The DPRK is rich in medicinal herb resources.

According to experts, the country is a habitat of various wild medicinal herbs in more than 900 kinds, or 1 200-odd kinds of medicinal herbs in case imported and cultivated medicinal plants are added.

Ryanggang Province is a home of many alpine medicinal herbs. Vast tableland at the foot of Mt Paektu serves as a right soil for astragalus.

Its roots contain polysaccharide, saponine, isoflavone and others with high tonic and haematinic, antihypertensive and antiulcerative effects.

More than 410 kinds of herbs including lilac, Aralia eleta, rhododendron, forest asiabell, atractylodes, cranesbill, bupleuri radix, Sorbaria stellipila, yew, Araliae continentalis radix and Rheum coreanum serve as raw materials of Koryo medicines.

Especially, its local Rheum coreanum and Cnidium officinale have very higher medicinal values than herbs rooted in other areas.

As modern medical sciences recently proved that Rheum coreanum is effective in curing some diseases, it is being widely cultivated in Kapsan County and other local areas.

Some locals in Kapsan had dug out a spectacular Rheum coreanum in a deep mountain, whose root weighed dozens of kilometres.

More than 450 kinds of various medicinal herbs are rooted in Jagang Province.

Typical of them are wild insam, Schizandra chinensis, atractylodes, barrenwort, Siberian ginseng, Angelica sinensis, forest asiabell and Acanthophanax sessiliflorus.

The Kanggye City general pharmacy is always crowded with many visitors as it provides various Koryo medicines with excellent medicinal value and flavouring health drinks.

Customers are vying with each other for purchasing barrenwort extract, Artemisia messerschmidtiana extract, Siberian ginseng extract, Abeimoscnussp extract, parsley extract and bellflower root extract turned out from the Kanggye Koryo Medicine-processing Factory, Kanggye Koryo Medicine Pharmaceutical Factory and Huichon City Koryo Medicine Pharmaceutical Factory.

North Hamgyong Province is also rich in herb resources.

The first and foremost of 480-odd kinds of herb resources are licorice in Kilju and Onsong areas and well-known matrimony vine in Kyongsong.

Fruits of a matrimony vine are gathered in autumn and dried in a windy shade to be prepared as medicinal materials. The roots of matrimony vines with less fruits or wild vines are dug out in spring and autumn before being cut into 10-cm-long pieces to be steamed and dried for medicinal materials. Its fruits are good for improving frailty, poor eyesight, diabetes, nervous prostration and back pains. Regular taking of its dried fruits a little is effective in improving health.

Various are the kinds of Koryo medicines and health drinks made from fruits of matrimony vines including decoction, medicinal taffy, tonic, cortex hycium chinense radicis infusion and tea.