Tangaek — Decoctions · Vegetables
葉 Donga Ip (동아 잎)
The winter melon leaf comes from an annual climbing vine in the gourd family. The leaves are lobed like an open hand, and both surfaces are covered with a layer of fine white hairs.
In the Dongui Bogam, this leaf appears in the Vegetables section (chaebu, 菜部) — the part of the text devoted to edible plants used as medicine. Following the book's convention of grouping related materials under a single parent entry, the leaf is not given a chapter of its own: it is recorded as a sub-entry under white winter melon, alongside the plant's seeds and vine. The original text devotes only a single short line to it and records no method of preparation.
Winter melon is grown mainly in the southern regions of Korea, and once the fruit has been harvested, the vines and leaves remain behind in the field.
Original, read line by line 東醫寶鑑 · Tangaek — Decoctions vol. 2
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殺蜂螫毒. 《本草》
It kills the toxin of a bee sting. 《Boncho (本草)》
HomiclubAs the fruit swells, the donga vine runs several meters across the ground, its leaves shading the gourd from the sun. Stiff hairs cover the leaf stalks and stems, so they feel rough against a bare hand.
Vegetables — 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