厚朴 Hubak (후박)

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

1. 性溫, 味苦一云辛, 無毒. 主積年冷氣, 腹中脹滿, 雷鳴, 宿食不消.

   Its nature is warm and its taste bitter, though one account calls it pungent, and it is non-toxic. It chiefly treats cold qi of many years' standing, distension and fullness in the abdomen, rumbling like thunder, and undigested food that will not pass.

   HomiclubHubak is the trunk bark of a Chinese magnolia. The evergreen of the laurel family that Koreans call hubak-namu along the southern coast and on Ulleungdo is a different tree that merely shares the name.

2. 大溫胃氣, 止霍亂吐瀉轉筋, 消痰下氣, 厚腸胃. 治泄痢嘔逆, 去三蟲, 泄五藏一切氣.

   It greatly warms the wi-gi (胃氣, stomach qi), stops the vomiting, diarrhea, and cramping of gwallan (霍亂), dissolves phlegm, brings down qi, and thickens the intestines and stomach. It treats diarrhea, dysentery, and retching, expels the samchung (三蟲), and drains every kind of qi from the five viscera.

3. 以肉厚色紫而潤者, 爲好, 薄而白者, 不堪用. 削去上甲錯皮, 以薑汁炙用. 或剉, 薑汁炒用.

   Those with thick flesh, a purple color, and a sheen are held to be good, while thin and white ones are unfit for use. Pare off the rough, armor-like outer skin, coat it with ginger juice, and roast it for use, or else slice it and stir-roast it in ginger juice.

4. 不以薑製, 則戟人喉舌. 《本草》

   If it is not processed with ginger it stabs at a person's throat and tongue. 《Boncho (本草)》

   HomiclubParing the outer skin and roasting the bark with ginger juice was the old way of blunting its harsh bite. Herb markets still list bark processed this way separately, under the name gangje hubak.