琥珀 호박 (호박)

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

1. 性平, 味甘, 無毒.

   Its nature is neutral, its taste sweet, and it carries no toxicity, making it a gentle remedy that is safe for prolonged use.

2. 安五藏, 定魂魄, 殺精魅邪鬼.

   It calms the five viscera, steadies the spirit, and dispels nightmares and uncanny disturbances — what we would today call a soothing, sleep-supporting effect.

3. 治産後血疹痛, 利水道, 通五淋, 明目, 磨瞖.

   It eases postpartum pains caused by blood stasis, opens the urinary passages to relieve the five kinds of stranguria, brightens the eyes, and clears away corneal films — a remedy that resolves stagnation and restores clear flow.

4. 如血色, 熟於布上拭摩, 吸得芥者, 爲眞. 凡用, 另搗如粉, 重篩用. 《本草》

   Genuine amber is blood-red, and when warmed by rubbing on cloth it draws mustard seeds toward it. To use, grind it separately into a fine powder and sift it repeatedly, as recorded in the Bencao.

5. 茯苓ㆍ琥珀, 皆自松出, 而所稟各異.

   Poria and amber both arise from the pine, yet each is endowed with a different nature — siblings of the same tree shaped by different conditions.

6. 茯苓生成於陰, 琥珀生於陽而成於陰.

   Poria is born and matured in yin, whereas amber arises in yang and is completed in yin — a yin-yang reading of how sun-warmed resin slowly hardens beneath the earth.

7. 故皆治榮而安心利水. 《入門》

   Therefore both treat the nutritive blood, calm the heart, and promote urination — the Yimun notes how two remedies sprung from one source ultimately converge in function.