Table of Contents
How you take Korean red ginseng depends on the form. Everytime sticks: one 10 ml stick a day, straight or in water, usually in the morning. Concentrated extract: about 1 g on a spoon stirred into warm water, up to three times a day. Hong Sam Won pouches: one a day, warmed in winter. Dissolving film: one strip on the tongue. Whole roots: simmered for several hours into a tea. Koreans take it daily for months, not as a one-off.
"How do I actually take this?" is the first question anyone asks after receiving a box of red ginseng as a gift. The box is in Korean, the paste looks like tar and the sticks taste stronger than expected. This guide goes form by form, using the directions printed on Jung Kwan Jang's product pages, and adds the habits Koreans follow that the box does not mention. For what the forms are and which brand lines exist, see the Jung Kwan Jang Guide.
At Daebak, a Seoul-based Korean culture and product company, we treat red ginseng as what it is in Korea: a traditional food taken as a daily habit. It is not a medicine, we make no health claims for it, and the cautions at the end are not optional reading.
What you are taking
Korean red ginseng is Panax ginseng root that is steamed and dried. Jung Kwan Jang uses only six-year roots; the Korea JoongAng Daily notes that its label carries six stars for the six years of cultivation, and eToday reports that the company runs safety checks at seven stages, about 290 tests, from the planned field to just before harvest. That is why the brand is the default in Korean homes, and why most directions below come from its product pages.
Serving directions by form
| Form | Directions on the product page | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Liquid stick | 1 stick (10 ml) once a day; drink straight or mix with water | Everytime, Everytime Soft |
| Flavored stick | 1 stick a day, straight or in water; morning or afternoon | Everytime Pear |
| Ginseng plus fruit stick | 1 stick, 1 to 2 times a day; shake first | Good Base with Elderberry |
| Concentrated extract | 1 g per serving, up to 3 times a day | Red Ginseng Extract 100 g |
| Drink pouch, cold | 1 to 2 pouches a day; drink promptly after opening; do not microwave the pouch | Hong Sam Won Delight |
| Drink pouch, heated | Microwave the pouch 30 seconds to 1 minute; 1 a day, preferably after a meal | Hong Sam Won (heat and drink) |
| Oral film | 1 strip once a day; let it dissolve slowly in the mouth | Every Time Film |
| Tonic pouch or bottle | 1 a day; shake well | CheonNok Energetic, Hwa Ae Rak Active Me |
| Kids' tonic | 1 pouch a day for the stated age band, under adult supervision | Kid Tonic Step 2 (ages 5-7) |
| Whole root | Boil in a pot for several hours; moistened or microwaved root should be used within a month | Legacy Root 20ji |
Where this table and a box disagree, follow the box. Directions differ by product and by country.
Sticks: the daily habit
Tear the top off, drink it, done. That is why Everytime replaced the jar in most Korean homes; eToday reported in 2017 that it had become the brand's top-selling product by units and had shifted its typical buyer from the 40s and 50s to the 20s and 30s. Koreans take it in the morning, often before breakfast, though with food is fine and the product pages say morning or afternoon. If the taste is too much, empty the stick into a small glass of cold or warm water; the flavored and Soft versions exist for the same reason. Which stick to pick is covered in Jung Kwan Jang Everytime Compared.
Jung Kwan Jang Everytime. See details.
Extract: the spoon-and-warm-water method
- Boil water and let it cool slightly; very hot water is fine, boiling is unnecessary.
- Scoop about 1 g of extract (a small, level teaspoon tip; the jar usually includes a spoon) into a cup.
- Add 100 to 150 ml of warm water and stir until the paste dissolves. It will be dark brown and bitter-sweet.
- Drink it. Koreans often add a little honey or take it with a slice of pear; the product page allows up to three servings a day.
Keep the jar closed, in a cool, dry place. The extract keeps well because it is so concentrated, which is why the 100 g jar is the household standard.
Jung Kwan Jang Korean Red Ginseng Extract 100 g. See details.
Drink pouches: cold or warm
Hong Sam Won Delight is drunk cold, straight from the 50 ml pouch, one or two a day; do not put that pouch in the microwave. The 120 ml Hong Sam Won is the opposite: its kettle-shaped pouch is made to be microwaved for 30 seconds to a minute and drunk warm, one a day after a meal. That warm cup is the winter habit in Korean homes.
Film, tablets and capsules
The Every Time Film goes on the tongue and dissolves over a minute or two; one strip a day, no water. The Soft Tablet and the RXGIN oil capsules are swallowed with water; follow the count on each product page. These are the forms for people who cannot stand the taste.
Kids' tonics
Jung Kwan Jang makes three Kid Tonic steps by age (3 to 4, 5 to 7, 8 to 10), each one pouch a day under adult supervision, with the pouches kept out of children's reach. Use the step for the child's age, not an adult product, and stop and ask a doctor if the child reacts to it, as the product pages say.
Whole roots: the traditional way
Dried red ginseng roots are the form grandparents recognize. The product page's method: put the root in a pot of water and simmer for several hours, then drink the liquid as a tea; Koreans add jujube and sometimes a little honey. To cut a hard root, spray it with a little water and microwave for ten seconds, then use the moistened root within a month. The Legacy Root boxes come in 20ji, 30ji and 40ji; a lower number means larger roots (20ji roots average about 21 g each, per the product page). Roots are also the ingredient in samgyetang, which we cover in Samgyetang: Korea's Ginseng Chicken Soup.
Jung Kwan Jang Korean Red Ginseng Legacy Root, 20ji. See details.
The Korean habits the box does not mention
- Morning, before the day starts. Not a rule, but the convention.
- Every day, for a season. Koreans buy a 30-pack and finish it; gift sets are sized for months for this reason. See Korean Red Ginseng: What It Is and How Koreans Take It.
- Before hard stretches. Exam season, the start of winter, a heavy month at work.
- Not with coffee. Red ginseng is caffeine-free and Koreans usually keep it separate from the morning coffee, mostly for taste.
- Stored cool and dry. Sticks and pouches at room temperature out of sunlight; drink a stick or pouch immediately after opening.
Cautions
These come from the product pages themselves and from common sense. Ask a doctor before taking red ginseng if you are pregnant or nursing, take any regular medication (the pages specifically mention blood thinners and diabetes medication), or have a condition you are managing. Give children only the kids' products, by age, under supervision. Red ginseng is a food with a long history of use in Korea; it is not a treatment for anything, and we do not claim it is.
Jung Kwan Jang products in our shop are brand-shipped. If you would rather receive a seasonal mix of Korean products chosen for you, the Daebak Box is a separate, curated option.
FAQ
When is the best time to take red ginseng?
Koreans usually take it in the morning, before or with breakfast. The product pages suggest morning or afternoon for the sticks and after a meal for the heated drink.
How much red ginseng extract should I take?
Jung Kwan Jang's 100 g extract page says 1 g per serving, up to three times a day. Start with one serving.
Can I take red ginseng every day?
The products are designed for daily use and Koreans take them daily for months. If you take medication or have a condition, ask a doctor first.
How do you make tea from red ginseng roots?
Simmer the root in a pot of water for several hours and drink the liquid; add jujube or honey if you like. Use a moistened root within a month.
Can you heat Hong Sam Won?
Only the 120 ml heat-and-drink version, whose pouch is made for the microwave. Do not microwave the 50 ml Delight pouch.
This guide is part of the Jung Kwan Jang hub, which lists every Daebak guide on Jung Kwan Jang.
