Profile Barun Maek Member -Gardenia Pack -

Traditional Gardenia Powder Pack for Healing Sprains and Bruises

What is the traditional gardenia fruit powder pack method? It is a method of mixing flour and gardenia powder, kneading it, and attaching it to the required area to affix it. Packing which uses natural materials has been well developed in Korea. Grains, fruits, vegetables, and herbs are often used in the packing culture for cosmetic and healing support. Application of Gardenia packs are present in old Korean texts and it is unclear when the practice of Gardenia packs originated. The traditional gardenia fruit powder pack may be one of the most well known traditional healing methods and have been recommended by traditional Korean medical doctors as well but no one has conducted research in a cohesive way. I think the use of the Gardenia pack method should be developed in contemporary society and deserves credit since it is very useful and easy to apply.

When Barun Maek members suffer from an ankle sprain or a severe bruising, they apply a “Gardenia fruit powder pack” which they learned from Barun Maek courses. We often see cases of severe joint pain or residual pain even after having a cast in the case of sprains, but in Barun Maek, more and more people benefit from the traditional Gardenia fruit powder pack method of managing sprains or severe bruises every year. Here are some examples of its use and outcomes reported by members of the Barun Maek Research Society.

Case 1. Noe Eungyeong (Early Childhood Educator, 2019)

Original Character

Profile– Water Tree Energy Constitution, late thirties

Yang Energy Person

Pulse diagnosis– Earth and Fire energy should be nourished

Reason for applying-

Bruising from a fall down five stairs caused major bruises and pain near the hip and tailbone. There were no fractures.

Results-

It was visible to the naked eye that the gardenia fruit powder pack turned green and coloration from the large bruise was much reduced in a day which is not typical of severe bruising.

Case 2. Moon Jumi (Elementary School Teacher, 2020)

Original Character

Profile– Fire Earth Energy Constitution, thirties

Yin Energy Person

Pulse diagnosis– Metal and Water energy should be nourished

Reason for applying-

Severe ankle sprain. It was too painful to walk on or go outside.

Results-

She had a sprain that hurt so much that she couldn’t use her foot, but she got better through self-care.

A month later, there is still no recurrence of the sprain or discomfort.

Step 1 – After practicing warming the ankle up through foot baths every day for 30 minutes, practicing cupping therapy once, and eating Water energy foods such as soy sauce and salt, she could go out in three days when before she could not go out at all.

Step 2 – There was no further improvement in step 1, so she put on the gardenia fruit powder pack. She put on a pack with more gardenia powder mix as shown in the picture below, put it on the sprained area, put a wrap on it, and put a bandage on it. She did it before going to bed to have the effect while she was sleeping. When she woke up in the morning, that area turned blue but was a lighter color. Ancient people believe the phenomena was caused by clotted blood that came from deep within the tissue and was drawn out. She applied the pack 5 times in total until the color faded out. She did it every day at first and then every other day.

Step 3 – To see if the clotted blood caused the color to change, I tried the gardenia pack a month later. Of course, the pack color and skin color didn’t change at all when I woke up overnight.

Case 3. Kim Jinhui (Researcher, 2022)

Original Character

Profile– Metal Water Energy Constitution, late forties

Yin Energy Person

Pulse diagnosis– Fire and Earth energy should be nourished

Reason for applying-

After a week since she sprained her hand her bruises and pain with swelling had not improved, so she put on the gardenia pack.

Results-

After 10 hours, including the time she slept with the pack and applied the pack, the place that she applied it changed color as the photos show below. Also, the area became warmer and lighter.

Five days later, the color on the pinky finger almost returned to normal. Then, I applied the gardenia pack on my entire palm and other fingers because there is residual pain and discomfort. The picture of the color changing seven hours later is as follows. Even if the sprained area was not bruised, there was still swelling and remaining pain, so I put on the gardenia pack, but the uncomfortable symptoms disappeared.

Case 4. Kim Hyunsook(RN, Public Health Educator, 2024)

Original Character

Profile– Fire Earth Energy Constitution, late fifties

Yang Energy Person

Pulse diagnosis– Tree and Water energy should be nourished

Reason for applying-

I sprained my ankle badly. In this case, I was supposed to go to orthopedics and have a cast for at least a month, but I actually wanted to take advantage of what I learned from Barun Maek.

Results-

I applied the gardenia pack right away with a hot bath, and now, in the 7th week, it has recovered to the point where there is only about 5% weakening of its function compared to before the accident. The details are as follows.

Week 1: Hot baths and the packs had been applied daily=> The severe bruise had recovered and there is 30 percent improvement in the function.

Week 2: Hot baths, heat packs for the area had been applied daily. One time of the gardenia pack was applied again=> There is 50 percent improvement in the function.

Week 3: Hot baths, heat packs for the area had been applied daily=> There is 70 percent improvement in the function.

Week 4-5: Hot baths, heat packs for the area had been applied daily=> There is 90 percent improvement in the function, but if she twists her ankle, she still feels a lot of pain.

Week 6: Hot spring bath had been applied. => Even if she twists her ankle, the pain is significantly reduced.

Week 7: Constant hot baths and heat packs had been applied. Yoga and Barun Maek exercise are helping the recovery.=> There is 95 percent improvement in the function

What Barun Maek Saw:

Noe Eungyeong has a lack of Earth energy, so she bruises easily. Moon Jumi and Kim Hyunsook have a lack of Water energy so they had ankle sprains along their water energy channel. Kim Jinhui had pinky finger sprain since she has a weak fire energy and pinky finger is on the fire energy meridian.

People often get hurt in their vulnerable areas which is determined by the Yin Yang Five Elements paradigm. According to Yin Yang Five elements theory, the Gardenia fruit pack is composed of wheat powder which has Tree energy and the gardenia fruit has Fire energy. The energies of the pack and warmth flow into the flesh which has a lot of Earth energy by the controlling sequence which means Tree can control Earth. In the next step, Fire energy in the gardenia fruit powder melts the hardened blood and releases it to the surface of skin.

Even if there is no bruise, there is discomfort or residual pain, it means still there is hardened or clotted blood hiding in a deeper level. So, it is a common reaction that pain and discomfort are improved, lightened, and the body temperature in the area increases since the pack pulls the damaged blood up to the surface as the color changes. If you use it when you have a large bruise, it has the effect of shedding the color in one day. Heating up the place activates the process. The Barun Maek Research Society explained the principle, but it is still well utilized in Korean society as a traditional healing method because it is an effective method. Members of Barun Maek who are well aware of the principle are now more confident in using it to dissolve the damaged blood that causes pain.

Research Coordinator

This research project was coordinated by Eunji Lee Spitler. If you would like to work with her please contact her at spitlereunji@barunmaek.org