決明子 Sicklepod

Original, read line by line 東醫寶鑑 · Tangaek — Decoctions vol. 2

1. 性平一云微寒, 味醎苦, 無毒. 主靑盲, 及眼赤痛, 淚出淫膚, 赤白膜.

   Its nature is neutral, though one account calls it slightly cold; its taste is salty and bitter, and it is non-toxic. It chiefly addresses cheongmaeng (靑盲, blue blindness), red and painful eyes, watering with sodden lids, and red or white films over the eye.

   HomiclubGyeolmyeongja is the seed of an annual legume, the same seed roasted and steeped for the barley-colored tea Koreans drink under that name. Its flat, glossy rhomboid seeds set it apart from other legume seeds.

2. 助肝氣益精水, 治頭痛鼻衄, 療脣口靑.

   It aids the qi of the liver and augments the essence-water, treats headache and nosebleed, and addresses bluish lips and mouth.

3. 葉似苜蓿而大. 七月開花, 黃白色, 其子作穗, 如靑菉豆而銳.

   Its leaves resemble those of alfalfa but are larger. It flowers in the seventh month, yellowish white, and its seeds form in a spike, like green mung beans but pointed.

4. 又云, 子作角, 實似馬蹄, 故俗名馬蹄決明. 十月十日採子, 陰乾百日, 入藥微炒用. 《本草》

   It is also said that the seeds sit in a horn-like pod and the kernels resemble a horse's hoof, whence the common name majegyeolmyeong (馬蹄決明, horse-hoof gyeolmyeong). Gather the seeds on the tenth day of the tenth month, shade-dry them for a hundred days, and lightly roast them before adding to medicine. 《Boncho (本草)》

   HomiclubThe seeds sit in a long, bow-shaped pod, lined up in a row. Gyeolmyeongja is still sold as either roasted or unroasted, a distinction that follows the text's instruction to roast it lightly.

5. 一名還瞳子. 《正傳》

   It is also called hwandongja (還瞳子, "pupil-restorer"). 《Jeongjeon (正傳)》

6. 作枕, 治頭風, 明目. 《本草》

   Made into a pillow, it addresses dupung (頭風, head wind) and brightens the eyes. 《Boncho (本草)》

   HomiclubPillows stuffed with gyeolmyeongja seeds are still made; the hard, bulky seeds give a rustling sound and a cool feel.