Ginseng
Changbai ginseng is regarded as the finest in China. It has been collected as a medicinal plant for millennia, and the first Chinese pharmacopoeia written in the first century records its ability to nourish the five internal organs, sharpen intelligence, strengthen yin (female energy) and invigorate yang (male energy). It generally grows in the shade of the Korean pine, and it is said that a plant of real medicinal value takes fifty years to mature. Changbai ginseng hunters work in summer, when the plant can be spotted by its red seeds. One way to find it is to listen for the call of the Bangchui sparrow, which becomes hoarse after eating ginseng seeds. However, human consumers prize the ginseng root rather than the plant's leaves. It's quite conceivable to search for weeks and not find a single root, which has given rise to a host of superstitions . Hunters have even disappeared, causing rumours that the roots are guarded by snakes and tigers. Legend has it that if a hunter should dream of a laughing, white-bearded man or a group of dancing fairies he must get up, remain silent, and walk off into the forest. His colleagues, following him, must not speak to him, and he will lead them to a root. When a ginseng root is found, a stick is planted in the ground and a red cloth tied to it. Traditionally, the cloth stops the ginseng child - the spirit of the root - from escaping. The plants lie horizontally, with their roots growing upwards in the topsoil. Digging one out is a complex, nail-biting operation, as if any of the delicate roots are damaged, the value of the whole is severely diminished. Roots are valued not just by weight, but by how closely the root system resembles a human body, with a head and four limbs. If you find a wild root, you're rich, as Changbai ginseng sells for Y1000 a gram. Artificially reared ginseng is worth a fraction of this
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