海桐皮 Castor Aralia

Original, read line by line 東醫寶鑑 · Tangaek — Decoctions vol. 3

1. 性平一云溫, 味苦, 無毒.

   Its nature is balanced (one source says warm), its taste bitter, and it is without toxicity.

2. 主腰脚不遂, 麻痺疼痛, 赤白瀉痢.

   It governs an unresponsive lower back and legs, numbness with pain, and red-and-white diarrhea and dysentery.

3. 治中惡霍亂, 療疳䘌疥癬, 牙齒痛, 及目赤, 除風氣.

   It treats zhong'e (malignity strike) and sudden turmoil disorder, heals ganni (childhood malnutrition sores), scabies and ringworm, toothache and red eyes, and removes wind qi.

4. 似梓白皮, 不拘時月採. 《本草》

   It resembles the white bark of zi, the catalpa, and is gathered without regard to season. 《Bencao》

   HomiclubZi is the catalpa. The comparison is to the grain and tone of its bark.

5. 我國惟濟州有之. 《俗方》

   In our country it grows only on Jeju. 《Sokbang》

   HomiclubHaedong originally names a southern tree, and this text records it as growing only on Jeju in Korea. What Korean markets call eomnamu today is the castor aralia, thickly set with stout thorns, dropped whole into the pot when chicken is simmered.