About Bogam

What this is

Bogam (寶鑑, "precious mirror") is an English-language clinical reference for the classical herbal formulas of the Korean tradition. It currently documents 138 formulas and 145 herbs, each with full composition, representative dosage, chief–deputy–assistant–envoy (君臣佐使) roles, pattern-based and biomedical indications, and brief clinical commentary.

The Korean classical corpus — anchored by the Donguibogam (東醫寶鑑, 1613) and the Bangyakhappyeon (方藥合編, 1885) — remains underrepresented in English, even though it preserves and organizes the shared East Asian heritage of the Shanghanlun and Geumgwe Yoryak with a distinctly clinical, practice-first sensibility. This site is an attempt to make that tradition legible to English-speaking practitioners, alongside the Shanghan classics and warm-disease formulas they already know.

How names work here

Every formula and herb is indexed in five writing systems, and the search accepts all of them. Romanized Korean (Sagunja-tang) leads each entry because this is a reference to the Korean tradition; pinyin (Si Jun Zi Tang) is shown alongside it everywhere, because most English-speaking practitioners learned their formulas that way; hanja (四君子湯) and hangul (사군자탕) support work with source texts and Korean materials; and an English rendering completes the set. If you know a formula by any one of its names, you can find it — and the other four.

About the dosages

Dosages are representative per-packet (첩) amounts, converted to grams from classical don (돈) measures. They vary between editions and lineages, and they are reference values, not prescriptions. Concentrated granule and prepared products follow different ratios entirely. If you received a formula from your practitioner, follow your prescribed dosage and directions — and if you are a practitioner, verify against your preferred edition before prescribing.

Sources

Formulas on this site are drawn from the Donguibogam (東醫寶鑑, Heo Jun, 1613), the Bangyakhappyeon (方藥合編, Hwang Do-yeon, 1885), the Sanghallon (傷寒論) and Geumgwe Yoryak (金匱要略) of Zhang Zhongjing, the Onbyeongjobyeon (溫病條辨, 1798), and other classical texts noted on each formula page. Where a formula belongs to a later or regional tradition — such as Japanese Kampo experiential formulas — the source line says so.

Who curates this

Bogam is curated by Eui Young (Justin) Chung, L.Ac., Dipl. O.M. (NCCAOM), a California-licensed acupuncturist and herbalist, and the founder of Raah Acupuncture Inc. in Koreatown, Los Angeles. His practice centers on Korean classical acupuncture — Saam acupuncture in particular — together with custom herbal decoctions formulated individually for each patient, in the whole-person spirit of the Donguibogam tradition. He practices in both English and Korean, and is the author of the Integrative Organ Health book series.

This site began as a working reference for his own clinic — a way to answer, clearly and in English, the question patients ask most about herbal medicine: what is actually in this formula? It is shared in the hope that it serves other practitioners, students, and curious patients the same way.

Questions, corrections, or a formula you'd like to see added? Reach out through raahacupuncture.com.