柳花 Beodeulgaeji (버들개지)

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

1. 性寒, 味苦, 無毒. 主風水, 黃疸, 面熱黑, 痂疥, 惡瘡, 金瘡. 止血, 治濕痺.

   Its nature is cold and its taste bitter, and it is non-toxic. It chiefly treats pungsu (風水, wind edema), jaundice, a face hot and darkened, crusted scabies, malignant sores, and blade wounds. It stops bleeding and treats seumbi (濕痺, damp numbness).

   HomiclubYuhwa is the catkin the willow puts out in early spring. It hangs from the branches before the leaves appear, and male and female catkins are borne on separate trees.

2. 柳花, 卽初發時黃蘂也. 及其花乾, 絮方出, 謂之柳絮, 收之貼灸瘡及爲裀褥.

   Yuhwa is the yellow stamens at the moment of first opening. When the flower dries, the floss finally emerges, and this is called yuseo (柳絮, willow floss); it is gathered to lay on moxa sores or made into bedding.

3. 子乃飛絮, 絮之下連小黑子. 因風而起, 其子極細, 入池塘化爲浮萍. 《本草》

   The seed is the flying floss, with a small black seed joined beneath the fluff. It rises on the wind, and its seed is so fine that when it lands in a pond it is said to turn into duckweed. 《Boncho (本草)》

   HomiclubThe claim that the floss turns into duckweed marks the limit of old observation. Duckweed is a floating aquatic plant that propagates on its own, unrelated in lineage to the willow's seed.

4. 楊與柳不相似. 楊葉圓闊而赤, 枝條短硬. 柳葉狹長靑綠, 枝條長軟. 《本草》

   Yang (楊) and yu (柳) are not the same. Yang has round, broad, reddish leaves and short, stiff branches. Yu has narrow, long, green leaves and long, supple branches. 《Boncho (本草)》

   HomiclubYang refers to the aspens and poplars, yu to the drooping weeping willows. Both belong to the willow family, and the old distinction rested on whether the branches stood upright or hung down.