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Tangaek — Decoctions · Vegetables

子 Naengissi (냉이씨)

Shepherd's Purse Seed (Naengi-ssi, 薺菜子)

Shepherd's purse seed is the seed of the shepherd's purse plant (naengi, 薺菜), and the Dongui Bogam records it under an alternative name as well: seokmyeongja (菥蓂子). Rather than giving it a chapter of its own, the Dongui Bogam attaches this entry to the main article on shepherd's purse, noting only that the seeds are to be gathered on the eighth day of the fourth lunar month.

Where the flowers have faded, the shepherd's purse plant forms flat, triangular seed pods, each holding a number of small yellowish seeds — smaller than grains of millet.

In Korean cooking today, only the leaves and roots of shepherd's purse find their way to the table; the seeds are no longer gathered or used.

Original, read line by line 東醫寶鑑 · Tangaek — Decoctions vol. 2

  1. 薺菜子. 一名菥蓂子.

    This is the seed of jechae (薺菜, shepherd's purse). It is also called seokmyeongja (菥蓂子).

    HomiclubShepherd's purse forms flat triangular pods where the flowers fall, each holding several yellow seeds smaller than millet. This entry sets those seeds apart within the shepherd's purse section.

  2. 補五藏不足, 去風毒邪氣, 療靑盲目痛不見物, 明目去障瞖, 解熱毒.

    It supplements deficiency of the ojang (五藏, five viscera), removes wind toxin and evil qi, treats cheongmaeng (靑盲, blue blindness) in which the eyes ache and nothing can be seen, brightens the eyes, removes jangye (障瞖, corneal opacity), and resolves heat toxin.

  3. 久食, 視物鮮明. 四月八日採. 《本草》

    Eaten over a long time, things are seen clearly. Gather it on the eighth day of the fourth month. 《Boncho (本草)》

    HomiclubThe eighth day of the fourth month is a lunar date, falling around mid-May today, which matches the time the seedpods of shepherd's purse ripen.

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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