{"id":3818,"date":"2023-03-09T14:42:49","date_gmt":"2023-03-09T13:42:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/universvoyage.com\/?p=3818"},"modified":"2026-02-07T16:55:13","modified_gmt":"2026-02-07T15:55:13","slug":"south-korea-simmanis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/universvoyage.com\/en\/coree-du-sud-les-simmanis\/","title":{"rendered":"South Korea - The simmanis"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>It was in the S\u00f4rak mountains in South Korea that we met Park Dong Jun, a member of the Simmani brotherhood of wild ginseng seekers. Photographer Pierre Bessard had the privilege of following him on his quest for this now extremely rare root. A plant so sacred and precious that only the \u00abchosen\u00bb of <em>Sansin<\/em> Sansin (or Sanshin), the mountain spirit, can find it after dreamlike visions and many ritual purifications.<\/strong><\/p><div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_82_2 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-white ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/universvoyage.com\/en\/coree-du-sud-les-simmanis\/#A_la_recherche_de_la_racine_merveilleuse\" >In Search of the Wonderful Root<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/universvoyage.com\/en\/coree-du-sud-les-simmanis\/#Mandragore_coreenne\" >Korean mandrake<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/universvoyage.com\/en\/coree-du-sud-les-simmanis\/#Rituel_chamanique_ou_kut\" >Shamanic ritual or kut<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/universvoyage.com\/en\/coree-du-sud-les-simmanis\/#Depart_pour_la_montagne\" >Departure for the mountains<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/universvoyage.com\/en\/coree-du-sud-les-simmanis\/#Ginseng_des_qualites_differentes\" >Ginseng: different qualities<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-a-la-recherche-de-la-racine-merveilleuse\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"A_la_recherche_de_la_racine_merveilleuse\"><\/span><strong>In Search of the Wonderful Root<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/universvoyage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/REA727110-Copier.jpg\" data-rel=\"lightbox-image-0\" data-rl_title=\"Racine de ginseng sauvage.\" data-rl_caption=\"Racine de ginseng sauvage. \u00a9 Pierre Bessard\" title=\"Wild ginseng root.\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"512\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/universvoyage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/REA727110-Copier.jpg\" alt=\"Wild ginseng root. Pierre Bessard\" class=\"wp-image-4053\" srcset=\"https:\/\/universvoyage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/REA727110-Copier.jpg 512w, https:\/\/universvoyage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/REA727110-Copier-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/universvoyage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/REA727110-Copier-400x600.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>Wild ginseng root. Pierre Bessard<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>In Korea, wild ginseng is called <em>sansam<\/em>which means \"mountain ginseng\". Ginseng, whatever the variety, is called <em>insam<\/em>which can be translated as \"man-plant\". This wild ginseng is found in the forests of the steep mountains in the north of the peninsula, at an altitude of around 1,000 metres. Tradition has it that this <em>sansam<\/em> (1) is by far the most precious of all remedies. Twenty, thirty, fifty or even more years spent in humus-rich soils on the steps of heaven allow ginseng to build up its mineral and nutrient content, giving it almost miraculous virtues. It has to be said that the mountains, which cover around 70 % of Korean territory, are a fairly impassable world where shamanic myths and customs, of Ural-Altaic origin, have long been preserved. It is also the realm of the gods and the dead, the cradle of the legend that founded the nation (2).<br>Because of this particular environment, wild ginseng is reputed to have a sovereign medicinal effectiveness in strengthening the immune system and in many illnesses such as high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, cancer, etc., as well as in reawakening male vigour, even in old age.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-mandragore-coreenne\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Mandragore_coreenne\"><\/span>Korean mandrake<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/universvoyage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/REA727112-Copier.jpg\" data-rel=\"lightbox-image-1\" data-rl_title=\"Chercheur de ginseng sauvage\" data-rl_caption=\"Park Dong Jun fait partie de l&#039;organisation &quot;secr\u00e8te&quot; des Simanis, les chercheurs de ginseng. Il pr\u00e9sente la pr\u00e9cieuse racine qu&#039;il vient de d\u00e9terrer. \u00a9 Pierre Bessard\" title=\"Wild ginseng researcher\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"512\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/universvoyage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/REA727112-Copier.jpg\" alt=\"Park Dong Jun is a member of the &quot;secret&quot; Simanis organisation, the ginseng researchers. He shows us the precious root he has just unearthed.  Pierre Bessard.