Four 130-year-old ginseng roots found in Korea fetch $309,597

A local farmer’s discovery of four wild ginseng roots found in a southern mountain area of South Korea fetched historic wealth of 350 million won ($309,597).

Wild ginseng has been considered to be good medicine from old times. The ginseng roots are presumed to have lived for 130 years in the wild in Mohusan in Hwasun, South Jeolla Province. They weigh about 75 grams and the longest root is 60 centimeters long. Wild ginseng found in October or November is deemed the most potent, according to the nation’s association of ginseng foragers.

A ginseng root found in Mohusan in 2005 contained 103mg/g of saponin, an antioxidant substance that has various health benefits, 1.7 times higher than average 60mg/g. It was sold to a local ginseng research center, contributing to boosting the ginseng tissue culture industry.

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