jeomageun
Quick Facts
- What it is: Jeomageun is the dried root of the ramie plant, used as a single herb in Korean medicine, mainly to slow bleeding.
- Main uses: Minor bleeding (traditional use), Blood in the urine (traditional use), Hot, stinging urination (traditional use), Skin sores, used on the skin (traditional use)
- Best for: People working with a trained Korean medicine doctor, Short-term use, not daily long-term use
- Active ingredients: Chlorogenic acid and other plant acids, Flavonoids such as rutin, Tannins, Plant sterols, Small amounts of triterpenes
- Forms: Dried sliced root for tea, Powder, Capsules, Part of a mixed herb formula, Crushed fresh root on the skin
- Time to effect: Not known; no human trial has measured it.
- Side effects: Mild stomach upset and loose stools are the usual reports; bleeding risk is unclear.
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What is jeomageun?
Jeomageun is the dried root of the ramie plant, Boehmeria nivea. It is used on its own as a single herb in Korean medicine. Ramie is better known as a fibre plant, the one woven into cool summer cloth.
In old Korean practice the root was given to slow bleeding. Healers used it for nosebleeds, blood in the urine, and spotting in pregnancy. It was also used for hot, painful urination and for sores on the skin.
Human proof is thin. We found no published human trial of ramie root on its own. Long use in a tradition is not proof that a herb works, so read the uses below as history, not as results.
How does jeomageun work?
Short answer: no one has shown how it works in people.
The root holds plant acids and flavonoids (plant compounds that act as antioxidants). In lab dishes and in animals, extracts have slowed bleeding, calmed swelling, and held back some germs. These are early hints, not proof.
Old Korean texts explain it in their own words. They say the root clears heat, cools the blood, and steadies a pregnancy. That is a tradition's language, not a tested mechanism.
What forms does jeomageun come in?
Most often you meet it as sliced, dried root, boiled into a tea. Herb books call that a decoction.
A typical brew simmers the root in water for 20 to 30 minutes. The liquid is strained and drunk warm.
You may also see powder, capsules, or the root inside a mixed herb formula. Fresh root was once crushed and laid on skin sores. Ramie leaves are eaten as a food in Korea, but leaf and root are not the same thing.
Where it comes from:
Ramie root appears in Korean herb books of the Joseon era, including the Donguibogam of 1613. It is also listed in Chinese herb texts as zhu ma gen.
In both places its main job was to stop bleeding and to steady a shaky pregnancy. Korean country practice used it the same way into modern times. It stayed a minor but steady item in the herb chest.
Who should avoid jeomageun?
- Never take jeomageun in pregnancy or while breastfeeding. Old texts used it for bleeding in pregnancy, but no one has tested whether it is safe for a mother or a baby.
- Do not use if you take warfarin or any other blood thinner (a drug that stops clots).
- Do not use if you take aspirin or another drug that keeps blood cells from sticking.
- Do not use if you have a bleeding or clotting disorder, such as haemophilia (a disease where blood does not clot well).
- Do not use in the two weeks before or after surgery, or before dental work that may bleed.
- Do not use if you have kidney disease or liver disease, because no one has tested it in these conditions.
- Do not use if you are allergic to ramie or to other plants in the nettle family.
- Do not give it to children or babies.
- Do not use it in place of care for heavy bleeding, bleeding in pregnancy, or blood in the urine.
When should you see a doctor?
See a doctor the same day if you have bleeding that will not stop, blood in your urine or stool, or any bleeding during pregnancy. Go to an emergency department for heavy bleeding, chest pain, fainting or a fast heartbeat.
Stop the herb and ring your doctor if you notice easy bruising, gums that bleed, dark stools, yellow skin or eyes, a rash, or swelling of the face or lips. Also check in if a fever, pain on passing urine, or a skin sore has not eased in a week.
Evidence grades and traditional-use labels are explained in our methodology. Nothing here is medical advice.
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