[YakAl's 3-Line Summary💊]

Red ginseng 'with high ginsenoside content'alone doesn't make it good. You need to look at the ingredient ratio, brand research capabilities, and unnecessary additives too.
Products with red ginseng root and red ginseng rootlet mixed at 70:30ratio, and products using 6-year-old rootsare the best.
'Even if it says 'sugar-free',, dextrin / maltoseand other sugars by different names may be hiding inside.

Hello! I'm Happy from YakAl.

Have you ever stood in front of the health food section at a supermarket for a while??

There are dozens of red ginseng products. The packaging is all red, and they all say "6-year-old root" and "ginsenoside OOmg".

Picking them up and putting them down repeatedly,, you probably ended up thinking "I'll just go with the expensive one" and chose something. I bet you've had this experience at least once.

I did too. Even as a pharmacist 😅

So I dug through research papers myself, compared ingredient lists, and created criteria!

마트 건강식품 코너에서 가장 좋은 홍삼 건기식 고르는법

"It's not good just because the ginsenoside content is high?"

I've heard this said so many times.

But when you think about it, it seems a bit odd? Red ginseng is a plant.

A single plant contains dozens of different components mixed together,, and judging a product as "this is good" based on just one of them is like judging a person based solely on their appearance.

Of course, ginsenosides are important. They're the representative beneficial component of red ginseng.

But that's not all there is.

홍삼 제품 FAQ, 진세노사이드 함량만 높으면 좋은 거 아니에요?

Happy's 5 Red Ginseng Evaluation Criteria

1. Main Components â Ginsenosides, How Much Is Included?

Ginsenosidesare the 'essential nutrient' of red ginseng.

They help relieve fatigue in our bodies, boost immunity, and improve blood flow.

Among these, three types are particularly important: Rg1, Rb1, and Rg3.

Rg1: Boosts energy
Rb1: Calms the nerves
Rg3: Excellent antioxidant effects

A daily intake of 3~20mg is appropriate,, but when I surveyed products on the market, they ranged from as little as 3mg to as much as 57mg â quite a variation.

Too little or too much is not good.

진세노사이드 그중에서도 Rg1, Rb1, Rg3 세 가지가 중요해요

But then I became curious. Where exactly do these ginsenosides that are supposedly so good for the body come from??

Actually, a special change occurs in the process of steaming and drying red ginseng.

👉For those interested, please read the next article! [Learn More About Red Ginseng's Components and Benefits]

2. Price â How Much Per g or ml?

The prices of red ginseng products vary widely.

Even within the same brand, prices can differ several times over depending on the formulation .

So instead of simply saying "this product costs 30,000 won, that one costs 50,000 won,", I calculate and compare the price per 1g or per 1mland I've set it up on the YakAl website so you can compare them.

If you can consume more red ginseng for the same amount of money, that's a product with good value for money.

Just don't choose based on price alone!

I recommend considering other criteria first within your budget.

가성비 좋은 홍삼 건강기능식품 고르기, 약사가 알려드립니다

3. Brand â How Much Has This Company Researched Red Ginseng?

Even if made from the same red ginseng,, depending on how it's extracted,you get a completely different product.

Extraction temperature, time, pressureâ¦ these conditions determine ginsenoside content.

Some brands have researched these extraction methods for a long time, published papers, and even hold patents.

On the other hand,, some companies simply borrow technology from other companies and mass-produce 'generic red ginseng'.

같은 홍삼으로 만들어도, 어떻게 추출하느냐에 따라 완전히 다른 제품이 돼요, 브

So Happy directly looked up the patents of each brand on KIPRIS (Korean Intellectual Property Rights Information Service).

I also checked whether they had received official certifications like GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice for Health Functional Foods) or ISO.

💡What is GMP certification??

Just as a school cafeteria undergoes regular inspections to ensure food is prepared cleanly and safely,,
red ginseng factories are inspected by the government to ensure that all processes (purchasing raw materials â production â packaging â shipping) are clean and safe.

