小麥 Wheat

Original, read line by line 東醫寶鑑 · Tangaek — Decoctions vol. 1

1. 性微寒一云平, 味甘, 無毒. 主除煩熱少睡, 止燥渴, 利小便, 養肝氣. 《本草》

   Its nature is slightly cold, though one account calls it neutral; its taste is sweet and it is non-toxic. It chiefly removes beonyeol (煩熱, vexing heat) and sleeplessness, stops dryness and thirst, promotes urination, and nourishes gangi (肝氣, liver qi). 《Boncho (本草)》

   HomiclubSomaek is the grain of wheat. It is a winter crop sown in autumn and reaped the following summer, milled into the flour behind bread, noodles, and biscuits.

2. 小麥, 皮寒, 肉熱, 合湯皆完用之. 不許皮拆, 拆則溫, 明麪不能消熱止煩也. 《本草》

   In somaek the husk is cold and the inner part hot, so for a decoction it is used whole. The husk must not be split, for once split it turns warm, which makes clear why flour cannot disperse heat or quiet vexation. 《Boncho (本草)》

3. 秋種夏熟, 受四時氣足, 自然兼有寒溫, 麪熱, 麩冷, 宜其然也. 《本草》

   Sown in autumn and ripening in summer, it takes in the qi of all four seasons in full, so it naturally holds both cold and warm. Flour is hot and bran is cold, and rightly so. 《Boncho (本草)》

4. 凡麥, 秋種, 冬長, 春秀, 夏實, 具四時中和之氣. 故爲五穀之貴. 地煖處亦可春種, 至夏便收, 受氣不足, 故有毒, 而麪性亦冷也. 《本草》

   Maek (麥, wheat and barley) is sown in autumn, grows through winter, heads in spring, and fills in summer, so it holds the balanced qi of all four seasons. For this it is prized among the five grains. Where the land is warm it may also be sown in spring and reaped by summer, but then it has not taken in qi enough, so it carries toxicity and its flour too is cold. 《Boncho (本草)》

   HomiclubWheat sown in autumn and wintered over is called winter wheat; wheat sown in spring and reaped the same year is spring wheat. The two kinds the text distinguishes map exactly onto that pair.