\" class=\"wp-image-4055\" srcset=\"https:\/\/universvoyage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/REA727112-Copier.jpg 512w, https:\/\/universvoyage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/REA727112-Copier-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/universvoyage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/REA727112-Copier-400x600.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>Park Dong Jun is a member of the \"secret\" Simmani organisation, the ginseng researchers. He presents the precious root he has just unearthed. Pierre Bessard<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p><br>There are a plethora of accounts of extraordinary cures using this rhizome, whose use was initially reserved for the emperor, a treasure that the Korean court also offered as gifts to foreign heads of state. Like the mandrake root, its anthropomorphic form is the source of all sorts of beliefs. But also very real effects. Often compared to a woman crossing her legs, but with yang energy, the <em>sansam<\/em> is simply called <em>sim<\/em> by the simmanis. A plant so unique that the lives of those who collect it are governed by very strict rules and taboos. As I'm a woman, with yin energy, it's out of the question for me to go with Park Dong Jun in search of simmani. <em>sansam<\/em>because the spirit of the mountain would be unhappy and it's him\".&nbsp;<em>which gives the sim<\/em>&nbsp;\".<br>But <em>Sansin<\/em> doesn't give it to just anyone. Even though many people today claim to be simmanis even though they don't respect the rites, there are only a dozen or so genuine simmani seekers. <em>sim<\/em> in Korea.<br><br><\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/universvoyage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/REA727103-Copier.jpg\" data-rel=\"lightbox-image-2\" data-rl_title=\"Chercheur de ginseng sauvage\" data-rl_caption=\"Le simmani fait une pri\u00e8re et des offrandes aux dieux de la montagne avant d&#039;aller \u00e0 la recherche de la racine de ginseng sauvage. \u00a9 Pierre Bessard.\" title=\"Wild ginseng researcher\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/universvoyage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/REA727103-Copier-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"The simmani makes a prayer and offerings to the mountain gods before going in search of the wild ginseng root. Pierre Bessard. \" class=\"wp-image-4058\" srcset=\"https:\/\/universvoyage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/REA727103-Copier-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/universvoyage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/REA727103-Copier-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/universvoyage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/REA727103-Copier-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/universvoyage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/REA727103-Copier-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/universvoyage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/REA727103-Copier.jpg 1152w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>The simmani makes a prayer and offerings to the mountain gods before going in search of the wild ginseng root. Pierre Bessard. <\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>Pak Dong has been a simmani for thirty years. Outside the harvesting period, which runs from June to October, he works on his small farm. He tells us that he has been preparing for this quest for a long time, and has prayed <em>Sansin<\/em> to bring him luck. In the spring, he devoutly went into the mountains to visit places where <em>sims<\/em> have been found in the past and make offerings at the many altars that dot the wilderness trails. Several weeks before venturing into the god's territories, the simmani will write down all his dreams, sometimes discussing them with other simmanis in an attempt to decipher the meaning of the messages that the gods have sent him in his dreams. For example, a significant dream (dream of an old man, a snake, a specific place, a dead person, etc.) in the month of January may suggest that the researcher will find a \"god\" in the dream. <em>sim<\/em> 6 months later. A dream in February will be valid for August, and so on. Anthropologists Choi Young-Hee and Pierre Erny (3): <em>\"An unfortunate event in a dream heralds a happy event\".<\/em> in reality. This is why a dream of a corpse is the best a simmani can receive. The deceased represents the <em>sim<\/em> which will be <em>\"killed<\/em>. <em>\"Transgression of the forbidden is thus permitted in dream life, which certainly has a cathartic and balancing effect for men so surrounded by rules and taboos\".<\/em>anthropologists note. Despite the influence of foreign religions (Confucianism, Buddhism, Christianity, etc.), Korea has inherited shamanic customs that explain the worship of spirits or local divinities. <em>\"There is a surprising continuity between night life and day life. The dream offers the simmani the opportunity to visit the world hidden behind the visible stage of reality. The dream world, with its specific space and time, thus appears as a unique zone where communication between divinity and humanity becomes possible\".