Tangaek — Decoctions · Trees
蘇方木 Damok (다목)
Sobangmok is the red heartwood of a legume tree, also called somok or damok. As the text itself puts it, 'people today use it for dyeing' — it is a well-known source of red dye. Dongui Bogam marks it 【唐】, a material brought in by way of China.
Original, read line by line 東醫寶鑑 · Tangaek — Decoctions vol. 3
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性平一云寒, 味甘醎, 無毒.
Its nature is neutral, though one account calls it cold; its taste is sweet and salty, and it is non-toxic.
HomiclubSobangmok is the red heartwood of the damok tree, a legume. It is a small tree of Southeast Asia and India, and shavings of its heartwood steeped in water give up a deep red liquor.
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治婦人血氣心腹痛, 及産後血脹悶欲死, 女子血噤失音.
It treats a woman's pain in the heart region and abdomen from blood and qi, the distension and suffocating oppression of blood after childbirth that feels mortal, and the clenched jaw and loss of voice caused by blood.
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消癰腫, 撲損瘀血, 排膿止痛, 能破血.
It disperses abscesses and swellings, clears the static blood of a blow, expels pus and stops pain, and can break up blood.
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一名蘇木, 今人用染色者. 《本草》
It is also called somok (蘇木), the very thing people now use for dyeing. 《Boncho (本草)》
HomiclubThe red drawn from damok was used in Joseon to dye official robes, silk, and paper. It still serves in natural dyeing and as a wood stain, and the shade shifts from red toward purple depending on the mordant.
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酒煮, 去皮節用. 《入門》
Boil it in liquor, remove the bark and the knots, and use it. 《Immun (入門)》
Trees — more entries
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