Scientifically known as Codonopsispilosula, the also called poor man’s ginseng was the protagonist of an international competition held in that region of the province of Kon Tum that attracted the attention of 21 teams, including some from Laos, China and Switzerland.

The fraternal competition was organized by the Tu Mo Rong People’s Committee with the purpose of promoting the cultivation and use of this medicinal plant, preserving cultural heritage and promoting the creation of more livelihoods for the local minority Xo Dang ethnic community.

According to the organizers, the wide participation achieved in this second contest demonstrates the quality and attractiveness of Tu Mo Rong’s bastard ginseng compared to those grown in other regions and localities in the country.

The province of Kon Tum, located on the western slope of the Truong Son mountain range, is today a tourist destination of increasing attractiveness, both for its natural beauty imbued with the cultural identity of the native ethnic groups and for having several interesting sites, including the so-called Indochina crossing, in the NgocHoi district, the only place in Vietnam where it is claimed that “the crow of the rooster can also be heard in the neighboring countries Laos and Cambodia.”

According to projections from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, by 2030 Kon Tum is expected to become one of the three provinces with the largest area under cultivation of ginseng, a rare medicinal root that contains 52 compounds useful for health.

Currently, this region of the Western Highlands has more than 1,700 hectares cultivated with this plant in the districts of Tu Mo Rong and Dak Glei, to which other properties are also attributed, such as preventing stress and slowing down aging.

(Taken from Orb)