known to restore spent vitality, enhance both physical and mental performance and augment the body’s ability to recover from illness and injury. These far-reaching, comprehensive benefits are exactly why Ginseng has been such a legendary medicine since time immemorial. Wars have been fought over land that wild Ginseng grows upon, and the cultivation and trade of Ginseng has played a key role in human evolution throughout the passing centuries.
Red and white Ginseng are exactly the same species (Panax Ginseng) - the only difference is that after harvesting, red Ginseng is processed in a special way and is subsequently transformed into a different type of medicine. Both forms of Ginseng possess similar attributes, share similar active compounds and health benefits, yet there are significant differences that cause each one to be very unique. As already mentioned, red roots are more warming, stimulating and invigorating than their unprocessed form. These contrasting properties cause each variety to suit different people and to address different pathologies. Put simply, those with a hot and fiery temperament will often find the cooling and stable nature of aged white Ginseng to be more appropriate, while people with a colder and heavier constitution, with slow metabolism and sluggish digestion will often find red Ginseng to be more therapeutic. Ginseng in all of its forms has long been used as a performance enhancer; from athletes to chess players. Red Ginseng has been the herb of choice since antiquity for increasing physical strength and stamina, for sharpening reaction time and upgrading willpower. For these reasons it is frequently used today in competitive sports, but equally for activities like intensive studying and enhancing the acquisition of languages.
Ginseng contains hundreds of important nutrients and medicinal constituents, but ginsenosides are understood to be the chemical benchmark for therapeutic efficacy. These constituents are either steroid glycosides or triterpenoid saponins, and they are found in all parts of the plant - especially the root. In young plants, the range of different ginsenosides is very basic and rather limited, only becoming more complex and diverse as the plant ages into maturity. A broader and more complete presence of different ginsenosides is one way of measuring the medical utility of a Ginseng product, therefore, merely providing an overall percentage of total ginsenosides proves nothing at all about the age of the plant or the quality of the medicine.
For example, a product with 20% total ginsenosides might consist of only a small number of different compounds, whereas a quality product should be able to boast a much greater variety. The process of creating red Ginseng also causes many ginsenosides the transform into a more complex form, meaning that the range of these compounds looks very different between white and red roots. Therefore, we can determine the grade and quality of Ginseng by taking a more detailed look at exactly which ginsenosides it contains, and the quantity of each of them.
Some premium products do now test for one or two of the main ginsenosides, providing some degree of transparency and quality assurance, but this still just offers very limited information. The best quality Ginseng will contain a lot of different ginsenosides - over 100 of them have been identified so far. However, premium Red Ginseng contains ten separate ginsenosides as its main therapeutic components (Rb1, Rb2, Rd, Re, Rg1, Rg2, Rg3, Rg5, Rh1 and Rh2). Therefore, testing for all ten of these compounds is the ultimate way to provide quality assurance and verify the medicinal potential of the product, as only mature roots that have been prepared correctly will contain this array of botanical potency. This is precisely why we have subjected our Korean Red Ginseng extract to rigorous testing to prove that it is indeed the highest possible quality and contains all of the primary active ginsenosides that are necessary to receive all of the benefits associated with these important compounds.
How is Red Ginseng Created?
As already stated, Ginseng in all its forms must be aged before being utilized as a medicine. The plant does not mature and develop a complex profile of active compounds until after 6 years of age. Roots harvested prior to this are immature and lack the complexity that provides many of the health benefits Ginseng is renowned for. After 6 years however, the adaptogenic properties manifest and the medicine takes on an entirely different nature - intricate, subtle and balancing to all metabolic systems, as well as creating a greater sense of harmony between the physical body and the mind/emotions. As long as the growing environment is suitable, roots that are going to be transformed into red Ginseng are typically harvested between 6 and 7 years of age.
The most reputable source of Red Ginseng is from Korea (north and south) - a tradition that has been regulated by the Korean authorities for centuries. Therefore, it is unlawful to produce red Ginseng from plants that are younger than 6 years of age. After harvesting, the roots are selected and graded by size, then washed to remove dirt and impurities. The fresh Ginseng is then steamed just below boiling point for up to 3 hours, until the starch in the roots begins to gelatinize. This is what gives the roots their characteristic red color. The steamed roots are subsequently sun dried until the moisture content reaches about 15%. These dried roots are then sealed and will retain their therapeutic potency for up to 10 years.
Certain regional traditions include specific herbal formulas as part of the steaming process, further influencing the changing nature of the Ginseng and imbuing it with different medicinal properties. However, the steaming process alone does increase the warming nature of the medicine, causing it to become more energizing and stimulating, as well as significantly transforming the profile of active compounds. Extracts of Red Ginseng can be dual-extracted with hot water and alcohol, although the predominant phase of extraction is water-based. Extraction methods are repeated multiple times over a 12 hour period to ensure that everything of therapeutic value has been captured. Then alcohol precipitation and centrifugal separation are used to eliminate any remaining impurities. Finally, the resulting liquid extract is spray dried within a pressurized environment to yield a concentrated powder, which is ready for use as a pure medicine.
Transforming the Medicine
As already mentioned, the ginsenosides in this plant are widely understood to have the strongest pharmalogical activity and are known to possess adaptogenic properties that promote homeostasis through all organs and their related systems, not least the cardiovascular, neurological and immune systems. The steaming process that creates red Ginseng actually has a strong transformative influence on these constituents and their resulting potency. For example, the fresh roots of Asian (white) Ginseng contain natural occurring ginsenosides such as Rg1, Re, Rb1 and Rd, however through the steaming process these primary ginsenosides begin to denature, and rather than being destroyed, they become reconstructed into a more complex group of ginsenosides that are not originally present in the raw Ginseng.
The Rg1 ginsenoside becomes transformed into a new compound called Rh1. The Re compound converts into a different ginsenoside called Rg2. Rb1 splits into three new compounds called Rd, Rg3 and Rg5. As the quantity of these newly formed ginsenosides increases, the amounts of the original ginsenosides that they have been created from, correspondingly decreases. This is ultimately how Korean Red Ginseng becomes a very different, powerful medicine, because it contains a different profile of ginsenosides to the original white roots, as well as possessing a warmer and more stimulating energetic signature.
A Closer Look at Ginsenosides
Let’s take a look at the ginsenosides that are commonly found in premium quality red Ginseng and see what their respective benefits are:
Ingredients: Premium Korean Red Ginseng ‘Heaven-Grade’ roots (7 years of age)
Maintenance Dose: 0.5 of a gram (quarter of a teaspoon) twice daily (two months supply - 120 servings)
Therapeutic Dose: 1g (half a teaspoon) twice daily (one month supply - 60 servings)
Serving Suggestion: Mix with hot water to create an instant tea, or add to fruit juices, smoothies, meals or desserts.
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