Can you take a ginseng stick without water, four things to check before opening

Start by checking whether the individual pouch is swollen, whether it is torn, and whether any content has leaked from the sealed seam. If the pack is damaged or looks different from usual, it is better not to take it.

Please also check that your hands and the upper part of the pack are clean, so that any dirt on the outside does not get into the opening.

One stick holds 12 g, and both KOGIN products are made to be taken as the label shows. Taking more than the labeled amount at one time, or keeping an opened stick for a long time and drinking it in parts, does not match the labeling.

• Check whether the individual pouch is damaged, and check the use-by date.
• Hold the pouch upright with the tear line facing upward and open it without splashing the contents.
• If you have opened a stick, do not keep it, and drink it right away.
• Dispose of the empty pouch so that any remaining contents do not leak.

If drinking it as it is is not convenient, you may mix it with water. That said, we have not set a dilution ratio or a temperature. We do not present an arbitrary ratio as if it were a set method.

Please follow this precaution: do not put the stick packaging itself in a microwave. To drink the contents warm, transfer them to another container and check the temperature.

Not heating the pack as it is is a caution printed on the box.

You can take it while you are out and about, but check that the pack is undamaged and that you are in a situation where you can keep your hands and the opened area clean.

It also helps to think about where you will throw the empty pack after opening it. Keep unopened pouches at room temperature in a cool place away from direct sunlight.

The food type field on the back of the box says liquid tea. Liquid tea is the classification for a product that is already in liquid form. So it is not a form that has to be dissolved in water before it can be drunk, and you can take it as it is once it is opened.

A product in powder form, or one boiled down to a strong concentrate, is a different case. Products like that carry words such as powder or concentrate in the product name or the ingredient name. Our two KOGIN products are not in that category, they are liquid tea.

So there is no need for you to prepare water or a cup, and there is no set dilution ratio. If you have seen advice somewhere telling you to dilute it several times over, that is not written on our box.

The food type can be checked in the labeling fields on the back of the box.

KOGIN Red and Black have different ingredients. Red is labeled as 15% red ginseng powder (Korean origin) and purified water, and Black as 12% black ginseng powder (Korean origin), fructooligosaccharide, xanthan gum, and purified water.

Even so, the way and the amount are the same for both products. A box holds 10 sticks of 12 g each. The number of times a day is the one printed on the label. Whichever you choose, you can take it as it is without water, and drinking it right after opening is the same for both.

You may find Black a little thicker. That is because fructooligosaccharide and xanthan gum are both listed in the ingredient name. Even so, it does not become a product that has to be mixed with water.

If any of the four points above applies to you, do not take it and check the box information before anything else. The use-by date is the date printed on the box in your hand.

If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, if the product is for a child, if you are dealing with a medical condition or taking medication, or if you are concerned about a ginseng allergy, please speak with a medical professional before taking it. These are not matters we can judge for you individually.

• When the individual pouch is swollen, or contents leak from the sealed seam
• When the use-by date has passed, or when you cannot check the date on the box
• When you received the pouch on its own and cannot tell which product it is or how long it lasts
• When the smell or condition seems different from usual

The box says to drink it immediately after opening and gives no instructions for storing leftovers. Our principle is to avoid inventing instructions that the box does not provide.

We therefore do not recommend resealing an opened stick or refrigerating it to drink later. Open a new stick next time.

If a whole stick feels like too much, you can take that as a signal in itself. The box gives no instructions for splitting a serving. If the amount feels burdensome, taking it less often does not conflict with the labeling.

The figure printed on the label is the labeled way to take it rather than a maximum, and you do not have to reach it.

Everything up to this point follows directly from what is written on the box and from its labeling. The three items below are not on the box, so we cannot make up an answer for them.

• How many weeks or months you should take it for: the box carries no period.
• Whether it suits your own medical condition and the medication you take: that is a matter to talk over with a medical professional.
• The ratio and the temperature for mixing it with water: there is no set value, so we do not make one up.

Because it can be taken without water, many people take it in a variety of places. Here are three situations we are often asked about.

In any of these situations, drink the stick right after opening it and tidy the empty pack so that nothing runs out.