Sansam of South Korea

한국 산삼의 형태학적 연구

A particular type of ginseng that grows in mountainous regions of Korea is known as Sansam, a term meaning literally mountain grown ginseng. Sansam has recently gained a reputation among some Korean people who believe its health benefits are superior to that of other types of ginseng. Misuse of Sansam has resulted from misinformation that has circulated about the health benefits of its use. Due to insufficient study and research, Korean Oriental Medicine academia does not presently have enough credible information about Sansam to properly educate the public in its use. However, we do have a responsibility to perform adequate study and research so that correct information may be provided. To date, only cursory investigation of the physical characteristics of the Sansam plant have been conducted. This limited investigation was performed in July 2002, at Sobaek Mountain. The branches, leaves, stems, peduncles, fruits, and roots (head, main and fine roots) were observed. The fine roots grew and spread in a large area around the main roots so that harvesting the plants required digging out the soil a considerable distance from the main roots. The plants grew in a northwesterly direction, with a gradient of 40 degrees. They had four branches. Three of the branches had six leaves, while one had five leaves. Each plant had 40 fruits. The roots of the plants grew in a shape similar the Chinese character for mountain. The roots were milky in color. The average weight of the plants was 42.5 grams.