<\/em>, add our authors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-rituel-chamanique-ou-kut\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Rituel_chamanique_ou_kut\"><\/span>Shamanic ritual or kut<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/universvoyage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/REA727106-Copier.jpg\" data-rel=\"lightbox-image-3\" data-rl_title=\"Chercheur de ginseng sauvage\" data-rl_caption=\"Le simmani invoque les esprits de la montagne. \u00a9 Pierre Bessard.\" title=\"Wild ginseng researcher\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/universvoyage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/REA727106-Copier-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"The simmani invokes the mountain spirits. \u00a9 Pierre Bessard.\" class=\"wp-image-4060\" srcset=\"https:\/\/universvoyage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/REA727106-Copier-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/universvoyage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/REA727106-Copier-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/universvoyage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/REA727106-Copier-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/universvoyage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/REA727106-Copier-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/universvoyage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/REA727106-Copier.jpg 1152w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>The simmani invokes the mountain spirits. \u00a9 Pierre Bessard.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p><br>To determine the exact date of the search, a shaman is called in to perform a ritual. <em>&nbsp;<\/em>. But no one other than the simmani (or his colleagues) must be aware of the date of the expedition. In the time leading up to his departure, the simmani will lead an ascetic life: total abstinence, because a loss of semen leads to a lack of yang energy; no alcohol; no television; no attending funerals and no meeting the bereaved members of the deceased's family, or entering a house where a baby has just been born, in order to keep away from the vicissitudes of the world. They must also abstain from certain foods, such as chicken, eggs, fish, dog meat and foods offered during the kut to the deities of the shamanic pantheon. If a prohibition is broken, the search is postponed for one or more months, depending on the seriousness of the transgression, to allow time for re-purification.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-depart-pour-la-montagne\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Depart_pour_la_montagne\"><\/span>Departure for the mountains<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/universvoyage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/REA727108-Copier.jpg\" data-rel=\"lightbox-image-4\" data-rl_title=\"Chercheur de ginseng sauvage\" data-rl_caption=\"De bleu et de blanc v\u00eatu, le simmani est pr\u00eat \u00e0 partir dans la montagne. \u00a9 Pierre Bessard.\" title=\"Wild ginseng researcher\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/universvoyage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/REA727108-Copier-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"Dressed in blue and white, the simmani is ready to set off into the mountains. Pierre Bessard.\" class=\"wp-image-4063\" srcset=\"https:\/\/universvoyage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/REA727108-Copier-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/universvoyage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/REA727108-Copier-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/universvoyage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/REA727108-Copier-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/universvoyage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/REA727108-Copier-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/universvoyage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/REA727108-Copier.jpg 1152w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>Dressed in blue and white, the simmani is ready to set off into the mountains. Pierre Bessard.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>Dressed entirely in white (vegan spirits are associated with the sky and the colour white), in a blue sleeveless jacket, wearing a white cloth headdress and a straw hat fastened with a white cotton strap tied under the chin, a jute bag slung over the shoulder filled with offerings, the seeker sets off for several hours' walk, sometimes several days, along a stony path that is barely visible amidst the vegetation. Sometimes simmanis set off in groups, always in odd numbers, to help each other when they have to dig up the famous root. You have to advance in single file and in silence. At the first stream encountered, the simmani performs ablutions to purify himself. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/universvoyage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/REA727105-Copier.jpg\" data-rel=\"lightbox-image-5\" data-rl_title=\"Chercheur de ginseng sauvage\" data-rl_caption=\"Le simmani \u00e9l\u00e8ve un autel pour v\u00e9n\u00e9rer Sansin. \u00a9 Pierre Bessard.\" title=\"Wild ginseng researcher\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/universvoyage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/REA727105-Copier-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"The simmani raises an altar to venerate Sansin \u00a9 Pierre Bessard.