甛瓜 Korean Melon (Chamoe)

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

1. 性寒, 味甘, 有毒一云無毒.

   Its nature is cold and its taste sweet; it is said to be toxic, though one account calls it non-toxic.

   HomiclubCheomgwa is chamoe (Korean melon), the fruit of an annual cucurbit vine. Ripened to yellow, it is peeled and eaten out of hand as a Korean summer fruit, with Seongju melons the best known.

2. 止渴, 除煩熱, 利小便, 通三焦間壅塞氣. 兼主口鼻瘡.

   It quenches thirst, removes beonyeol (煩熱, vexing heat), promotes urination, and frees qi blocked between the samcho (三焦, triple burner). It also governs sores of the mouth and nose.

3. 處處有之, 多食則動宿冷病, 破腹, 令人脚手無力.

   It is found everywhere; eaten in quantity it stirs up long-standing cold disorders, upsets the belly, and leaves the legs and hands without strength.

4. 有癥癖, 患脚氣人, 尤不可食. 沈水者, 及兩蔕兩鼻, 幷殺人. 《本草》

   Those with jingbyeok (癥癖, abdominal masses) or suffering from gakgi (脚氣, leg qi) must all the more avoid eating it. Melons that sink in water, and those with two stems or two navels, all kill people. 《Boncho (本草)》

   HomiclubThe warning against melons that sink or bear twin stems shows an old rule for sorting fruit. Chamoe are still chosen by clear ridges and even color, though the float test is no longer used.