This article introduces "ttongsul (feces liquor)," a traditional Korean alcoholic beverage, from Wikipedia.
As of October 23, 2025, the Wikipedia entry for "ttongsul" exists in five languages: Japanese, Chinese, English, Bahasa Indonesia, and Italian. Of these, the Japanese version is the most detailed, so I have translated the parts not included in the English version into English.
Perhaps the lack of a Korean version is due to the fact that it is considered a "national shame"?
The English version states, "In modern South Korea, the use of ttongsul is considered extremely rare, to the extent that most South Koreans have never heard of it.[13][14] In recent years, a Vice Japan video on ttongsul[13] drew criticism in South Korea, with some South Koreans arguing the rare practice was being disproportionately magnified by the Japanese right wing to mock Korean people.[14][15]"
I don't know if this statement was edited by a Korean (or Korean-American), but it is a statement that contradicts the facts.
Some Koreans are particularly adept at labeling any pointing out of historical facts that they find subjectively or emotionally inconvenient as false claims or hostile activity by "extreme right-wing forces in Japan," labeling them as hate speech or racism, or shifting the focus to issues of "perception."
As the following footnote makes clear, the Korean culture of using human feces, which has continued from ancient times to the present day, is well known internationally. South Koreans and North Koreans still habitually use (or abuse?) human feces today. It has nothing to do with the activities of Japan's (political) "extreme right."
Of course, I am neither "extreme right-wing" nor "extreme left-wing."
Furthermore, the Chinese version of the "Poop liquor (糞酒)" page does not contain the biased labeling seen in the English version above, which suggests that "Japanese right-wing forces are exaggerating an extremely rare case and making fun of Koreans." https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E7%B3%9E%E9%85%92
It's not uncommon for Koreans or Korean-Americans to edit English Wikipedia pages and post false statements, but it's rare to see ethnically, ideologically, or politically biased statements like "Japanese far-right..." in the Chinese version.
I cannot read Bahasa Indonesia, so I does not understand the statements in the Bahasa Indonesia version.
Tentative translation by the blog administrator. The blog administrator corrected typos in the Japanese version. The blog administrator made appropriate corrections to Japanese sentences that were difficult to translate into English.
〘Tongsul〙
https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%83%88%E3%83%B3%E3%82%B9%E3%83%AB
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This article is about a Korean medicine.
Ttongsul [1]
【overview】
Tongsul (English: Ttongsul) is a medicinal liquor made from human feces in the Korean Peninsula (South and North Korea). [2] It is a traditional Korean medicine. In the past, dried powdered human feces was called yainggon [3], and its decoction was called yainggonsu [3].
The Donguibogam (Donguibogam), a medical book from the Joseon Dynasty, states that human feces soup is a secret remedy for food poisoning from poultry or game meat, one sho (1 liter) of human feces is a secret remedy for poisonous mushroom poisoning, and feeding human feces to seriously ill people is a secret remedy. Korean singers drank filtered human feces water to soothe their throats. [4]
Tongsul is a type of folk remedy, the preparation of which varies depending on the region of the Korean Peninsula, and has been enjoyed as a traditional liquor believed to be effective for fractures, bruises, and back pain.
In South Korea, the number of people drinking tongsul has gradually decreased since the economic development that began in the mid-1960s, and by the 2010s it was falling out of favor among younger generations.
In a 2017 modern drama, parents visit someone their daughter has injured and bring tongsul as a cure. The young man unknowingly drinks it and suffers a mental shock that leaves him bedridden, but when he wakes up, his injuries have completely healed.
In 2013, a video of its production was released, and in 2020 it was exhibited at the Disgusting Food Expo.[1][5][6][7][8][9][10][11]
【Recipe】
Various recipes have been passed down.[1]
A bamboo tube is inserted into a rural pit toilet, and the excrement that clogs the bamboo is mixed with alcohol and drunk.[12]
A small hole is drilled in the bamboo tube, tightly sealed with pine needles, and the tube is placed in a stool jar. After 3-4 months, a clear liquid accumulates inside the tube. This liquid is then mixed with makgeolli and allowed to mature.[13]
In urgent cases, the liquor and excrement can be directly mixed and drunk within about three days.[13] However, hastily made tongsul has little medicinal effect, a strong odor, and is difficult to drink.
Cooked baby feces and various herbal medicines (such as cat bones) are soaked in alcohol.[14] It is said to be effective in treating all illnesses.
The feces of a six-year-old child are mixed with water and allowed to ferment for a day. Next, cooked rice, yeast, and feces and urine are mixed together to make a liquor.[15][1] It is said to be effective for fractures, bruises, back pain, and even epilepsy.
【Human feces liquid medicine in the Korean Peninsula】
The "Treasure Mirror of Eastern Medicine" (a UNESCO World Record Heritage) lists a recipe for "Hakkangtang" (Yinren Ganshui).
In herbal medicine, human (or other animal) feces and urine are commonly used as medicines or medicinal ingredients. In the Korean Peninsula, where traditional Chinese medicine was introduced from China, human feces were also used as a liquid medicine. This medicine, called "Hakkangtang" or "Yinren Ganshui,"[16] is said to be drunk when a person goes mad from a fever. It is made by burning dried human feces and dissolving it in water. Dried human feces powder is called "yainggon," and a decoction of this powder is called "yainggonsu." This is a harsh medicine used to treat the severe symptoms of "shanghan madness" (which would be considered circulatory system disorders and loss of consciousness due to illnesses such as typhoid fever in modern times).
