Guess how much a 100-year old wild ginseng goes for these days?
$1,000, $2,000, $3,000? Guess again!
According to an industry source yesterday, a 100-year old natural
ginseng, known as 'sansam', is placed on an Internet auction by
Sellpia, an domestic Internet auction house (www.sellpia.com), for a
starting bid price of 20 million won(about $19,000).
The mountain ginseng is valued at more than 100 million won($91,000), according to ginseng traders.
In the industry, the older it is, the higher its value. The little
root, which is considered good for one's health when eaten and verily shaped like a human being, is about 30 centimeters long and about 2 centimeters wide.
The root is rare since it is hardly found in the mountains these days and, furthermore, has been traded secretly for centuries.
The sansam was discovered on May 16 by a man known as Mr. Song on a mountain near his home in Taejon, Chungchong-namdo Province. He decided to put it on the Internet auction to get the best price.
The discovery of the rare sansam is big news in Korea, China and Japan since wild ginsengs are regarded as a 'cure-all' in these countries.
To maintain physical vitality, kings, high-ranking government officials and the rich used to eat wild ginsengs - a rare and medicinal herb that is at least a hundred times more expensive than farmed ginsengs.
Riding an herbal medicine boom overseas, sansam's value is soaring. Experts expect its price to reach around 100 million won.
(ppasang@koreatimes.co.kr)
Korea times
2000.05.23
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