Rejuvenating Ginseng 5ml (Hydrodistilled)

Having spent a lot of time in the region where the best ginsengs can be both found in the wild or organically cultivated, there is no reason not to challenge something that seems impossible, distilling ginseng roots into an essential oil. The proportion of essential oil volatiles in ginseng roots is incredibly low, as ginseng contains mostly water soluble ginsenosides and therapeutic compounds, so we learnt it the very hard way. But having endured the alchemical storms of rose cooking, we were no strangers to stubborn botanicals. We were not so afraid to do ginseng, as we did not have to worry too much about the material cost due to abundance of supply, and there is no dreaded race against time sort of freshness challenge ie wilting petals, roots definitely last way longer than flowers in the cold! All we need is just a steady rhythm of time and care.

To this end, after producing lots of tonifying hydrosols, which was sold to skin-care companies for use in their formulations, we were able to condense a very light and thin oil. An airy, rooty, crisp, extremely refreshing and invigorating floral fruitiness emerges. It is not what one expects from ginseng — and yet, it feels utterly right. Novel, enlivening, and strangely addictive, it clears the mind like mountain air before dawn. Not going to use the unnecessary and overly-extrapolated terms of chi-flow and all that here, but this refreshing scent brings about a mind clarity or sort of alertness and uplift. Hydrodistilled with dedication, this oil is a breath of lucidity in a crowded world. Caveat though, as ginseng contains a lot of water solubles, by forcing an elusive essential oil out of it, you may have to test your formulation to see if this ginseng EO would cause any precipitation or cloudiness.

It can be easily enjoyed on its own or or let it open its voice in the gentle warmth of a diffuser. Here it is, our humble attempt to coax a whisper of oil from a root famed more for its water-soluble secrets than for any promise of perfumed essence.