Homiclub

Tangaek — Decoctions · Herbs

鶴蝨 Yeouojumpul (여우오줌풀)

Hakseul is the seed and leafy stem of Carpesium, the plant Koreans call yeou-ojumpul, fox-piss weed. Its seeds are so minute that the name likens them to lice on a crane. Wrinkled leaves recall perilla; yellow-white flowers open in the seventh month and set fruit in the eighth.

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

  1. 性平一云凉, 味苦, 有小毒.

    Its nature is neutral (one account says cool), its taste bitter, and it carries slight toxicity.

  2. 殺五藏蟲及蛔蟲, 止瘧, 幷付惡瘡.

    It kills worms of the five viscera and roundworms, halts malarial disease, and is also applied to malign sores.

  3. 苗葉皺似紫蘇.

    Its shoots and leaves are wrinkled and resemble jasogi (紫蘇, perilla).

    HomiclubThe Korean name yeou-ojum-pul ("fox-urine herb") comes from the rank smell released when the leaves and stem are rubbed. The plant is also called dambaepul today.

  4. 七月開黃白花, 八月結實, 子極細.

    In the seventh month it opens yellow-white flowers, in the eighth month it sets fruit, and its seeds are exceedingly fine.

    HomiclubHakseul (鶴蝨) means "crane louse", a name earned by seeds so tiny that they cling to clothing at a brush.

  5. 採無時, 合莖葉用之. 《本草》

    There is no fixed season for gathering it, and stem and leaf are used together. 《Boncho》

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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