Alimentotherapy and "Sikuisikgam" in the late Goryeo and Early Joseon period

여말선초(麗末鮮初)의 식치의학(食治醫學)과 『식의심감(食醫心鑑)』

The late Goryeo and Early Joseon period marks the development of Hyang-yak medicine in medical history in Korea. There have been not a few outcomes in organizing Hyang-yak medicine through the hitherto research works, but there has hardly any attempt to view the medicine in the late Goryeo and Early Joseon period from a different standpoint besides Hyang-yak. This writer, in the middle of doing research on 'Book for Alimentotherapy' named "Sikuisikgam", came to know that not a few parts of this book were quoted in a large volume of "Biebaekyobang" in the late Goryeo, "Hyangyakjipseongbang" which compiled the early Joseon Hyangyak medicine, "Uibangyuchi" which wrapped up the medical knowledge in East Asia before the early Ming Dynasty, and "Sikryochangyo" which was a representative book for alimentotherapy in the early period of Joseon Dynasty. The reason that the representative medical books written in the period of Late Goryeo and Early Joseon thought much of the knowledge contained in "Sikuisikgam" is that they showed a great concern for prevention and treatment of diseases through alimentotherapy. When we say that Hyangyak medicine, which has provided the Late Goryeo and Early Joseon medicine, bases its standard on 'Regionality' and 'Properties of Medicinal ingredients', then alimentotherapy puts its focus on a 'Remedial method' itself. As for food, they might have given priority to the food that was easy to get nearby, so there is no way for alimentotherapy but to have the realm which is overlapped with Hyangyak medicine in some measure, That's the very reason why alimentotherapy has remained inseparate from Hyangyak medicine. Through 'Alimentotherapy' and Late Goryeo and Early Joseon medical books, this writer thinks that it might be possible for us to take a view of the Late Goryeo and Early Joseon not only from the perspective of Hyangyak medicine but also from a new perspective of so-called alimentotherapy.