Chang Il-moo receives James A. Duke award for ginseng book

“A History of the Korean Ginseng Industry” by Chang Il-moo, a professor emeritus at the College of Pharmacy at Seoul National University [KOREA GINSENG CORPORATION]

Chang Il-moo, a professor emeritus at the College of Pharmacy at Seoul National University, was honored by the American Botanical Council (ABC) for “A History of the Korean Ginseng Industry” (2021), the first book in 50 years in the English language on the history of Korean herbal medicine.

Chang, also a former head of the research and development department at the Korea Ginseng Corporation, was given the 2021 James A. Duke award by the ABC on March 9 during the award ceremony held at the Anaheim Natural Products Expo West 2022 in California.

The ABC, also known as the Herbal Medicine Institute, is a U.S. nonprofit dedicated to supporting researchers and scientists around the world developing medicinal plants for various uses. The James A. Duke award is given to the best herbal book of the year.

“A History of the Korean Ginseng Industry” sheds light on the history of the Korean ginseng market starting from the Joseon era (1392-1910).

In the book, Chang proves that Joseon farmers were the first in the world to artificially cultivate ginseng and store it in the form of red ginseng. Red ginseng is made by steaming and boiling fresh ginseng.

“I am pleased to see Korean ginseng’s historical and industrial value being recognized not only in Korea but in global academia,” Chang said in a press release.

BY YOON SO-YEON [yoon.soyeon@joongang.co.kr]