Tangaek — Decoctions · Herbs

馬兜鈴 Jwibangul (쥐방울)

Maduryeong is the fruit of the birthwort vine. Its rattle-shaped pods stay hanging after the leaves drop, looking like the bell on a horse's neck, which is where the name comes from. Toxicity later confirmed in the plant ended its use, and it survives now only as a wild vine.

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

  1. 性寒一云平, 味苦, 無毒.

    Its nature is cold, though one account calls it neutral; its taste is bitter, and it is non-toxic.

    HomiclubMaduryeong is the fruit of the birthwort vine. Plants of this genus contain aristolochic acid, so the material is no longer used as a drug and the vine is now met only in the field.

  2. 主肺熱咳嗽喘急, 淸肺下氣.

    It governs cough and hurried panting from heat in the lung, clears the lung, and sends qi downward.

  3. 處處有之. 藤遶樹而生, 子狀如鈴, 作四五瓣.

    It is found everywhere. The vine twines around trees as it grows, and its fruit is shaped like a bell, splitting into four or five segments.

    HomiclubThe birthwort vine climbs through thickets in Korean hills and fields. Its heart-shaped leaves and the curved, saxophone-like tubular flower it bears in summer make it easy to recognise.

  4. 葉脫時, 鈴尙垂如馬項鈴, 故得名.

    When the leaves have fallen the bells still hang, like the bell tied at a horse's neck, and from this it took its name.

  5. 熟則自折, 八九月間採實, 暴乾.

    When ripe it splits of itself, so the fruit is gathered between the eighth and ninth months and dried in the sun.

  6. 只取裏面子, 去殼及革膜, 微炒用. 《本草》

    Take only the seeds inside, remove the husk and the leathery membrane, and use them lightly parched. 《Boncho (本草)》

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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