Formulas · Drain Dampness 利水滲濕 · Gogeum Uigam (古今醫鑑)

Dispersing the River Cake

Sohae-byeong

한글 소하병 · Pinyin Xiao He Bing

消河餠

The river snail 田螺 is entered without a gram figure, being counted by the whole animal; it is not otherwise used in the chapters translated so far.

Composition 構成

Jeolla Tian Luo
田螺 전라 · Rice-field Snail

—
Chief 君

4 large river snails
Daesan Da Suan
大蒜 대산 · Garlic

—
Deputy 臣

5 bulbs of garlic
Chajeonja Che Qian Zi
車前子 차전자 · Plantago Seed

12 g
Assistant 佐

powdered

Total 12 g per packet (첩) · representative dosage — verify against source texts. Excludes 2 ingredients measured by count or used as a vehicle, shown as —.

Received this formula from your practitioner? Amounts shown here are classical reference values — granule and prepared products differ. Always follow your prescribed dosage and directions.

Actions 效能

Applied at the navel to free the urine and disperse distension

Indications 主治

Pattern-based

Water swelling with swelling distension

Biomedical correlates

Ascites
Refractory oedema

Source text 原文

Donguibogam 東醫寶鑑

治水腫膨脹. 大田螺四箇, 大蒜五箇, 車前子末三錢. 右硏成餠, 貼臍中, 以帕縛之, 少時尿出如注, 卽愈. 《醫鑑》

Translation

Treats water swelling with swelling distension. Four large river snails, five bulbs of garlic, and 3 don of powdered plantago seed. Grind them into a cake, apply it over the navel and bind with a kerchief; after a little while the urine pours out and the patient recovers. — Gogeum Uigam 醫鑑 (Donguibogam · Bujong)

Clinical commentary 臨床

The name is the claim: dispersing the river. Snails, garlic and plantago seed ground to a cake and bound at the navel, with urine said to pour within a short while. All three ingredients are cooling and water-freeing when taken internally, and river snails in particular are a standing folk remedy for oedema across East Asia. Garlic is the irritant that would actually be felt. **Garlic held against skin under an occlusive dressing causes chemical burns. Not recommended for use.** — Eui Young (Justin) Chung, L.Ac., Dipl. O.M.