Tangaek — Decoctions · Herbs
鬼臼 Gwigu (귀구)
Gwigu is a plant taken for its root. The text says little beyond how hard it is to tell apart from cheonnamseong, the Jack-in-the-pulpit relative it closely resembles; its one stated mark is being the larger of the two. The entry is too short to pin the species down.
Original, read line by line 東醫寶鑑 · Tangaek — Decoctions vol. 3
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都似天南星, 了不可辨, 但南星體小柔膩肌細, 炮之易裂, 鬼臼體大, 差可辨爾. 《本草》
It is altogether like cheonnamseong (天南星) and can hardly be told apart; only that namseong is small in body, soft, smooth and fine in grain and splits easily when roasted, while gwigu is large in body, which just barely allows them to be distinguished. 《Boncho (本草)》
HomiclubGwigu is a root-yielding herb whose identity remains blurred, so much so that the text itself admits it can hardly be told apart from cheonnamseong. The entry is too brief to settle which plant is meant.
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殺蠱毒鬼疰, 辟惡氣. 《本草》
It kills godok (蠱毒, parasitic toxin) and gwiju (鬼疰, ghost infixation), and wards off malign qi. 《Boncho (本草)》
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