Study on local medicinal herbs in Bonchojeonghwa Chapter of Grass

"본초정화(本草精華)" 초부(草部) 향약명(鄕藥名)에 관(關)한 연구(硏究)

As a result of study on the names of local medicinal herbs which described in Chobu (Chapter of Grass) of Korean medical book Bonchojeonghwa, we came to the following conclusions. 1) Compared with the existing domestic medical books' local medicinal herb names, those of Donguibogam had the closest relationship with Bonchojeonghwa. Out of local medicinal herb names described in Chobu of Bonchojeonghwa, a third is only shown in Bonchojeonghwa, and another third is same as those in Donguibogam. 2) The notation of local medicinal herb names in Bonchojeonghwa is not so consistent as Donguibogam. In Bonchojeonghwa, we can see many examples of inconsistent notations over the same thing. Moreover, there are some examples, which are suspected to be an expression of dialect. 3) In spite of close similarity between the names of local medicinal herbs in Bonchojeonghwa and Donguibogam, the author of Bonchojeonghwa doesn't seem to directly refer to or quote Donguibogam, because it doesn’t make sense that the author of Bonchojeonghwa intentionally referred to regular, consistent Donguibogam in irregular, inconsistent way. 4) In spite of very low possibility of direct reference or quotation among Bonchojeonghwa, Donguibogam and Bangyakhappyon, there are many examples of common format in its notation way on local medicinal herbs, which cannot be explained only as coincidence. And it tells us that there must be another publication which had been referred to or quoted by the said three medical books. 5) From the fact that there are a lot of examples of local medicinal herb names which doesn't show palatalization, or labialization, the names of local medicinal herbs described in Bonchojeonghwa must be the expression around 17th century.