穭豆 Small black soybean

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

1. 性溫, 味甘, 無毒. 調中, 下氣, 通關脉, 制金石藥毒. 生田野, 小而黑. 《本草》

   Its nature is warm, its taste sweet, and it is non-toxic. It harmonises the centre, sends qi downward, opens the gwanmaek (關脉), and curbs the toxicity of geumseokyak (金石藥, mineral drugs). It grows in fields and open country, small and black. 《Boncho (本草)》

   HomiclubYeodu is a small black soybean. The old Korean word "hyogeun" means small, and the black beans known as jwinunikong or seomoktae belong to this group.

2. 色黑而緊小者爲雄豆, 入藥尤佳. 《本草》

   Those black in colour, firm, and small are called ungdu (雄豆, male bean), and are still better for putting into medicine. 《Boncho (本草)》

3. 豆性本平, 而修治之, 便有數等之效. 煮汁, 甚涼, 去煩熱, 解諸藥毒. 作腐則寒而動氣. 炒食則熱.

   The bean's nature is basically neutral, yet according to how it is prepared it takes on several grades of action. Boiled into a decoction it is very cool, dispelling beonyeol (煩熱, vexing heat) and resolving the toxicity of various drugs. Made into bean curd it is cold and stirs the qi. Parched and eaten it is hot.

   HomiclubThis passage records, as differences of nature, how one bean divides into curd, parched bean, paste, and meju according to preparation. The same bean still yields tofu, sprouts, and jang.

4. 投酒主風. 作豉極冷. 黃卷及醬皆平. 大抵宜作藥使耳. 《本草》

   Put into wine it governs pung (風, wind). Made into si (豉, fermented bean) it is extremely cold. Hwanggwon (黃卷, sprouted bean) and jang (醬, bean paste) are both neutral. On the whole it is fitting to make it the envoy of a formula. 《Boncho (本草)》

5. 穭豆卽雄黑豆也. 腎之穀也, 腎病宜食. 《入門》

   Yeodu is the ung heukdu (雄黑豆, male black bean). It is the grain of the sin (腎, kidney), so when the kidney is ill it is fitting to eat it. 《Ipmun (入門)》