Korean Wellness
Korean Ginseng vs Red Ginseng: How They Differ and What to Buy in Korea
Ginseng shops, market stalls and gift counters all over Korea sell roots and extracts labeled fresh, white or red ginseng, often with grades and ages printed on the box. This guide explains what those words mean, how the roots are processed, where visitors usually buy them, and the health and medicine cautions to read before you take any home.
What is the difference between Korean ginseng and red ginseng?
They are the same plant, Asian ginseng (Panax ginseng), prepared in different ways. Fresh ginseng is the washed, trimmed root. White ginseng is fresh root with the skin lightly peeled and then sun-dried. Red ginseng is fresh root that has been steamed and then dried, which darkens it and changes its chemical makeup. Fresh roots suit cooking during an autumn trip; dried red or white ginseng keeps far longer for a gift. If you take medicines for diabetes, blood clotting or blood pressure, talk to a doctor or pharmacist first.
Is red ginseng a different plant from Korean ginseng?
No. The US National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) lists Asian ginseng, Panax ginseng, under several common names, including Chinese, Korean, red and white ginseng. It is native to Korea, northeastern China and far-eastern Siberia, and the root is the part people use. NCCIH notes that red and white ginseng are simply Asian ginseng prepared in two different ways.
The root is slow to grow. A profile of the Geumsan growing region published by Korea’s overseas culture service explains that the plant needs half-shade that lets in only about a tenth of the sunlight, on well-drained slopes, and that a field cannot grow ginseng again for up to ten years after a harvest. That partly explains the prices you will see on older, larger roots.
American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius) is a different species. This guide covers Korean (Asian) ginseng only.
How fresh, white and red ginseng are processed
The three names describe what happens to the root after harvest. The descriptions below follow the Korean culture service profile and a 2023 review of ginseng processing in Frontiers in Pharmacology.
Fresh ginseng (susam or saengsam)
Ginseng that is only trimmed and cleaned after harvest. In Korea it is often blended into drinks with milk or honey, or cooked into dishes. It is perishable, so it suits eating during your trip more than packing for home.
White ginseng (baeksam)
Fresh root with the skin lightly peeled and then dried in the sun. Drying lets it keep much longer, and it is used for tea and in herbal medicine.
Red ginseng (hongsam)
Fresh root that is steamed and then dried. The 2023 review describes traditional red ginseng as steamed at about 90 to 100°C for 2 to 3 hours before drying, and says it is typically made from six-year-old roots in Korea. At one large producer’s factory, reporters saw roots turn dark red after about 15 days of drying.
Black ginseng
Root that is steamed and dried over and over, up to nine cycles, until the surface turns dark. It is a more specialized product and you will see it less often.
Four ways the same ginseng root is sold in Korea
Heat changes the chemistry. The same review calls the Maillard reaction (the browning reaction that also colors toast) the main chemical reaction in red ginseng processing, and explains that steaming converts some of the root’s ginsenosides, its main active compounds, into others such as Rg3. A different chemical profile does not by itself prove a different health effect in people. Most human trials of Asian ginseng are small and short, according to NCCIH, so claims that red ginseng is stronger or better than white ginseng are not well supported.
What do red ginseng grades like Heaven and Earth mean?
Whole red ginseng roots are sorted into grades. A Korea Times report from inside a red ginseng plant described four groups, Heaven, Earth, Good and Cut, each with its own price. Workers sort the roots by appearance and weight, then hold each one up to a light to check its internal structure.
The top grade is rare. A 2017 Korea JoongAng Daily report on the country’s largest red ginseng maker said only about 0.5 percent of its production earned the cheonsam (Heaven) label, and a stricter cheonsam 10-ji tier, with extra weight and thickness requirements, covered about 0.02 percent.
Read grades as a description of the root’s size, shape and density, not as a health rating. If you are buying an extract or a drink rather than whole roots, the grade matters less than the root age, the ingredient list and the daily serving printed on the box.
Where can visitors buy ginseng in Korea?
