Plant Ritual in My Life

I weighed only 6 pounds when I was born. Until 7th grade in middle school, I was always the first one in a row when my class lined up in order of height. I got sick often. It was not that I had suffered any particular disease but it was more like fatigue or cold. My parents thought that it is because my soul was weak. So they took me to the deer farm and made me drink the blood from deer's antlers. It was believed that the blood could give me strong energy inside. Besides blood from deer's antlers, health-cultivating medicine called "Boyak" in Korean (herbal medicine) was the major remedy to make my soul stronger. Boyak is made up of several herbs, which are suitable for my spiritual characteristics. In Korea, there is a traditional Korean medical typology, which is called Sasang Typology (or Sasang Constitution). Basically, it deals a disease with the individual differences in behaviors, physical characteristics, body shapes and temperaments. In Sasang typology every human beings are categorized into four types; Tae-Yang type, Tae-Yin type, So-Yang type and So-Yin type. Each type has different characteristics of nature, organs or body shapes. Since I am a So-Yin person, suitable herbs for me are "Cinamonia ramulus, Aconiti tuber, Panax ginseng." My grandfather's brother is an oriental medicine doctor. On every New Year's Day, when all of family gather to celebrate and wish happiness and health for another new year, he would give me a package of prepared herbs, wishing me better health and stronger soul. Then I had to drink a cup of it after each meal for next 3 months. Even still when I go to Korea during vacation, my parents would take me to the dispensary of oriental medicine and get me a package of herbal medicine. Many of Asian practices and theories are the most about balancing body and soul based on naturism or animism. People believe that oriental medicine helps boost energy, uses gentler treatment methods compared to western medicine. The strong point of oriental medicine is that the medical ingredients are made up of mostly natural products, especially plants.