'Boyak' helps restore health through balance

By Lee Sung-hun

For Koreans, a trip to an Oriental clinic to ask for “boyak,” a restorative medicine, is not uncommon if one is of a feeble constitution, feels weakened or if it is hard to recover full strength after a serious illness. For a child, parents will have the kid take boyak if the child does not eat much, is too thin, or prone to catching colds.

Some people mistakenly think that “‘hanyak,” or Oriental medicine, and boyak are the same thing. Rather boyak is a specific subset of general Oriental medicine. The term and concept of boyak is unique and does not exist in Western medicine. To Koreans, it is a commonly used term but expat readers may be unfamiliar with it and I would like to devote today’s column and possibly another one to explain it in detail.

Oriental medicine puts great emphasis on the overall balance of the body. Internally, maintaining balance amongst all the internal organs, between “qi” (life energy) and the blood, yin and yang, cold and heat, and deficiency and exuberance, and externally, a balance between front and back, and left and right are sought-after objectives. “Boyak” is a medicine that aims to bring balance specifically between deficiency and exuberance.

In Oriental medicine, being deficient means the necessary qi in the body exists in insufficient amounts to lower functionality and is symptomatically displayed as the person’s hands and stomach being cold, being overly tired, or lacking digestive functions. Being exuberant in Oriental medicine means that the necessary qi in our body is over-abundant, or sometimes that external pathogens have invaded the body. Being deficient or exuberant can cause disease. A healthy state is when our body is in balance.

Balancing the two is much like balancing a seesaw. On a seesaw, if one side is lower, you may choose to take a bit of the weight off the lower side, or add a bit of weight on to the higher side to balance it. In much the same way, there are Oriental medicines that can take the over-abundant qi out of the body, as well as those that restore what is lacking. Boyak adds insufficient qi to bring balance.

The reasons for taking boyak are different for each patient. Some may want to improve a weak constitution, and others may want to replenish overly-exerted energy. Although individually tailored boyak will address each symptom specifically, generally patients feel that they are less tired, re-gain their appetite and feel stronger.

When is the best time to take boyak? Some of the readers may think that it is best taken in spring or in autumn, but the truth is that there is no designated period. It can be taken whenever you suddenly feel exhausted. Contrary to popular belief, there isn’t a set limit to the number of times you should take boyak in a given year. Your doctor can adjust the dose and period depending on your overall condition.

Another common misconception is that it is wasteful to take bo-yak in summer because the essence of the medicine may be lost through sweating. However, this is far from the truth. During summer, our qi is exhausted through sweating and taking boyak can replenish it while lessening the amount of perspiration. In Oriental medicine, if you feel that you are sweating more than usual, it is viewed as not having enough qi to close off the pores, which can be alleviated by taking bo-yak.

Although there is no set season for taking boyak the body shifts through different seasons. If spring is a season when all things come to life, and the life-force is in its full might, then winter is when to preserve and restore qi, rather than spending it. It has been an unusually cold winter this year and because of that a lot of us are finding it difficult to stay healthy. Consult your doctor about the right boyak for you this season. It can definitely help you endure the cold weather.

The writer practices Korean Oriental medicine at the UN Oriental Medical Clinic in Hannam-dong, Seoul. He can be reached at sung_hun@naver.com.