\" class=\"wp-image-4064\" srcset=\"https:\/\/universvoyage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/REA727105-Copier-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/universvoyage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/REA727105-Copier-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/universvoyage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/REA727105-Copier-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/universvoyage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/REA727105-Copier-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/universvoyage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/REA727105-Copier.jpg 1152w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>The simmani raises an altar to venerate Sansin and burns a ritual paper. Pierre Bessard.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>Continuing his peregrination and arriving near a chosen rock, usually near a stream, the simmani spreads out his offerings (oranges, melons, rice, dried fish), spreads on the rock the <em>soji<\/em>He then lights two candles. He then implores the spirit of the mountain to help him find the cure. <em>sim<\/em>Then he burns the ritual paper and utters incantations to the forest and mountain spirits. He then burns the ritual paper and utters incantations to the spirits of the forest and the mountain, raising his arms to the sky while spinning around in a sort of dance.<br>Once this first ritual is complete, he leaves the offerings in place, bows deeply and sets off again, guided by his intuition according to the messages he has received in his dreams. Sometimes, however, the mountain expresses a refusal. The most significant of these are encountering a woman in the forest (although it is rare for them to venture into the forest alone), or a snake. These are two very bad omens that force you to interrupt your search. Nothing of the sort happened to our simmani this time. Just a brief encounter with an old man resting on a rock, to whom he didn't say a word and to whom he turned his back for fear of being 'contaminated' by someone in a state of impurity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/universvoyage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/REA727113-Copier.jpg\" data-rel=\"lightbox-image-6\" data-rl_title=\"Chercheur de ginseng sauvage\" data-rl_caption=\"Park Dong Jun s&#039;incline devant la racine qu&#039;il vient de d\u00e9couvrir en signe de remerciement. \u00a9 Pierre Bessard.\" title=\"Wild ginseng researcher\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/universvoyage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/REA727113-Copier-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"Park Dong Jun bows to the root he has just discovered as a sign of thanks. \u00a9 Pierre Bessard.\" class=\"wp-image-4066\" srcset=\"https:\/\/universvoyage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/REA727113-Copier-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/universvoyage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/REA727113-Copier-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/universvoyage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/REA727113-Copier-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/universvoyage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/REA727113-Copier-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/universvoyage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/REA727113-Copier.jpg 1152w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>Park Dong Jun bows to the root he has just discovered as a sign of thanks. \u00a9 Pierre Bessard.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>A few hours later, after more purification in the river, Park Dong Jun stopped at the foot of a tree. He had spotted the root of life. But before digging, he thanked the spirits for their help and bowed down before it. Then he kneels down and digs up the plant with his bare hands. No tool must touch the root. Nor should they injure it, as this could render it unfit for use. The root is completely uncovered and presented in its entirety. He then places a few coins in the hole before closing it. A symbolic exchange that precedes the rite of thanks he will perform before leaving the mountain.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/universvoyage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/REA727119-Copier.jpg\" data-rel=\"lightbox-image-7\" data-rl_title=\"Chercheur de ginseng sauvage\" data-rl_caption=\"La partie a\u00e9rienne du ginseng est d\u00e9licatement s\u00e9par\u00e9e de la racine qui va \u00eatre soigneusement envelopp\u00e9e dans des lichens. \u00a9 Pierre Bessard.\" title=\"Wild ginseng researcher\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/universvoyage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/REA727119-Copier-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"The aerial part of the ginseng is delicately separated from the root, which is then carefully wrapped in lichens. Pierre Bessard.