Lettuce, Fish Work Great for Health

Yang Ye-soo, who was a royal family doctor during Chosun Dynasty, was not a man of noble birth. Having learned from Jang Han-woong, a great doctor rivaling with Suh Gyung-deok at that time, he took the national test to become a doctor many times only to fail.

Then he chose to work as a laborer inside the palace, and later finally passed the test thanks to his patron and high-ranking official Jung Ho-eum.

Although he was a good doctor curing many ill patients, noble men were reluctant to seek help from the man of lowly birth.

While finding ways to set him up, they came up with the idea of sending him to people suffering from mental diseases and malignant tumors, who had little chances of surviving. Yang could face a death sentence or expel by making a slightest mistake.

One day, a high-ranking official ordered him to treat one of his relatives, who developed symptoms of feeling coldness and high fever, fatigue, lack of energy, and cold sweats. Feeling his pulses, Yang knew that the man did not eat for days.

After thinking how to escape the setup, he then ordered the patient to `take 10 lettuce-wrapped rice balls three times a day with grilled fish.` Hearing his prescription, the noblemen laughed and acknowledged their defeat, it was said.

People often get sick after going on strict diet these days. The best medicine for these people is a mixture of appetite-stimulating lettuce and immune system-boosting grilled fish.

Kim Joo-young, Secretary General of Herbal Medicine Promotion Campaign Headquarters and Head Doctor at Yakchon Herbal Medicine Clinic, magic339@yahoo.co.kr