Seoul Yangnyeongsi Herb Medicine Market
Across from Gyeongdong Market in eastern Seoul, this district of herbal dealers and Korean medicine clinics is where much of the country’s herbal trade passes through, with ginseng, astragalus and jujubes stacked by the sackful. Jegi-dong Station (Line 1) Exit 2 is about a five-minute walk from Gyeongdong Market. The Seoul K-Medi Center nearby has a free museum of Korean medicine and is open Tuesday to Sunday, 10:00 to 18:00.
Geumsan, South Chungcheong Province
Korea’s culture service calls Geumsan the hub of Korean ginseng and the country’s largest center for growing, processing and trading the root. Its ginseng market sells more than 3,000 tons a year, from raw roots to candy and liquor. The FAO listed Geumsan’s traditional ginseng farming as a Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System in 2018. The 44th Geumsan World Ginseng Festival ran from 2 to 11 October 2026 around Geumsan Insam Hall Plaza and the Ginseng and Herb Street.
Brand shops and department stores
Large producers sell graded roots, extracts, capsules, tablets and drinkable pouches through their own shops. These are the simplest places to find sealed, factory-packed products for a flight, with the root age and serving size printed on the box.
Fresh roots are a seasonal buy. The red ginseng maker visited by the JoongAng Daily harvests in September and October, which is when markets have the most fresh ginseng and when Geumsan holds its festival.
Which ginseng product suits you?
Shops sell the same root in many forms. Roughly from least to most processed:
- Fresh roots for cooking or blending into a drink during your stay. They do not keep, and fresh plant material usually has to be declared at customs on the way home.
- Dried white ginseng for tea or for keeping in the cupboard.
- Whole red ginseng roots, sold by grade and by ji count, often in gift boxes.
- Red ginseng extract and capsules. The JoongAng Daily report describes thick extract, condensed capsules and tablets made from red ginseng.
- Drinkable pouches and bottles, the most convenient form, though they count as liquids in carry-on bags.
- Snacks and drinks such as ginseng candy, caramel and ginseng liquor, which Geumsan’s market also sells.
If you plan to carry anything home, packed and sealed products are easier at the airport. At Incheon, liquids in carry-on bags must be in containers of 100 ml or less inside one 1-liter clear bag per person, while checked bags have no such limit. Your home country’s customs rules also apply: the United States, for example, requires travelers to declare plants and plant products. Check your own country’s customs or biosecurity site before you buy in bulk.
Who should be careful with ginseng?
Ginseng is sold as a food and a supplement, but it is still an active herb. NCCIH summarizes the safety evidence this way:
- Short-term use is the best studied. Taking it by mouth for up to six months in recommended amounts appears to be safe for most people; long-term safety is less clear.
- Trouble sleeping is the most common side effect. Less common problems include severe rash, liver damage and severe allergic reactions.
- It may lower blood sugar. People with diabetes should talk to their health care provider before using it.
- It may affect blood clotting and may worsen autoimmune conditions.
- It might interact with medicines. NCCIH’s clinical digest notes uncertainty about interactions with calcium channel blockers, other blood pressure drugs, statins and some antidepressants, and says studies on ginseng and the blood thinner warfarin have had mixed results.
- Pregnancy and breastfeeding: some studies suggest it may be unsafe in pregnancy, one of its chemicals caused birth defects in animals, and little is known about breastfeeding. Some experts advise against giving it to infants and children.
As for benefits, the evidence is thinner than the packaging suggests. A Cochrane review found no convincing evidence that ginseng improves thinking in healthy people, and NCCIH describes most trials as small, under three months long, and in need of larger follow-up studies. Our guide to what research says about Korean traditional medicine covers this in more detail.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is red ginseng stronger than white ginseng?
They have a different chemical makeup, because steaming converts some ginsenosides into others. Whether that makes red ginseng more effective in people has not been shown in good-quality trials, so treat stronger as a marketing claim.
When is fresh ginseng in season in Korea?
