Medical Applications and Distribution of Borneol during the Joseon Period

초록

Yongnoe(龍腦, borneol) was a fragrance and medicinal ingredient with unique efficacy. However, it was characterized by being produced only in tropical Southeast Asia and being obtained only through international trade. In addition, jangnoe(樟腦, camphor) with similar material properties was developed and distributed as an inexpensive replacement for yongnoe, although the processing method is different from that of the existing yongnoe. Even in Joseon, yongnoe and jangnoe were recognized as separate medicines, and efforts were made to obtain a high-quality product, yongnoe. Yongnoe has a unique effect of relieving inflammation, pain and heavy feeling, so it could be widely used for the purpose of treating symptoms in various diseases. During the Joseon Dynasty, yongnoe was a rare item that could only be obtained through foreign trade, and it was also used for perfumes and insect repellents, but it was most widely used as a medicine. There are many records of actually prescribing yongnoe to the royal family, and medical books also contain many medicines containing yongnoe and its effective symptoms. Yongnoe was able to spread widely in Joseon society thanks to the practice of distributing ‘nabyak(臘藥)’ to court officials every year in the twelfth month of the lunar canlendar. Since nabyak was used as a household medicine that was stored and used when necessary, pills containing yongnoe that could be applied to various symptoms were suitable for this purpose. Despite considerable medical demand, yongnoe was one of the dangyakjae(唐藥材), or Chinese medicines, that relied entirely on imports. During the Joseon Dynasty, yongnoe were imported through China and Japan, but genuine yongnoe was difficult to obtain, so they were often introduced as gifts of envoy trade. It is thought that jangnoe was also imported, but it is not well mentioned in official records or medical books reflecting national demand. Perhaps this is because the government prioritized securing high-end molten brain in order to maximize national demand or medical efficacy. In the first half of the 17th century, the route of envoys to the Ming Dynasty became unstable, forcing the import of molten iron by sea. As a result, there were problems securing supplies and quality control, and national interest in Japanese camphor temporarily increased. However, as the relationship with the Qing Dynasty stabilized, a system was established to import Chinese medicines, such as yongnoe, which was required nationally through the annual envoy trade. Naeuiwon(內醫院), the medical center for the royal family is in charge of securing and using Chinese medicines, but the cost was covered by the silver paid by Hojo(戶曹), the ministry of finance of Joseon Dynasty. Since the amount of Chinese medicines used in the preparation of nabyak was not small, it was necessary to import enough medicines to burden finances. The purveyors for government played a role in supplying Chinese medicines to the government. Their appearance shows that private merchants were actively involved in the trade of Chinese medicines, including yongnoe. The formation of the medicinal market by private merchants' activities greatly contributed to the widespread expansion of the distribution and use of yongnoe.

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