Story of Ginseng

There were once two brothers who were hunters. They went up into the mountains to hunt. In the mountains the brothers caught much game. One day the weather suddenly turned bad, and it began snowing heavily. The snow fell for two days and nights without letting up. It buried all the tracks, and they couldn 't find their way out of the mountain. The brothers had no choice but to take shelter in a large hollow tree, where they lit a fire to keep warm.

On clear days they went hunting and dug roots for food. One day they dug up a root as thick as a man's wrist. The root was shaped like a human being, and the root fibers growing out from it looked like human's hands and feet. The brothers bit into the root to taste it. It was slightly sweet, and after eating it they found their strength increased tremendously.

The two dug for the root everywhere. All through the long winter, the root kept them strong and healthy. Finally spring has came! The brothers happily made their way down the mountain, carrying the game they had caught on their shoulders. The people of their village were astounded to see them back. They had thought they must surely have frozen or starved to death.

"What on earth did you eat to get you through the winter up in the mountains? How come you're so full of energy?" The brothers took out the root they had found and showed it to the other villagers. But none of them had seen the plant before. "Oh! it's shaped just like a man. How strange!" Later when news of the root spread, people began to call it "ginseng" (renshen in Mandarin), which means "man-root. "

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