樺木皮 Bot (봇)

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

1. 性平, 味苦, 無毒. 主黃疸及乳癰, 肺風瘡, 小兒瘡疹.

   Its nature is neutral, its taste bitter, and it is non-toxic. It chiefly governs jaundice, yuong (乳癰, breast abscess), pyepungchang (肺風瘡, lung wind sores), and sores and rashes in children.

   HomiclubHwamokpi is birch bark, called bot in older Korean. Its white bark peels off in paper-thin sheets, and being oily it burns readily and resists rot. The Heavenly Horse painting from the Cheonmachong tomb in Gyeongju was drawn on a panel built up from layers of this bark.

2. 今之裝弓樺皮也. 木似山桃, 皮有花紋, 北來者佳. 《本草》

   This is the hwapi used nowadays to dress a bow. The tree resembles the mountain peach, its bark bears markings, and that coming from the north is the better. 《Boncho (本草)》

   HomiclubThis bark is what wrapped the outside of the horn bow to keep damp out. Birches favor cold ground and are common in northern mountains, which is why bark brought from the north was reckoned the better.