The secret of Jehotang, the ‘Gatchasokta’ that was responsible for the king’s health in summer[이상곤의 실록한의학]〈151〉

2024-07-30 13:13:17

Lee Sang-gon, Director of Gapsan Oriental Medicine Clinic

Just like eating samgyetang on a hot summer day, the key to summer health is keeping your insides warm. In the 20th year of the reign of King Yeongjo, the longest-living king of Joseon, Chief State Councilor Yu Cheok-gi was concerned about the king’s summer health and asked, “The sweltering heat has gotten worse since the rain. How is your health last night?” King Yeongjo responded, “I don’t usually enjoy Jehotang, but I drank a little mixed with water because it was so hot recently, and my energy level has improved. Does this also warm your insides?”

‘Jeho (醍醐)’ is a dairy product that appears in Buddhist and Hindu scriptures, and also refers to ‘a sacred and noble top-quality object or realm obtained through a long and arduous process.’ In the Oriental medical book ‘Ben Cao Gang Mu’, it is written, “According to Buddhist scriptures, milk is made into 酪, 酪 into 酥, and 酥 into 酥.” It is presumed to be similar to butter in modern terms.

There is also a mention of Jeho in the record of the Seungjeongwon Diary from the 44th year of King Sukjong’s reign, which states that “the shape and taste are similar to sesame oil.” According to this, King Sukjong ate Jeho to treat eye disease, and it is said that he also applied Jeho to the Baekhoe point (百會穴) to take advantage of its easily penetrable properties. Jeho was also used as a medicine to treat respiratory diseases such as coughs and itchy skin.

However, it seems that Jeho was hardly used during the Joseon Dynasty. It is because the manufacturing process was difficult, as evidenced by the record that “Jeho was made with about 30 mal of cow’s milk, which was about one doe,” and because it was difficult to secure a large amount of milk at the time when there were no dairy cows. Therefore, Jeho was treated as a precious food that only the king could eat. ‘Jehotang’, which is said to have been eaten by Yeongjo, was a soft drink presented to the king on Dano Day, and is distinct from ‘Jeho’ or ‘Jehogo’ made with cow’s milk. In short, Jeho does not have Jeho in Jehotang. According to ‘Donguibogam’, ‘Jehotang’ does not actually contain ‘Jeho’. It is a prescription mainly used to relieve summer thirst, and is composed of four medicinal herbs: ‘Omae’, ‘Baekdanhyang’, ‘Sain’, and ‘Cho-gwa’. Among them, the key ingredient is ‘Omae’ (烏梅), which is unripe plum fumigated, which is green plum that is unripe and poisonous, and is roasted and dried.

Plums contain a lot of citric acid, so they have been used as a medicine to prevent food poisoning and to treat stomachaches after eating cold food since ancient times. Citric acid is known to have real detoxification and strong sterilization effects. In oriental medicine, O-mae is used to protect the heart by calming symptoms of chest tightness and anger, and it is very effective. In fact, there is a record in the ‘Donguibogam’ that “drinking O-mae as tea calms the heart and helps you sleep well.”

The medicinal ingredient ‘Baekdanhyang’, which is included in ‘Jehotang’ along with Omae, was also mainly used to treat stomachache. Baekdanhyang is a plant of the sandalwood family that looks similar to the birch tree, and it improves the activity of the stomach and treats symptoms of diarrhea, vomiting, and abdominal pain caused by cold drinks or cold air. In addition, the medicinal ingredient ‘Sain’ is a spicy and warm ginger plant that warms the stomach and is effective in recovering lost appetite in the summer. Gwachi is also a warm ginger plant, and it was mainly used to relieve flatulence and cold air and to treat abdominal pain caused by eating a lot of fruit or alcohol.

Judging from the efficacy of the four medicinal herbs in the prescription, we can see that the ‘Jehotang’ consumed by King Yeongjo was a medicinal food used to treat summer gastrointestinal diseases such as diarrhea and loss of appetite caused by eating a lot of cold fruits or drinks. It was not the ‘crispy on the outside and soft on the inside’ food that is popular these days, but a true gentleman’s summer drink that is ‘cold on the outside and warm on the inside’.

Lee Sang-gon, Director of Gapsan Oriental Medicine Clinic

Lee Sang-gon’s Real Record of Oriental Medicine

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2024-07-30 13:13:17