神麴 Singuk (신국)

Original, read line by line 東醫寶鑑 · Tangaek — Decoctions vol. 1

1. 性煖一云溫, 味甘, 無毒. 開胃健脾, 消化水穀.

   Its nature is warm, and one account gives a different word for warm; its taste is sweet and it is non-toxic. It opens the appetite, strengthens the bi (脾, spleen), and digests water and grain.

   HomiclubSinguk is a starter cake of wheat flour fermented together with several herbs; the old Korean gloss calls it the nuruk that goes into medicine. Unlike brewing starter it was made for the pharmacy, and it survives under the name yaknuruk.

2. 止霍亂泄瀉, 痢下赤白, 破癥結, 下痰逆胸滿, 腸胃中塞, 飮食不下, 落胎, 下鬼胎. 《本草》

   It stops gwallan and diarrhoea, halts red and white dysentery, breaks jinggyeol (癥結, hard masses), brings down phlegm counterflow with chest fullness, serves when the intestines and stomach are blocked so food will not descend, drops the foetus, and expels gwitae (鬼胎, ghost foetus). 《Boncho (本草)》

3. 入藥, 炒令香, 火炒以助天五之氣. 入足陽明經. 《湯液》

   For medicine it is parched until fragrant, the fire-parching aiding the qi of cheono (天五, the heavenly five). It enters the foot yangmyeong channel. 《Tangaek (湯液)》

4. 紅麴, 活血消食止痢, 疑是神麴也. 《入門》

   Hongguk (紅麴, red yeast rice) quickens the blood, digests food, and stops dysentery; it is suspected to be the same as singuk. 《Ipmun (入門)》

   HomiclubHongguk is rice fermented with a red mould, sold as red yeast rice and used as a colourant. Its base grain and its fungus both differ from those of singuk, which is raised on wheat.

5. 造神麴法, 詳見雜方

   The method for making singuk is set out in detail under Japbang (雜方, miscellaneous formulas).