小蒜 달래 (소산)

Nature and Flavor

The Dongui Bogam classifies wild chives (dallae) under the category of "small garlic" (so-san, 小蒜), distinguishing them from cultivated garlic, which is treated separately as "great garlic" (dae-san, 大蒜). Their flavor is described as pungent and bitter, and their nature as warming.

In Korean traditional medicine, every food and herb is classified by nature (its thermal tendency — hot, warm, neutral, cool, or cold) and by flavor (which determines its functional direction in the body). A "warm and pungent" ingredient like dallae is understood to disperse cold and stimulate movement inside the body.

Main Uses

Dallae was used chiefly to warm the interior of the body, aid digestion, and relieve abdominal pain and diarrhea caused by cold in the belly. The Dongui Bogam notes that wild field-grown chives (ya-san, 野蒜) share nearly the same effects as so-san and were used interchangeably.

Modern Perspective

The sharp aroma of dallae comes from sulfur compounds in the same family as those found in garlic and green onions, which are often discussed in connection with antimicrobial activity and circulation. Human evidence for these effects, however, remains limited.