The Korean Ginseng Corporation has received the 2025 American Botanical Council (ABC) Varro E. Tyler Commercial Investment in Phytomedicinal Research Award.

The Seoul-based global health and beauty company specializes in Korean red ginseng products, along with other natural ingredients.

The ABC Tyler Award was named after Varro E. Tyler, PhD, a professor, vice president of academic affairs, and dean at Purdue’s school of pharmacy and pharmacal sciences, and an early member of ABC’s board of trustees. Tyler was the senior author of six editions of a leading pharmacognosy book in the U.S., and other professional and popular books and academic articles.

“I sincerely and truly thank [Mark Blumenthal, founder and executive director of ABC] and the ABC Board of Trustees and staff for this great honor,” said Seung-ho Lee, director of KGC’s laboratory of efficacy research. “For many decades, KGC has been dedicated to conducting more than 100 extensive clinical studies, and this award recognizes our commitment to scientific research on Korean red ginseng.”

KGC prdouces wellness and skincare products for its flagship brand JungKwanJang, as well as other brands such as Everytime, Goodbase, and Donginbi. The company was founded as Samjungkwa in 1899 when the Korean empire established a state-controlled system to regulate and promote ginseng production. JungKwanJang roughly translates as “products rightfully made in government-supervised factories.”

The company was formally established as Korean Ginseng Corporation a century later in 1999. Over the years, the company has expanded its research, cultivation, and distribution efforts for the international market.

“This achievement is thanks to our 150 dedicated researchers at the R&D headquarters in Korea, who continuously strive for scientific advancements, and the researchers in the US, who actively exchange insights with us,” Lee said. “We strongly believe that scientific validation is essential to [help people] maintain a healthy lifestyle.”

Through collaborations with research institutions and in-house laboratories, KGC is exploring the herb’s effects on energy, immunity, cognitive function, and overall wellness.

KGC reports to have conducted more than 330 human, animal, or laboratory studies on Korean red ginseng. Human clinical trials have investigated ginseng’s potential role in reducing oxidative stress, improving vascular health and blood pressure, improving lower urinary tract symptoms in men, energy, immune health, and cognition.

“We are proud to support research in natural herbs, and we will continue our efforts to develop scientifically-proven herbal solutions for health and wellness,” said Lee.

“Throughout my 50-plus year career in the herb and medicinal plant industry and community, ginseng, both Asian and American, have as always been at the top of my research interest and personal use,” said Blumenthal. “Since 1980, I have had the good fortune to travel to Korea on at least three occasions to attend ginseng research conferences and visit ginseng growing fields and the ultra-modern processing facilities for Korean red ginseng. As a result, I have become increasingly impressed with the production of and the extensive research on Korean red ginseng. The Korean Ginseng Corporation leads the world in ginseng research, and I know if Professor Tyler were alive today, he would wholeheartedly endorse ABC’s decision to grant this award in his name.”

“The amount of human clinical studies supported by KGC is truly impressive,” said Stefan Gafner, PhD, chief science officer at ABC. “In my 12 years at ABC, I have never seen such an extensive list of clinical studies carried out by one company, most of them documenting the many health benefits of Korean red ginseng for the consumer. What impresses me even more is that the company has also published studies for which the use of ginseng did not lead to a tangible improvement in patients. The publishing of such information is a testament to KGC’s transparency in their research and their commitment to good science.”