Lacquer Tree

Health Benefits

What the Donguibogam records — geonchil (乾漆). The Donguibogam lists dried lacquer in its Wood section as geonchil (乾漆). It means the material that hardens by itself inside the lacquer tub, and the text grades highest the pieces pitted like a honeycomb and hard as iron or stone. It records a warm nature, a pungent taste and toxicity. It attaches an explicit prohibition: anyone who habitually reacts to lacquer must not take it. The entry quotes the Bencao. This is a historical medical record and differs from modern medical judgment.

Urushiol and contact dermatitis. That urushiol from Toxicodendron species causes contact dermatitis in some people has long been addressed in dermatology. The same literature reports that the reaction appears a day to three days after contact, and that some people begin reacting only after repeated exposure. This is an analysis of a compound and a reaction and has nothing to do with preventing or treating disease.

Nutrition

• Urushiol (throughout the sap and the tree) — a catechol-type compound identified across the genus Toxicodendron
• Laccase (an enzyme in the sap) — an enzyme discussed in how lacquer hardens in air
• Flavonoids (fustin and fisetin type) (reported in the heartwood and bark) — flavonoids isolated from the lacquer tree

Urushiol The sap and the whole of the lacquer tree carry a catechol-type compound called urushiol. In some people mere skin contact brings on severe contact dermatitis, and the reaction appears not at once but a day to three days later. People who did not react can begin reacting after repeated contact, so having been fine before does not mean being fine next time.

Heat and otdak Otdak is handed down as a method of simmering the bark long enough to reduce the urushiol. How far it falls depends on the state of the wood and the length of the simmer, so it cannot be read as clearance for anyone who reacts to lacquer. A first-time eater tests a very small amount of the broth.

Flavonoids Analyses report fustin- and fisetin-type flavonoids isolated from the heartwood and bark. This entry stays with the compositional record.

The spring shoots Some regions blanch and dress the shoots that push out in spring. As with any namul, the blanching water is thrown away. The shoots carry urushiol too, so anyone who reacts to lacquer does not even handle them.

Pairings

○ Chicken — otdak and otbaeksuk — Tie the bark in a cloth and simmer it long with the chicken. Lift the bark out and use only the broth. A first-time eater tests a spoonful of broth.

○ Doenjang — dressed lacquer shoots — Blanch the shoots in boiling water, rinse cold, and dress them with soybean or chilli paste. Throw the blanching water away. Wear gloves even to handle the shoots.

○ Lacquer — the use that is not food — Hardening the sap as a finish on bowls and furniture is this tree's long-standing use. Fully hardened lacquerware generally raises no reaction; lacquer that has not finished hardening is another matter.

△ Anyone who reacts to lacquer — Anyone who reacts to lacquer neither eats it nor touches it. The Donguibogam itself states flatly that a person who habitually reacts must not take it. The reaction appears a day to three days later, so do not judge from feeling fine on the spot. If a rash spreads widely, or the face swells and breathing tightens, go to a hospital at once.

△ Confusion with aralia shoots — Picking aralia shoots on a spring hillside, people confuse them with lacquer shoots often. The angelica tree carries dense fine thorns along the whole stem and sends up a single upright shoot at each branch tip; the lacquer tree has no thorns, its young leaves flush red, and its leaves are compound with several leaflets. If you are not certain, do not pick. Aralia Shoots (Durup)

△ Smoke from burning it — Do not breathe or stand in smoke from burning lacquer wood. Urushiol carried in the smoke can reach skin and eyes and set off a reaction. Prunings go out with the waste rather than onto a fire.

△ Bare-handed handling — Wear long sleeves and gloves to cut branches or strip bark. Wash the tools and gloves separately, and keep the clothes out of the rest of the wash. Urushiol persists long after it has dried.

Varieties

• Lacquer tree (sapling) — The tree planted and tended for its lacquer. Large leaves on thick stalks
• Toxicodendron trichocarpum (wild) — A common wild relative on Korean hillsides. Red leaf stalks and smaller leaflets, and it raises a rash just the same
• Toxicodendron sylvestre (wild) — Another species of the southern hills. Hairy on the leaf undersides