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Photograph of Allium tuberosum Rottler ex Spreng. (Chinese Chive)
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Chinese Chive

부추 (韭菜) · Allium tuberosum Rottler ex Spreng.
Interior-warming herb Warm (some sources: hot) Pungent, slightly sour Heart, Liver, Kidney
NatureWarm (some sources: hot)
TastePungent, slightly sour
MeridiansHeart, Liver, Kidney
Part usedLeaf
FamilyAmaryllidaceae
CategoryInterior-warming herb
Find by concern: Low back painFatigue

Overview

Chive is prized in the Donguibogam as the warmest, most nourishing everyday vegetable — cut it and it grows right back, harvested three or four times a year without harming the root, which the text credits as proof of its enduring, warming vitality.

In the Donguibogam

東醫
寶鑑
性溫一云熱, 味辛微酸, 無毒. 歸心. 安五藏, 除胃中熱, 補虛乏, 煖腰膝, 除胸中痺.
Source: Donguibogam, Tangaek-pyeon (Herbology volume)
TranslationIts nature is warm (some say hot), its taste pungent and slightly sour, and it is non-toxic. It enters the Heart. It settles the five viscera, removes heat in the stomach, tonifies deficiency and exhaustion, warms the lower back and knees, and relieves painful obstruction in the chest.

Traditional uses recorded in the Donguibogam

  • Warms the interior
  • Tonifies deficiency
  • Warms the lower back and knees
  • Relieves chest painful obstruction

Traditional applications recorded in the classical text

  • General weakness and deficiency
  • Cold, weak lower back and knees
  • Chest oppression
  • Weak digestion

Traditional preparation

Eaten regularly as a vegetable, or juiced/pickled; the seed (韭子) is used separately for stronger tonifying effect.

This describes traditional preparation recorded in the classics, not a recommendation for use today. DonguiHub does not provide dosage guidance — consult a qualified professional before using any herb.

Cautions

Caution: The classics note its pungent smell was traditionally avoided in disciplines of quiet self-cultivation; otherwise it is a mild, warming food. Consult a professional for medicinal use.
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Frequently asked questions

Why does the Donguibogam call chive the warmest vegetable?

It notes chive can be cut and harvested three or four times a year without damaging the root, always growing back — cited as proof of an enduring, warming vitality unusual among vegetables.

What is chive's main traditional use?

Warming the interior and tonifying deficiency — the Donguibogam highlights warming the lower back and knees and relieving chest oppression, alongside its everyday food role.

Sources