What is Gwakhyangjeonggisan?

Gwakhyangjeonggisan is a Korean herbal mix taken for a sudden upset stomach with chills. People use it for nausea, vomiting, loose stools, bloating and a heavy, achy feeling. It is meant for short bouts, not for long-term gut trouble.

The mix is named for its chief herb, patchouli (Latin: Pogostemon cablin). Korean makers often use a close cousin, baechohyang (Agastache rugosa). About ten more herbs go in, and one of them is licorice, which matters for safety.

Here is the honest verdict. The formula has a long, wide record of use, but good human trials are few and weak. Long use in tradition is not proof that it works.

How does Gwakhyangjeonggisan work?

No one has shown how it works in the body. In Korean medicine, it is said to drive out 'cold' and 'damp' from the gut and settle the stomach.

Lab work hints at a few actions. Some of the herbs relax gut muscle, some cut gas, and some may calm swelling in the gut lining.

Those are test-tube and animal results. They may not carry over to people, and they do not prove the whole mix helps.

What forms does Gwakhyangjeonggisan come in?

Most people take it as granules or a powder stirred into warm water. A pharmacy or clinic may also supply it as a tea bag, a liquid, or a tablet.

Raw herbs can be boiled at home, but the mix needs a trained hand. One herb, banha (pinellia), is harsh if it is not treated first.

Only buy from a maker who tests for heavy metals. Check the label for licorice content, since amounts differ a lot between brands.

Where it comes from:

The recipe first appears in a Chinese state formula book of the Song era, around the 1100s. It spread to Korea and Japan and stayed in daily use.

Korean doctors listed it in the Donguibogam of 1613, the country's best-known medical text. Japanese kampo medicine keeps the same mix under the name kakko-shoki-san.

It is still one of the first things many Korean clinics reach for in a summer stomach upset.

What does Gwakhyangjeonggisan help with?

• Sudden stomach upset with nausea and vomiting: This is the classic reason it is given in Korea. Tradition is strong here, but human trial proof is thin. Most published work comes from China and is small or poorly designed.
• Short bouts of watery diarrhoea: Used in tradition for a few days of loose stools that came on with chills. There is no good trial showing it shortens diarrhoea. Fluids and salts are the treatment that is proven to matter.
• Bloating and fullness after eating: Several herbs in the mix have been used for centuries to ease gas and fullness. The evidence in people is limited to small, low-quality reports.
• Summer colds with a queasy stomach: Korean texts describe exactly this picture: chills, headache and a turned stomach in hot, damp weather. No trial has tested that use.
• Motion sickness and travel-related stomach upset: A common folk use, helped along by the ginger in the mix. Ginger alone has some trial support for nausea; this whole formula does not.

Which foods are rich in Gwakhyangjeonggisan?

1. Korean mint leaves (baechohyang): the same plant family as the chief herb, eaten in soups and pancakes
2. Perilla leaves: a common Korean wrap leaf and one of the herbs in the mix
3. Dried tangerine peel: used in teas and stews, and part of the recipe
4. Fresh ginger: a kitchen staple and one of the mix's ingredients
5. Jujube dates: sweet dried fruit used in Korean teas and in the formula

Practical Tips:

Eating these foods is not the same as taking the formula, and the amounts are far smaller. Skip licorice tea and licorice sweets while you take it.

What are the side effects of Gwakhyangjeonggisan?

• Mild stomach upset or nausea
• Loose stools, or the opposite, constipation
• Dry mouth
• Drowsiness
• Rash, itching or other allergy signs
• Puffy ankles, hands or face
• Raised blood pressure with long or heavy use
• Muscle weakness, cramps or an odd heartbeat, which can mean low potassium (a low level of a mineral your heart needs)

Good to know:

Most people who take it for a few days have no trouble, and side effects are usually mild. The serious ones come from licorice and build up with long use or big doses.

Stop taking it and call a doctor if you get puffy legs, bad muscle weakness, or a heartbeat that feels wrong.

How much Gwakhyangjeonggisan should you take?

• Recommended daily: No dose has been set by human trials. Commercial Korean and Japanese granules are usually taken as 2 to 3 g per dose, two or three times a day, which works out to about 6 to 9 g daily. Follow the label on the product you bought, or the amount a Korean medicine doctor gives you. Do not take more than the label says because of the licorice in the mix.
• Best time of day: Spread the doses through the day, usually morning, midday and evening. Warm water helps it go down.
• With or without food: Usually taken between meals, about 30 minutes before eating or two hours after. If it upsets your stomach, take it with a little food.
• Time to effect: If it helps at all, people usually notice within a few hours to a day. This is a short-term remedy, not a slow builder.
• How long to take it: Take it for a short spell only, usually two to five days. If your stomach is no better after three days, stop and get checked. Do not use it for weeks on end. Long use of licorice can raise blood pressure and lower potassium, a mineral your heart needs.