This year 100,000 clusters ofMaehwa plum blossoms (매화꽃) will bloom on the Seomjingang River (섬진강) again.

Hello, this is doctor LeeMoon Won.

Every year at the end ofFebruary and at the beginning of March, I turn completely busy physically andmentally.

Since a few years ago, wehave studied Korean wildflowers and have been extracting some beneficialingredients for people who suffer from hair loss or want their hair to lookhealthier in general. After all, we started applying them to the patients’treatment.

When the Maehwa plum blossoms,Cornelian cherry blossoms (산수유꽃), camellia blossoms (동백꽃), Cherry blossoms (벚꽃) start to bloom fromthe end of February we have to pick the flowers quickly.

The flowers bloom and fallfor a week or two,and if we fail to get the extracts from them, we will have to wait until thenext year.

Red Maehwa plum blossom on the Seomjingang River (섬진강변) in Hadong (하동),Gyeongsangnam-do (경남)

I, personally, make thegreatest use of Maehwa plum blossoms (매화꽃),camellia blossoms (동백꽃) and Cherry blossoms (벚꽃).

Maehwa plum blossom andCherry blossom

Have a moisturizing,antibacterial, and anti-inflammatory effects, as well as hair protection. So Iput these extracts in the treatments for people who suffer from hair loss withdandruff, itchiness or dermatitis on their scalp, etc.

Moreover, as a cosmeticingredient, it is also often used as an ingredient for hair protection.

(Green Maehwa plum blossom flower on theSeomjingang River in Hadong, Gyeongsangnam-do)

Camellia flowers help tocontrol the pH of the scalp and hair, and they are used to improve thecondition of dry hair and scalp due to their moisturizing ability.

During obtaining thesenatural materials time matters the most, as I mentioned earlier. If you missthe right timing, you will fail to obtain the materials this year.

And I went to the SeomjingangRiver to pick flowers without delay as the newsthat the plum blossoms were in full bloom, was out.

At this time of the year,there suppose to be a lot of people on the train due to the Maehwa Festival inGwangyang (광양), but this year, because of the Corona-19, Icould have counted train passenger on the fingers of one hand.

Come to think of it, the MaehwaFestival might be canceled.

When I got off at Guryedistrict (구례구역), it was extremely quiet and empty.However, I was amused as I saw Cornelian cherry flowers blossom next to thetrain road.

(Gurye District Railway Road with Cornelian cherry blossom inbloom)

Even if people forgot aboutthe spring because of Corona 19, the Seomjingang River was full of springwarmness.

(The Seomjingang River, theview from the car)

Mister Kim Jong-hee came tothe station, and on his way to Hadong, he was amused by the view of the Seomjingang River.

I would like to thank MisterKim Jong-hee who has been working with me for years. It`s not as easy as itsounds. Because flowers must be picked with your hands, flower by flower, andwe must work quickly before it completely falls off. I am greatly indebted tohim.

I had to finish my work todaybefore sunset, so I rushed to the Maehwa blossom field and started pickingflowers. 

It takes about four hours topick a full basket, and I needed to have about 600cc of Maehwa plum blossomextract. When you pick the flowers, you need to put your hands up and pick themone by one, so after an hour your shoulders and back start to feel stiff.

It is a pity that the numberof green Maehwa plum trees is decreasing every year. It was said that the greenMaehwa plum farming industry is gradually reducing because the sale price ofplum is low and the consumption is decreasing. 

Just a few years ago, wewould have to go to the mountains to pick green plum blossoms. But nowadaysfarmers often offer to pick it from their fields for you. When you pick theflowers, the green plums do not arise anyways, so now it does not matter. I wasa little worried.

You can see various springherbs on the way down from the green plum blossom field. Should I call thisorganic? Ha-ha

There were a day lily, sedumand bog rhubarb growing by the side of the road

The wild sedum looked smallerbut it is more substantial; the bud of bog rhubarb was ready to burst intobloom. Seeing the fresh sprouts after a long time made me feel the spring.

Once I wash the green Maehwaplum blossoms and dry them I put them in a cold air extractor. After a fewhours, the sap that it was holding is extracted. Now you can see the purecomponents that are not mixed with water.

(Pure green Maehwa plum blossoms extract)

I came to Seoul feelingpretty tired, but I also felt relieved as if I had finished farming this year.Anyways, the cherry blossoms will bloom in two weeks, so I will go back theresoon.

(Cherry blossoms aroundSsanggyesa Temple in Hadong in 2019)