\" class=\"wp-image-4068\" srcset=\"https:\/\/universvoyage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/REA727119-Copier-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/universvoyage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/REA727119-Copier-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/universvoyage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/REA727119-Copier-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/universvoyage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/REA727119-Copier-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/universvoyage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/REA727119-Copier.jpg 1152w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>The aerial part of the ginseng is delicately separated from the root, which is then carefully wrapped in lichens. Pierre Bessard.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-ginseng-des-qualites-differentes\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Ginseng_des_qualites_differentes\"><\/span>Ginseng: different qualities<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>1 - There are different qualities of Ginseng, from the most mediocre to the extremely rare wild Ginseng, which is also found in the Paektu mountains in North Korea and their extension in China. It has become rare there as a result of uncontrolled and excessive harvesting. These days, only the wealthy can afford to buy wild ginseng root. (In 2010, a medium-sized root sold for around \u20ac300,000).<br>The best quality ginseng at an affordable price in Europe is the 'semi-wild' variety, red ginseng, produced organically. This method of cultivation preserves the essential qualities of wild ginseng, unlike extensively-grown ginseng, which uses numerous phytosanitary products that are just as harmful to the environment as they are to our health. Korean ginseng is renowned for its quality, due in part to the age of the root, which must be harvested at least 6 years after sowing. This is because the active ingredient in ginseng, ginsenoside, increases with the age of the plant. This means that the older the ginseng, the more it contains. Wild ginseng is mentioned in the ancient book of oriental medicine <em>\"Shang Han Lun<\/em>It was written by the physician Zhang Zhongjing (150-219) during the late Han period, around 200 BC.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/universvoyage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/REA727111-Copier.jpg\" data-rel=\"lightbox-image-8\" data-rl_title=\"Chercheur de ginseng sauvage\" data-rl_caption=\"Fleur de ginseng. \u00a9 Pierre Bessard.\" title=\"Wild ginseng researcher\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"512\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/universvoyage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/REA727111-Copier.jpg\" alt=\"Ginseng flower \u00a9 Pierre Bessard.\" class=\"wp-image-4069\" srcset=\"https:\/\/universvoyage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/REA727111-Copier.jpg 512w, https:\/\/universvoyage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/REA727111-Copier-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/universvoyage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/REA727111-Copier-400x600.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>Ginseng flower and root \u00a9 Pierre Bessard.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>2 - In Korea, the mountain is a sacred place, an intermediary between eternity and ephemeral human life. According to the history of the Three Kingdoms, compiled by the monk Iry\u00f4n in the 13th century, Korea was founded on a mountain in 2333 BC, under the name of Chos\u00f4n, the land of the Morning-Light and not the Morning-Light as Westerners have mistakenly translated it, the exact literal name being <em>\"the land of fresh, clear mornings<\/em>. This idealisation of the mountain and its initiatory function is still very much alive in contemporary society.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>3 - Article : <em>Wild ginseng researchers in Korea<\/em>, Anthropos 90.1995<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Text : <\/strong>Brigitte Postel<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Photos : <\/strong>Pierre Bessard<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This article was also published on the Inexplor\u00e9 website <a href=\"https:\/\/inexplore.inrees.com\/rubriques\/reportages\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">https:\/\/inexplore.inrees.com\/rubriques\/reportages<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>It was in the S\u00f4rak mountains in South Korea that we met Park Dong Jun, a member of the Simmani brotherhood of wild ginseng seekers. Photographer Pierre Bessard had the privilege of following him as he...<\/p>","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":4051,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[164],"tags":[99,403,21,401,46,402,82],"class_list":["post-3818","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-coree-du-sud","tag-asie","tag-chamanes","tag-civilisation","tag-ginseng","tag-plante","tag-simmanis","tag-spiritualite"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.4 (Yoast SEO v27.4) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Cor\u00e9e du Sud - Les simmanis - Univers Voyage<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Les chercheurs de ginseng sauvage (sansam) appartiennent \u00e0 la confr\u00e9rie des Simmanis. 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