• Journal of Ginseng Culture
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• v.3
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• pp.38-53
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• 2021

This research uncovered that the world-renowned British Museum has displayed ginseng as part of notable exhibitssince its opening. The British Museum was established in 1753 upon the bequest of Sir Hans Sloane, a famous physician, scientist, and collector. At the heart of his collections was the vast amount of vegetable substance specimens. This study first reconstructed Sloane's collection activities in the context of British Imperialism and botanical science in the early modern period. It then traced the origins and routes by which four ginseng specimens were obtained: Radix Ginseng or ninzin from China (VS 532), Ginseng. Id (VS 8,198), the roots and seeds of ginseng (VS 7,825), and ginseng root (VS 12,140). These specimens were presumed to originate from one type of Korean ginseng from China, a Japanese ginseng variant from Japan, and two ginseng species from North America. The English public learned about ginseng and ginseng exhibits via a flourishing printing culture. In England, Korean ginseng was appreciated much more highly than American ginseng.