Walnut
Walnut (호두, 胡桃) is recorded in the Donguibogam as a kidney-yang tonifying herb. Its nature is warm and its taste sweet, associated with the Kidney, Lung, Large Intestine meridians. Traditional uses recorded in the text include tonifies the kidney, strengthens the low back, warms the lung, relieves cough and wheezing, moistens the intestines. Caution: Rich and warming; traditionally used cautiously with phlegm-heat cough, diarrhea, or yin-deficiency heat.
Overview
The walnut, its kernel folded like the brain it was fancifully linked to, is recorded in the Donguibogam as freeing the channels, moistening the blood, and blackening the hair. A warming kidney-and-lung tonic, it bridges the New Year’s table (as in the custom of cracking nuts) and the medicine chest.
In the Donguibogam
寶鑑
Traditional uses recorded in the Donguibogam
- Tonifies the kidney, strengthens the low back
- Warms the lung, relieves cough and wheezing
- Moistens the intestines
- Blackens and nourishes the hair (traditional)
Traditional applications recorded in the classical text
- Low-back and knee weakness from kidney deficiency
- Chronic cough and wheezing from cold
- Constipation from dryness
- Premature graying (traditional use)
Traditional preparation
Eaten as a nut, or decocted of kernel; the thin skin is sometimes kept for its astringent 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
Frequently asked questions
Is the walnut-brain resemblance part of the tradition?
The visual likeness was often remarked upon, but the Donguibogam’s recorded uses are about the kidney, lung, and hair — tonifying, warming, and moistening — not the brain directly.
Why is walnut cracked at the Korean New Year?
The custom of "burnbaram" (cracking nuts like walnut and chestnut) at Jeongwol Daeboreum reflects walnut’s standing as a strengthening food-medicine, believed to ward off boils for the year.
Sources
- 『동의보감』 탕액편, 허준, 1613 (원문) — 한문 원문
- 한의학고전DB (mediclassics.kr) — 원문 및 국역 자료 참조