11 Wild Ginseng Roots Including 100-Year-Old Mother Plant Discovered in Mt. Jiri

Amid lingering late-summer heat marked by frequent rain and heatwaves, a cluster of 11 wild mountain ginseng roots has been discovered along the slopes of Mt. Jiri.

According to the Korea Traditional Simmani Association on the 7th, a ginseng gatherer in his 50s, surnamed A, recently harvested 11 wild ginseng roots in a mountainous area 800 meters above sea level near Odojae in Hamyang-gun, Gyeongsangnam-do.

Cheonjong sanyasam refers to wild ginseng that has grown naturally for over 50 years through successive generations deep in the mountains, untouched by humans.

The newly discovered ginseng forms a five-generation family cluster, consisting of a mother plant and offspring plants.

The oldest mother plant is estimated to be around 100 years old, while even the youngest offspring plant was appraised to be at least 20 years old.

The 11 roots have a total weight of 76 grams and have been appraised at 120 million won.

Jeong Hyung-beom, head of the association, said, "This is a precious harvest achieved under very difficult hiking conditions due to heavy rain and abnormal heatwaves that lasted for more than three months this summer."

(Photo provided by Korea Traditional Simmani Association, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.