The harvest runs in September and October, which is when markets have the most fresh roots and when Geumsan holds its ginseng festival. Fresh roots spoil, so eat them during your trip.
What does Heaven grade mean on red ginseng?
It is the top of four grades (Heaven, Earth, Good and Cut) given to whole roots after checks on appearance, weight and internal structure. It describes the root’s quality as a root, not a proven health benefit.
Can I take ginseng if I use blood thinners or diabetes medicine?
Ask your doctor or pharmacist first. NCCIH says ginseng may lower blood sugar and may affect blood clotting, and studies on ginseng with warfarin have had mixed results.
Can I take ginseng drinks home in my carry-on?
Only in containers of 100 ml or less inside one 1-liter clear bag. Larger pouches and bottles should go in checked luggage, and you should check your home country’s customs rules for plant products.
Korean Ginseng and Red Ginseng in Brief
Korean, white and red ginseng are all Asian ginseng; the names describe how the root was processed after harvest.
Fresh ginseng is washed and trimmed, white ginseng is lightly peeled and sun-dried, and red ginseng is steamed and dried.
Steaming changes the root’s ginsenosides, but human evidence that red ginseng works better is limited.
Whole red ginseng roots are graded Heaven, Earth, Good or Cut by appearance, weight and internal structure.
Seoul’s Yangnyeongsi herb market and Geumsan County are the best-known places to buy ginseng, with fresh roots in September and October.
Ginseng may lower blood sugar, affect clotting and interact with medicines, and it is not advised in pregnancy.
Related guides
Sources
- Asian Ginseng, National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NIH)
Names, native range, the red and white ginseng note, what trials show, and the safety cautions on blood sugar, clotting, medicines and pregnancy.
- Herb-Drug Interactions: What the Science Says, NCCIH Clinical Digest (December 2024)
Possible ginseng interactions with blood pressure drugs, statins and antidepressants, and mixed results with warfarin.
- Ye X-W et al. Saponins of ginseng products: a review of their transformation in processing. Frontiers in Pharmacology, 2023
Steaming temperatures and times for red ginseng, six-year-old roots, black ginseng and ginsenoside changes.
- Geumsan ginseng profile, KOREA magazine webzine (Korean Culture and Information Service)
Fresh, white and red ginseng definitions, growing conditions, and the size of the Geumsan Ginseng Market.
- Geumsan Traditional Ginseng Agricultural System, FAO GIAHS
Designation of Geumsan’s ginseng farming system as agricultural heritage in 2018.
- 44th Geumsan World Ginseng Festival opens, Herald Corporation (2 October 2026)
Festival dates and venue for 2026.
- Red ginseng grading, The Korea Times (11 November 2010)
The Heaven, Earth, Good and Cut grades and how roots are inspected.
- A look at the mastery behind Korean red ginseng, Korea JoongAng Daily (23 July 2017)
Share of roots graded cheonsam, harvest months, drying time and product forms.
- Seoul Yangnyeongsi and the Seoul K-Medi Center, KOREA magazine webzine (July 2026)
Herb market location and goods, station exits and K-Medi Center hours.
- Restricted items, Incheon International Airport (official)
The 100 ml and 1-liter bag rule for liquids and gels in carry-on bags.
- Bringing Agricultural Products Into the United States, US Customs and Border Protection
An example of a destination country’s declaration rules for plant products.
- Geng J et al. Ginseng for cognition. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2010
No convincing evidence of a thinking or memory benefit in healthy people.
Links checked 10 October 2026. Festival dates, opening hours and customs rules change, so confirm on the official page before you travel or buy.
What This Page Does Not Cover
This guide explains ginseng as a product that visitors buy in Korea, drawing on the NIH, peer-reviewed reviews, Korean government culture publications and news reports listed above. It is not medical advice, it does not recommend doses, and it does not list every brand or shop.
Customs limits for ginseng differ by country and change over time, so this page does not give a quantity allowance. Check your own country’s rules before you travel. Last checked: October 2026.