Traditional Korean Home Remedies
When you’re a rookie parent, you overreact to everything, right? My wife and I were no different. Our first daughter when she was about 10 weeks old wouldn’t poop for 3 days and we started panicking (it was nothing out of the ordinary, we found out later). We even took our baby to the emergency room and wasted a couple of hours waiting before coming to our senses and leaving.
Next day, one of my wife’s coworkers, who happened to be Italian, told her to dip a parsley stem in olive oil and give our baby an enema with it. We were willing to do anything, so we did it. Lo and behold, after only a few seconds, avalanche! (100% true story)
I’m sure most cultures around the world have something like this. Home remedies for illnesses and otherwise less-than-perfect physical conditions. We call this 민간요법, min-gahn-yoh-beop. Stating the obvious, but some of these can worsen the problem, while others can help alleviate them.
Okay, with that, the first thing that comes to mind is…
Put dwaen-jang (Korean soybean paste, 된장) or grated raw potato or cucumber on burnt skin.
Debate still rages on whether this method really works—some Korean Traditional Medicine doctors (한의사) claim it is effective, especially when you don’t have immediate access to proper medical care. I would never put dwaen-jang on it, though.
Mix Korean chili powder (고춧가루) with a small glass of soju (소주) and drink it in one shot when you have a cold.
This is thought to result in an appearance of getting better because the alcohol and the capsaicin (the thing makes peppers spicy) help open the pores to release sweat, thereby lowering body temperature, but it doesn’t treat the illness at the source.
For you men out there, when you’re struck in the scrotum area and unable to breathe or move, have someone lightly tap on your tail bone.
This is one of those classic examples of someone trying to help in the most Korean way and is completely misunderstood by another culture. A few years ago, a Korean footballer (or, soccer player) playing in the professional Chinese league (in red uniform), tried to help the opposing player in blue who was just hit in his private area by tapping on his tail bone. The Korean player got crucified for “beating a man when he was in agony.”
A tragically funny moment in sports… Anyway, as you can read in the linked article, this method helps by relaxing muscles around the whole pelvic region, relieving pain in the area. I can personally attest to this—it works.
Indigestion and/or heartburn? Prick the end of your fingers with a needle.
For obvious reasons, another controversial method—this is basically bloodletting. The concern mainly comes from the sanitation of the needles used at home, and a treatment that’s perceived by the Western medicine to be barbaric. But again, Korean Traditional Medicine doctors swear by it. This is based on the theory that the ends of the fingers are somehow connected to the stomach in what are known as Meridian lines. My personal experience is that this usually works too. (but I would not recommend it to anyone who’s not used to this. Instead…)
If needle is not your thing, you can squeeze hard on the area between your thumb and index finger—this is what they call an important 혈, hyeol, or “Meridian point/line,” a network of inner energy (chi or ki) flowing through your body.
For coughing and all other throat-related discomfort, use Korean radish (무) and honey.
Korean radish is the best for this recipe but I think you can substitute it with other types of radishes. Slice the 무 in thin strips, or cube it, mirepoix it, julienne it—however you like—place them in a container and pour good quality honey over it as to completely submerge the radish. Cover and store it for a few days and there will be water-like liquid on top. That liquid (radish-honey essence) is a wonderful treatment for coughing and other throat pain. Other than infants, safe for all ages. This is a very popular thing for all Korean singers and idols, to keep their singing voices in good condition at all times.
Have insomnia or not enough sleep? Lettuce to the rescue.
There’s an old saying in Korean, the night before a big test, eat plenty of lettuce (상추) for a sound sleep. And don’t eat any on the day of—because you might fall asleep during the exam. Koreans usually eat this green or red leaf vegetable in bunches with barbecued pork belly (삼겹살). No side effects—duh—you might as well try it…
While I don’t know where this comes from, having raw garlic and/or onion about 6 inches above your head while lying down supposedly helps you fall asleep too. I’ve never tried this.
For acne, we turn to Korean radish again. Also, peach blossoms.
In the department of “couldn’t hurt to try,” grate Korean radish (or equivalent) and apply the pulp and juice to the acne area. Also, if you somehow have access to peach blossoms, you can juice those too and apply it.
If you’re constipated or have a mild form of hemorrhoids, sit in a warm water bath for about 3 to 5 minutes a day.
Not take a bath, mind you, just your buttocks area only. The point here is that you want to artificially create some difference in temperature between your upper and pelvic area of your body.
For hemorrhoids, juice a few figs and apply it to the you know… once a day for about 5 days for relief. Couldn’t hurt to try, I guess.
For hair loss, lightly toast black sesame seeds, grind it, mix with alcohol and apply the paste on to your scalp.
This might look funny but there is a long-running belief that black foods—rice, sesame seeds, seaweed, legumes—are very good for hair loss and even regrowing them. Black legume drinks are popular with people with hair loss issues. There are shampoos, conditioners, and treatments made with seaweed extracts that are also very popular with Koreans.
Then there are some plain ludicrous ones.
When you’re bitten by a rat, burn a few strands of cat’s hair, pulverize it, and apply it to the wound (really?).
If you wet your bed as an adult, burn a chicken comb (the crown on the head), make it into a powder, dissolve it into a tea, and drink it three times a day for 5 days. (yah… okay…)
**For the next 5 weeks, I might not be able to post with the same frequency or regularity on Sundays (I’ll try to). My youngest wanted to go to Korea again before she starts college. Hopefully I’ll be able to show you some things that I couldn’t from Los Angeles.