澤瀉 Taeksa (택사)

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

1. 性寒, 味甘醎, 無毒.

   Its nature is cold, its taste sweet and salty, and it is non-toxic.

   HomiclubTaeksa is the corm of a perennial in the water-plantain family that grows in ponds and paddy ditches. The old Korean name in the heading, soegwinamul bulhwi, comes from the leaf's resemblance to an ox's ear.

2. 逐膀胱停水, 治五淋, 利膀胱熱, 宣通水道, 通小腸, 止遺瀝.

   It drives out water stagnant in the bladder, treats the five stranguries, relieves heat in the bladder, opens and frees the waterways, unblocks the small intestine, and stops dribbling urine.

3. 生水澤中, 處處有之. 八九月採根, 暴乾. 《本草》

   It grows in ponds and marshes and is found everywhere. Dig the roots in the eighth and ninth months and dry them in the sun. 《Boncho (本草)》

   HomiclubIn summer taeksa raises tiered flower stalks above the water bearing small three-petalled white flowers. Wild stands have thinned as paddies were drained and waterways straightened, and most of what is used as a herbal material is now grown in flooded beds.

4. 入足太陽經ㆍ少陰經, 除濕之聖藥也. 然能瀉腎, 不可多服久服. 本經云, 多服病人眼. 《湯液》

   It enters the foot taeyang and foot soeum channels and is a sagely medicine for removing damp. Yet it can drain the sin (腎, kidney), so it must not be taken in quantity or over a long time. The Bongyeong says that taking much of it makes a person's eyes ail. 《Tangaek (湯液)》

5. 入藥, 酒浸一宿, 漉出, 暴乾用. 仲景八味丸, 酒蒸用之. 《入門》

   For use in medicine, steep it in wine overnight, strain it out, and dry it in the sun. In Jungyeong's Palmihwan it is steamed with wine before use. 《Immun (入門)》