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KMID : 0877120160290020049
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Journal of Korean Medical History
2016 Volume.29 No. 2 p.49 ~ p.59
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Historical Reviews on Traditional Symbolism of Ginseng in Everyday Life
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Ahn Sang-Woo
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Abstract
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Ginseng, a Korean native herb, has been a symbol of mystic cure-all which provides longevity benefits throughout Korean history. According to Chinese historical records, a major source of wild ginseng has been described as Korean peninsula, which is the most suitable ginseng production area, and the Manchu region near Mt. Baekdu and the Maritime Province. Since Tang dynasty period (618-917 CE), Chinese has also called ginseng as "Goryeo Ginseng", which is named after "Goguryeo" (37 BCE-668 CE), an ancient kingdom of Korea, from which they mainly imported the herb as the region was famous for its high quality of ginseng. To date, it refers to Korean ginseng. This study compares the medicinal properties of ginseng as stated in the ancient Korean medical books with the major Korean historical records regarding the usage of ginseng and its symbolism of longevity in everyday life. By contrasting these findings, we tried to figure out how the actual medicinal properties of ginseng and the anticipation of longevity are related. It was confirmed that the expectations about longevity were widely applied to everyday life. In addition, the study investigates the various usage of ginseng as a motive for decorative patterns and as an ingredient for daily products including snacks, health drinks, various types of food, clothing patterns, and so on. Finally, the usage of ginseng ingredients in the cosmetic products fulfilled the desire of Korean people to purchase, showing the aesthetic recognition and medicinal understandings about the herb. These findings suggest that ginseng is an important medicinal agent that not only symbolizes longevity and good health but also has a great influence on the lives of Koreans.
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KEYWORD
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Ginseng, Korean medicine, symbol, medical history, longevity
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