Traditional Korean medicine

[[File:Korea-Seoul-Gyeongdong Market-02.jpg|thumb|right|165px|An [[herbal medicine]] shop in Seoul]]
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'''Traditional Korean  Medicine''' (한의학) refers to the theories and practices of diagnosis and healing developed historically in Korea. TKM is partly based on [[traditional Chinese medicine]]. A lot of the medicine overlaps with TCM, including the more insane aspects of it like 뱀술 (''baem sul''), a sort of snake liquor, which is seen as a beverage believed to promote good health, though its popularity as health drink has been declining for years.

Some of the TKM doctors believe in [[Anti-vaccination movement|vaccine conspiracy theories]].

==Position of TKM in South Korea==
In [[South Korea]], there is not much opposition to TKM. In addition, the category of 'libel and slander' is so broad in Korea that extreme slandering of Chinese medicine may be subject to criminal punishment.

Although it is [[pseudoscientific]], many Koreans visit TKM hospitals frequently for treatment [[acupuncture]] and [[moxibustion]], which they believe relieves pain.

Politically, [[Minjoo Party of Korea|Minjoo]] or [[Liberty Korea Party|LKP]] supporters tend to defend TKM. On the other hand, the pro-Western [[Bareunmirae Party|RFP]] and its supporters abhor TKM. Indeed, a supporter of the RFP, a male YouTuber in his twenties who hated TKM, was accused of severe criticism of TKM and an arrest warrant was even announced.<ref>[https://www.msn.com/ko-kr/news/national/%EB%8B%A8%EB%8F%85%EC%9C%A0%ED%8A%9C%EB%B2%84-%EC%9C%BE%ED%8A%9C%EB%B8%8C-%ED%95%9C%EC%9D%98%EC%82%AC-%EB%B9%84%EB%B0%A9%ED%95%98%EB%8B%A4-%ED%94%BC%EC%86%8C%EA%B2%BD%EC%B0%B0-%EC%95%95%EC%83%89%EC%98%81%EC%9E%A5-%EA%B2%80%ED%86%A0/ar-BBWgwBl 유튜버 '윾튜브', 한의사 비방하다 피소..경찰, 압색영장 검토]</ref> In Korea, the legal profession also protects the "honor" of pseudomedics!

However, not all Minjoo or LKP supporters are favorable to TKM, and some among the RFP supporters are favorable to TKM. In the first place, South Korea's mainstream parties have no clear stance on TKM.

==Aristolochia==
Various species of the ''[[Aristolochia]]'' genus are used medicinally throughout the world. ''Aristolochia'' is highly toxic to humans when consumed because it contains aristolochic acid (AA). ''Aristolochia'' causes kidney failure (aristolochic acid nephropathy or AAN) and [[cancer]]. Korea is no exception, where ''Aristolochia contorta'' (쥐방울덩굴) and ''A. manshuriensis'' (등칡) are used in herbal medicine.<ref>[http://jdm0777.com/a-yakchotxt/jwibanguldeongkul.htm ≪ 쥐방울덩굴 무엇인가?</ref><ref>[http://www.iksaeng.com/hub/hubMain.jsp?hubnos=ktutclme&with=kr&from=iks 등칡] ''Ik Saeng''.</ref> A study of AAN in South Korea found that AA is found in some Korean herbal remedies, that South Koreans have experienced AAN, and that there is a possibility that AAN is under-diagnosed in South Korea.<ref>[https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6129635/ Update of aristolochic acid nephropathy in Korea] by Tae Hyun Ban et al. (2018) ''Korean J. Intern. Med. 33(5):961–969.</ref>

==See also==
*[[Ginseng]]
*[[Kumdang-2]]
*[[Traditional Chinese medicine]]

==References==
{{reflist|80%}}
{{stub|alternative medicine}}
[[Category:Alternative medicine]]
[[Category:Anti-vaccination movement]]
[[Category:Korea]]
[[Category:Orientalist woo]]
[[Category:Protoscience]]

Categories: Alternative medicine, Anti-vaccination movement, Korea, Orientalist woo, Protoscience