Folk Remedies for First Aid at Home

가정내 응급처치를 위한 민간요법

The purposes of this study were to identify the contents, frequency of use, and the rationales of folk remedies frequently used for first aid at home for stomachache, vomiting, strain, food poisoning, vaginal bleeding, or wounds of snake or dog bite, or bee sting. As the method of the study, data were collected by conducting a questionnaire of 185 persons, who filled it out or who were interviewed from May to August in 1998. The collected data was analyzed by using frequency and the rationales for the contents of the folk remedies were described base on literatures. The results were as follows,. 1. The folk remedies for stomachache in frequency order were 'warming the abdomen', 'rubbing the abdomen with a hand', or 'pricking a finger to bleed', which have the rationals. 2. The folk remedies for vomiting in frequency order are 'drinking water of watery radish' and 'pricking a finger to bleed', which have the rationales. 3. The folk remedies for strain in frequency order are 'soaking the affected area into cold water or applying an ice pack' and 'after soaking jasmine in water, making a dough with flour, and then attaching it on the affected area', which have the rationales, Additionally, although the frequencies are low, 'drinking brewed Achyranthis Radix' and 'applying brewed leaves and stalks of Sambuci Cortex' have the rationales. 4. The folk remedies for food poisoning in frequency order are 'drinking black beans and licorice brewed together' and 'eating mung beans', which have the scientific grounds. 5. The folk remedies for bloody discharge in frequency order are 'drinking brewed lotus root' and 'eating boiled chicken stuffed with root of bell-flower'. However, 'drinking brewed Thujae orientalis Folium' has the rationales. 6. The folk remedy for snake bite wounds that has the scientific grounds is 'sucking blood by a person without hurt in the mouth'. However, quite a lot of people apply alum or soy paste, which has no rationales. 7. The folk remedies for the bee sting in frequency order are 'after removing the sting, applying soy paste or sauce' and 'applying saliva'. No rationales for 'applying saliva' have been found. 8. The folk remedy for the dog bite wound that has the rationales is 'applying juice of leaves or stalks of Xanthii Fructus'. However, 85% of surveyed people use remedies that have no scientific grounds, such as 'applying burnt dog hair mixed with (sesame) oil' and 'applying soy paste or sauce'. Various materials are used in folk remedies for first aid treatment as shown above. Some of the folk remedies have the rationales since their medicinal actions have been found. However, the medicinal actions of the majority have not been found, but only known that they are effective, Especially for the materials except botanical drugs, they are used without knowing the effects since their components and pharmacognosies have not been described in any literature. The results of this research may be used for materials to educate the surveyed people or to consult them. Accordingly, the folk remedies that have the rationales are required to continue to study to find out the effects.