Discover Seoul’s herbal medicine hub steeped in centuries-old practices of Korean healing and beauty
Illustration: Andrew Deloso; Photography: Chris Da Canha
The first thing you notice at Jegi-dong, in the city’s Dongdaemun district, is the scent of herbs, an aroma wafting from shops selling dried bark, peels, roots and fruits. The neighbourhood is home to over 1,000 speciality stores related to traditional Korean wellness, including the Yangnyeongsi Herbal Medicine Market. The city has officially designated the market as a cultural heritage site thanks to the Bojewon, a place where travellers and the homeless were given lodging and treatment during the Joseon Dynasty.
Today, the group of establishments sits on almost 300,000sqm and distributes 70% of the country’s medicinal herbs. Here you’ll find clinics offering traditional beauty treatments, oriental medicine immunity rooms and the multi-awarded Seoul Yangnyeongsi Herb Medicine Museum. When in Seoul, pop by these spots.
1. Gam Cho Dang Oriental Pharmacy
One of the area’s biggest stores stocks an impressive selection of ginseng, an herb known for its ability to increase immunity, lower blood sugar and even improve male physical performance. This store sells it in syrup, powder, capsules and even jelly form. 1 Yangnyeongjungang-ro
2. Bit Haniwon
This clinic specialises in thermal therapy, which is believed to be an immunity booster. Their Herbal Detox Lab is made from mica minerals that are supposedly good for expelling toxins, and their Golden Immunity Room is made of Yanggu white clay and gold dye, said to improve blood circulation and raise one’s immunity. 9 Yangnyeongjungang-ro
3. Won Sam Dang Oriental Pharmacy
While the other stores in this neighbourhood sell the herbs packed neatly in boxes, ready for gifting, Won Sam Dang sells them in bulk (attention wholesale shoppers). They also sell machines that extract the active ingredients from medicinal herbs and can even prepare a customised mix. 20 Yangnyeongjungang-ro
4. Sam Hong Dry Goods Bureau
When it comes to medicinal herbs, there are two critical things to note: where they are sourced and the credibility of the seller. This company has taken pride in not having any disputes from both its online and offline buyers since it started 15 years ago. 892-45 Jegi-dong
5. Seoul Yangnyeongsi Herb Medicine Museum
The museum displays 350 types of traditional herbal medicine and a diorama of a Bojewon, the royal hospital during the Joseon Dynasty, where travellers and the sick were given a place to stay. You can also don a costume of what the doctors used to wear during ancient times. 26 Yangnyeongjungang-ro
6. Chamdajeong
This oriental medicine café is a hanok, a traditional Korean home. They offer hanbang teas or traditional teas as well as healthy traditional bites like yakseon lotus leaf rice, a traditional packed meal for travelling monks. 26 Yangnyeongjungang-ro
7. Life Oriental Medicine Clinic
A wooden medicine chest – filled with medicine to relieve, among others, rhinitis and digestion issues – takes up an entire wall at this clinic. Got a specific health issue? They can prepare a tonic for you. The clinic also offers non- surgical treatments that focus on slow and steady healing. 27 Yangnyeongdong-gil
8. Choi Hyuk Oriental Medicine Clinic
This clinic specialises in traditional beauty treatments such as facial acupuncture, a procedure which claims to naturally make the skin look younger and address the overall health of one’s skin. The Ministry of Health and Welfare recognises the clinic as a Registered Medical Institution. 52 Yangnyeongdong-gil
9. Gyeongdong Market
This market has the most extensive collection of herbs and ginseng in the area. It is the go-to if you already know what herbs to buy. Hidden within is Starbucks Kyungdong 1960, a unique branch that used to operate as a theatre in the 1960s. Pop in on a less crowded weekday morning. 3 Gosanja-ro 36-gil
