Tangaek — Decoctions · Herbs
使君子 Sagunja (사군자)
Sagunja is the fruit of the Rangoon creeper, a five-ridged capsule shaped like a gardenia pod with a white kernel inside. It carries the name of one Gwak Sagun, who was said to use it often, so a person's name became the material's name. Donguibogam marked it with 唐, an import through China.
Original, read line by line 東醫寶鑑 · Tangaek — Decoctions vol. 3
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性溫, 味甘, 無毒. 主小兒五疳, 殺蟲, 止泄痢.
Its nature is warm, its taste sweet, and it is non-toxic. It governs the five gam (五疳) of children, kills worms, and stops diarrhoea and dysentery.
HomiclubSagunja is the fruit of a tropical Asian climbing shrub, known for flowers that open white in the evening and turn red by the next day. In Korea it is seen only in greenhouses.
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形如梔子而有五稜, 其殼靑黑色, 內有仁白色. 七月採實.
Its form is like a gardenia fruit but with five ridges; its shell is a blackish green and within is a white kernel. The fruit is picked in the seventh month.
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始因郭使君療小兒, 多用此, 因號爲使君子. 去殼用仁, 或兼用殼. 《本草》
It began when Gwak Sagun (郭使君) used it often in treating children, and from that it took the name sagunja. Remove the shell and use the kernel, or use the shell along with it. 《Boncho (本草)》
HomiclubThis is a rare case of a person's name becoming the name of the material itself. Sagun (使君) was an old official title, so the name refers to an officeholder surnamed Gwak.
Herbs — 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