Appraised at 120 Million Won: Eleven Cheonjong Sansam, Including a 100-Year-Old Mother Root, Discovered in Jirisan

A Five-Generation Family Group Confirmed
Total Weight of 11 Roots: 76 Grams

Eleven wild Jirisan ginseng roots, known as Cheonjong Sansam, have been discovered on the slopes of Mount Jiri.

Jirisan Wild Ginseng. Provided by the Korean Traditional Simmani Association.

According to the Korea Traditional Simmani Association on September 7, it was recently reported that a wild ginseng hunter in his 50s, referred to as Mr. A, harvested 11 Cheonjong Sansam roots in an area at an altitude of 800 meters on the slopes of Mount Jiri, which connects to Ododjae in Hamyang County, Gyeongsangnam-do.

Cheonjong Sansam refers to wild ginseng that has propagated naturally for more than 50 years, deep in mountain areas untouched by humans. The term 'Cheonjong' means that the seeds have been spread by heaven.

The wild ginseng found this time forms a family group spanning five generations, including a mother ginseng (the oldest root) and its offspring (young ginseng roots). The oldest mother ginseng is estimated to be about 100 years old, while even the youngest root has been appraised to be at least 20 years old. The total weight of the 11 roots is 76 grams, and their appraised value has been set at 120 million won.

Jung Hyeong-beom, head of the association, described the discovery as "a precious achievement, especially considering the very poor mountain hiking conditions caused by more than three months of heavy rain and extreme heat waves this summer."

In October of last year, a wild herb collector in his 60s harvested 24 Cheonjong Sansam roots from the slopes of Mount Jiri in Unbong-eup, Namwon, North Jeolla Province. The largest mother root at that time was estimated to be over 80 years old and approximately 40 centimeters long. The total weight of these roots was 152 grams, with an appraised value of 128 million won. In August 2024, two wild herb collectors in their 60s discovered 23 Cheonjong Sansam roots, aged between 50 and 80 years, near the boundary between Hamyang and Sancheong counties on the slopes of Mount Jiri, and received an appraisal of 110 million won.

The highest appraised value ever recorded among wild ginseng found in Korea was for four Cheonjong Sansam roots discovered in November 2018 in the Mohusan area, Hwasun County, South Jeolla Province. Each root weighed about 75 grams and had a deep yellow hue, with notably longer roots than ordinary wild ginseng, reaching lengths of up to 60 centimeters. Wild ginseng found in October and November is particularly prized for its superior medicinal effects, which brought even more attention to the find.

At that time, a wild ginseng hunter in his 60s, identified as Mr. Kim, discovered a wild ginseng root estimated to be 130 years old in the rocky area of the Mohusan slopes, making headlines. The appraised value at that time was 350 million won, setting the domestic record high.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.