'Folk knowledge about Ngoc Linh ginseng' is a national intangible cultural heritage - Lang Son Newspaper and Radio and Television Station

Ngoc Linh ginseng has long been considered a precious medicinal plant by ethnic minorities living around Ngoc Linh mountain range - Photo: VGP/Nhat Anh

On May 14, Mr. Nguyen Thanh Hong, Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Quang Nam province, said that the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has just decided to include "Folk knowledge about Ngoc Linh ginseng" (Nam Tra My district, Quang Nam province) in the list of National Intangible Cultural Heritage.

According to Mr. Nguyen Thanh Hong, the folk knowledge of exploiting, growing and processing Ngoc Linh ginseng is popularly known as the "hidden medicine" plant. For ethnic minorities, this is considered a panacea with very good healing and health-enhancing effects.

Living off nature, since ancient times, ethnic minorities living around Ngoc Linh mountain range, especially the Xo Dang ethnic group, have known about a precious medicinal plant growing in the primeval forests.

This is folk knowledge with unique historical and cultural values ​​associated with slash-and-burn agriculture and forest economy . This also demonstrates the closeness and harmony with the natural environment of the local community.

Ngoc Linh ginseng grows under the canopy of the primeval forest in Ngoc Linh mountain range - Photo: VGP/Nhat Anh

Elderly people with many years of experience growing ginseng in the locality said that previous generations discovered the effects of ginseng during their trips to the forest to set animal traps and passed it down to their descendants.

Mr. Ho Van Reu (born in 1938, Xo Dang ethnic group, currently living in village 2, Tra Linh commune, Nam Tra My district) said that since he was a child, his family members told him about the effects of ginseng and instructed him on how to use it in specific cases.

Mr. Nguyen Van Luong (born in 1974, Xo Dang ethnic group in village 2, Tra Linh commune, Nam Tra My district), who has a lot of experience in exploiting and growing Ngoc Linh ginseng in the locality, said that when he was young, through his grandfather's stories, he learned about many wonderful effects of ginseng.

For example, when going into the forest and unfortunately getting injured and bleeding, people will dig up ginseng roots, chew them and apply them to the wound to stop the bleeding quickly and heal the wound quickly. When having a stomachache, eat ginseng roots, and after a while the pain will go away. Or when tired or hungry, chewing a few slices of ginseng will make you feel less tired and less hungry... Therefore, people have given it the popular name "precious medicinal plant".

Ngoc Linh ginseng flower - Photo: VGP/Nhat Anh

Mr. Nguyen Thanh Hong added that, in addition to exploitation, from very early on, many residents around Ngoc Linh range in Nam Tra My district knew how to grow and care for this medicinal plant in nature with simple methods to use when needed.

The access, propagation, cultivation and processing of Ngoc Linh ginseng bring very high economic value, showing the change and development of production practices from exploitation and gathering to concentrated production and intensive investment, thanks to which a part of the people of Nam Tra My district have escaped poverty sustainably. Through the process of practicing the heritage, the local community has gained many valuable experiences, forming a fairly complete folk knowledge system about Ngoc Linh ginseng.

Vice Chairman of Quang Nam Provincial People's Committee Ho Quang Buu affirmed that the folk knowledge of exploiting, growing and processing Ngoc Linh ginseng of ethnic minorities in Nam Tra My district can be considered a valuable treasure, both of cultural value and of great significance for socio-economic development.

Besides the potentials that ginseng brings, the preservation and promotion of traditional professional knowledge in exploiting, planting and processing Ngoc Linh ginseng also needs to be preserved and maintained.

Source: https://baolangson.vn/tri-thuc-dan-gian-ve-sam-ngoc-linh-la-di-san-van-hoa-phi-vat-the-quoc-gia-5047161.html