• Journal of Sasang Constitutional Medicine
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.253-267
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• 1998

'Maek(麥)' which means a barley at present is used as a general name of the kinds of 'Maek(麥)' including barley, what, rye, and so on. However 'Maek(麥)' had meant a wheat when the letter of 'Maek(麥)' had been created at the beginning. And gradually 'Maek(麥)' has been used as a word for the both meaning of a wheat and barley, and now a days become a word only for the meaning of a barley. Therefore 'Mo-Maek' should be translated into 'a wheat and barley', although it is translated into only a barley. In Korea, according to 'Nong-ga-wol-ryung(農家月令)' of Ko, Sang-un(高尙顔) in 1619, the vernalization had been utilized practically 300 years earlier than the Western countries. It is based on a concept of the oriental medicine that a 'Maek(麥)' of the spring seedtime, which keeps the only warmth('Won-yeol-ji-ki(溫熱之氣) (陽氣)' during the growth period in spring-summer time, has less vigorous than a 'Maek(麥)' of the autumn seedtime, which keeps the cold, hot, warmth equally 'Yeol-won-yang-han-ji-ki(溫熱凉寒之氣) (陽氣+陰氣)' during the growth period in the four seasons. If a autumn seedtime barley but which is actually not sowed on time in autumn season is sowed in the spring after the treatment of cold condition (陰氣 autumn-winter condition) artificially, it would be avoided from the abnormal phenomenon that a barley could not come to fruition in case of non-treated seed. Thus as a result of this the agricultural productivity has been able to be improved. An barley is recommended as a food for Um-chung-ji-ki(陰淸之氣) to be served as Bo-myung-ji-ju(保命之主) to be Soyangin. And a wheat which is used as an ingredient of bread because of its expanding feature is a suitable food for Ho-san-ji-ki(呼散之氣) to be served as Bo-myung-ji-ju(保命之主)to the Taeumin.