Homiclub

Tangaek — Decoctions · Trees

無患子皮 Mogwanjyunamot Geopjil (모관쥬나못 겁질)

Muhwanjapi is the bark of the soapberry tree. Its seeds are hard and dark as lacquered beads, and temples strung them into prayer rosaries; the saponin in the plant let people scrub grime off with it in place of soap. The text notes that in Korea it grows only on Jeju.

Original, read line by line 東醫寶鑑 · Tangaek — Decoctions vol. 3

  1. 性平, 有小毒. 主澣垢, 去面䵟, 喉痺.

    Its nature is neutral and it carries slight toxicity. It chiefly serves for washing out grime, and it removes blotches on the face and hubi (喉痺, throat obstruction).

    HomiclubThe husk of the muhwanja fruit is rich in saponin, so it foams when rubbed in water, and it served for laundry in the days before soap. The Indian soapnut, a relative, is still sold for washing today.

  2. 子中仁, 燒令香, 辟惡氣.

    The kernel inside the seed, burned so that it gives off a scent, wards off malign qi.

  3. 其子如漆珠, 僧家貫之爲念珠, 紫紅色. 小者佳.

    Its seeds are like lacquered beads, strung by monks into rosaries, and are a purplish red. The smaller ones are the better.

  4. 昔有神巫, 以此木爲棒, 擊鬼殺之, 故名曰無患. 《本草》

    Long ago a spirit shaman made a club of this wood and struck down demons with it, and so it was named muhwan (無患, without trouble). 《Boncho (本草)》

  5. 我國惟濟州有之. 《俗方》

    In this country it is found only on Jeju. 《Sokbang (俗方)》

    HomiclubThe muhwanja tree still grows on Jeju and along the southern coast. Old specimens remain in temple yards and the gardens of old houses, and the fruits, ripening yellow in autumn, hang on the branches through winter.

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This is a cultural and historical record from a classical text, not a claim about any food’s effects. Nothing here is a health supplement or intended to prevent or treat disease. Consult a medical professional about health concerns. · Text: Korean Medicine Classics DB · Reading: Homiclub