4. Quality â Which 'Part' of Red Ginseng Was Used?

Red ginseng may look all the same, but actually, 'the components differ depending on the part.

Red ginseng root: is the main body part of red ginseng,. with a mild taste.
Red ginseng rootlet: is the fine root part of red ginseng,. with a bitter taste but containing higher levels of specific ginsenosides.

Just as eating carrot stems together with the main bulb provides more diverse nutrients than eating only the round body,,

red ginseng too is best when the main body and roots are mixed at a 70:30 ratio, allowing you to get the most diverse nutrients.

홍삼도 몸통과 뿌리가 70:30 비율로 섞여 있을 때 가장 다양한 영양소를 섭취할 수 있어요

But when you look at actual products, you're not sure where this ratio is written?

There's a specific way to read the 'Raw Material Name and Content' on the back of the packaging.

👉[Things You Must Check When Buying Red Ginseng]!

There's one more thing, solid content.

This is what remains after removing water from red ginseng extract â, in other words, 'how much actual red ginseng component'is contained.

So in the 'Quality' section, Happy compared whether the red ginseng root/rootlet ratio is close to 70/30 and whether the solid content is high,

and assigned scores as follows.

Red ginseng root/rootlet ratio	Score	Solid content	Score
70/30 (Â±5% margin))	35	64% or higher	25
60/40	31.5	60~63%	20
50/50	24.5	60% or lower or not indicated	10
100/0 or not indicated	14	-	-

Finally,, I also checked ease of consumption. No matter how good the red ginseng, if it's inconvenient to take, you'll end up not taking it.

I gave the highest score to products packaged individually in single servings!

5. Secondary Ingredients â What Else 'Besides' Red Ginseng Is Included?

When looking at red ginseng products,, "you'll sometimes see ones that boast "it also contains fleece flower root, white peony root, and Chinese angelica"!".

The problem is that you need to determine whether these truly boost nutrition, or are just additives for taste or color .

Happy gave the highest score to the 'Red ginseng + purified water' combination. It's simple but well-rounded!

On the other hand, there were factors that led to point deductions. Here they are!

부성분 — 홍삼 '외에' 뭐가 들어있는지 확인하세요

⚠️ Watch Out for Hidden Sugars

Dextrin/Maltodextrin: This is a carbohydrate made by processing starch. 'Even if it says 'sugar-free,' this isn't classified as sugar, so it often sneaks in unnoticed. Watch out because it has a high glycemic index.
Maltose (also called malt sugar)): This is another name for sugar. When digested, it immediately converts to glucose,, so if you have diabetes, it's best to avoid it.
Xanthan Gum: This is a thickening agent that gives texture a viscous consistency. While appropriate amounts are safe,, if you have sensitive digestion, it's best to avoid it.

Wait, does that mean diabetics can't eat red ginseng at all??

Not necessarily. But there are a few precautions.

👉[Diabetes, Constitution, Consumption Time, Accurate Information About Red Ginseng ]!

Before Buying a Red Ginseng Supplement, Just Remember This!

When choosing red ginseng, just check these four things.

Ginsenoside content — Based on Rg1+Rb1+Rg3, 3~20mg daily is appropriate!
Brand research capabilities — Check for research papers, patents, and GMP certification.
Red ginseng root/rootlet ratio — The closer to 70:30, the better!
Unnecessary additives — Watch out for 'hidden sugars' like dextrin and maltose.

✅ And one more thing!

6-year-old root red ginseng is best.

After 6 years, nutrients become most abundant.

It's like how a child grows taller and stronger as they get older.

All red ginseng products featured on YakAl use 6-year-old roots,but if you're buying elsewhere, make sure to check that it's 6-year-old root.

약알에 소개된 홍삼 제품은 모두 6년근을 사용했어요, 약사가 추천하는 홍삼 제품 비교

⭐️ Check out the red ginseng product list personally compared by pharmacist Happy directly on YakAl! 😊