Tangaek — Decoctions · Herbs
烏頭 Odu (오두)
Odu is the tuber of a monkshood in the buttercup family, also called cheon-o. It comes from the same stock as buja and is strongly poisonous; the text itself notes that it had harmed many people and insists it be processed before use. The Donguibogam lists it in the herb section marked 【唐】, brought in from China.
Original, read line by line 東醫寶鑑 · Tangaek — Decoctions vol. 3
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性大熱, 味辛甘, 有大毒. 主風寒濕痺. 消胸上冷痰, 止心腹㽲痛, 破積聚, 墮胎.
Its nature is greatly hot, its taste pungent and sweet, and it carries great toxicity. It governs bi (痺, impediment) patterns from wind, cold and damp. It disperses cold phlegm above the chest, stops griping pain in the chest and abdomen, breaks accumulations and gatherings, and drops the foetus.
HomiclubOdu is the mother tuber of an aconite of the buttercup family, also called cheono (川烏). Buja is the daughter tuber attached to its side, so the two come from one plant, and the text itself states that it carries great toxicity.
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卽川烏也, 與附子同種, 製法亦同. 一名菫, 一名奚毒, 其形長而有尖者佳. 《本草》
This is cheono (川烏); it is the same kind as buja and is processed in the same way. One of its names is geun (菫) and another is haedok (奚毒); the good ones are long in form with a pointed tip. 《Boncho (本草)》
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烏頭ㆍ天雄, 皆氣壯形偉, 可爲下部藥之佐, 而無表其害人之禍, 殺人多矣.
Odu and cheonung both have vigorous qi and imposing form and can serve as assistant medicines for the lower body, yet the harm they do to people was never plainly stated, and they have killed many.
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當以童便煮而浸之以殺其毒, 且助下行之力. 入鹽尤捷. 《丹心》
It should be boiled and steeped in dongbyeon (童便, a boy's urine) to kill its toxicity and to aid its downward force. Adding salt makes this quicker still. 《Dansim (丹心)》
Herbs — more entries
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