The harshest treatment (to cure madness) is incineration, in which the patient's face is thrust into a fire and the flames are inhaled through the patient's nostrils.[16] It is known that Dae Jang Geum, a female physician from the 15th-16th century Joseon Dynasty, prescribed this medicine to the 11th king of Korea, Jungjong, as a fever reducer.[17][18]
In addition, in Korea, many herbal medicines derived from humans are used as folk remedies, and human feces have been used medicinally. According to the Dongui Bogam, "If someone becomes poisoned after eating meat, they should be given human feces soup." It also says, "If someone becomes poisoned by poisonous mushrooms, they should be given one sho (1.8 liters) of human feces." There is also a story that an ancient Korean singer drank human feces water to clear his throat.[4]
Imamura's "Collection of Korean Customs," a collection of Korean customs from the period of Japan's occupation of Korea, contains records of human fecal therapy, including a treatment for two-day malaria, such as "swallowing a pill made by wrapping human feces in black candy and exposing it to night fog for three days," a treatment for swelling, such as "applying a paste made by mixing human feces with salt," a treatment for typhoid, such as "applying human feces to tiles, heating it, and drinking the water," and a treatment for tooth decay, such as "roasting human feces and placing it in the teeth."[20]
【Tongsul in the 21st Century and Beyond】
On July 31, 2009, RocketNews24 (β) published an article introducing tongsul.[12] The article introduced the blog of a Japanese woman who had married into Korea, describing her confusion over the traditional Chinese medicine known as "poop wine" after encountering tongsul at her new home. The article stated, "It appears to be particularly popular in rural Korea."[12][2]
On November 9, 2012, Rocket News 24 discovered a secret tongsul dealer after a six-month secret investigation and purchased some from him. The news reported that tongsul is still produced in modern-day South Korea, and that it cannot be purchased in stores but can be ordered in advance and purchased directly from a tongsul seller.[14]
The method that Rocket News 24 investigated involves baking a child's feces in an electric oven at 250°C for 30 minutes, causing a foul odor that reverberates throughout the neighborhood. Koreans then soak the feces in alcohol along with traditional Chinese medicine and cat bones for at least two months, resulting in a brown liquid. A video of actress Chie Nomura drinking tongsul was released.[21]
On December 28, 2012, an article was published in which five members of the girl air band "Doppelganger," Hojo Mami, Kato Haruka, Oda Asami, Yui Kaori, and Kato Momoko, were given the secret ingredients and asked for their impressions.[22]
On August 17, 2013, VICE Japan reporter Uchida Yuka interviewed Dr. Lee Chang-soo and tried the tongsul that he had made in front of her. However, she vomited on the way home. An article and video of the experience were published.[23]
On the 20th, the British newspaper Daily Mail[1] reported the same, and on the 22nd, China's Global Times, citing Hong Kong's Wen Wei Po[15], and on the 23rd, China's Guangzhou Daily (Chinese version) also cited the Daily Mail.[24]
In the 2017 Korean drama "Strong Woman Do Bong-soon" (which recorded the highest viewer ratings of any JTBC drama),[25] there is a scene in episode 10 where the heroine's mother (from Seoul) visits the people she injured in the hospital and brings them dongsul. The people fall ill due to the psychological shock of drinking dongsul. However, when they wake up, their injuries are healed (episode 11).[11]
In 2020, dongsul was exhibited at the Swedish Food Disgust Expo.[6][7][8][9][10]
【Footnotes】
Sarah Griffiths, "Bottoms up? The bizarre traditional Korean rice wine that uses human poo to 'heal' everything from broken bones to epilepsy," Daily Mail, August 20, 2013
"'Koreans Drink Tongsul': Controversy over Japanese Article," Herald Economics (March 10, 2010)
"National Diet Library Digital Collection: Cold," Corrected Eastern Medical Mirror, Incurable Diseases, Volume 3, by Togai Tobei, 1724
[Fountain] Human Feces, Kim Nam-jung, Editorial Writer, JoongAng Ilbo, August 20, 2010
Korean Human Feces Liquor "Tongsul" - Korean Poo Wine, VICE Japan, August 16, 2013
Foerster, Emma (August 23, 2019). "Disgusting Food Museum - 80 of the world's most disgusting "Faeces wine? Revolting alcohol on show at Disgusting Food Museum | New Straits Times" (English). disgustingfoodmuseum.com. Accessed September 14, 2020.
"Poop wine? Vile alcohol on show at Swedish Disgusting Food Museum." Moneycontrol. Accessed September 14, 2020.
AFP (September 13, 2020). "Faeces wine? Revolting alcohol on show at Disgusting Food Museum | New Straits Times" (English). NST Online. Accessed September 14, 2020.
AFP (September 13, 2020). "Faeces wine? Revolting alcohol on show at Disgusting Food Museum | New Straits Times" (English). NST Online. Accessed September 14, 2020.
"Strong Woman Do Bong-soon" DVD Box, Episodes 10-11, JTBC
"What is Tongsul, the Traditional Korean Liquor Made from Human Feces?" Rocket News 24 (β) (July 31, 2009). Archived from the original on August 2, 2009. Accessed October 22, 2019.
Gyeongnam Ilbo (October 15, 2007). Accessed August 8, 2009. Column by Kang Seong-ju, Chief of the Police Affairs Division, Gyeongnam National Police Agency.
Kuzo (November 9, 2012). "Obtaining Tongsul, the Traditional Korean Liquor Made from Human Feces / Still on Sale, and Cats are Used as Ingredients." Rocket News 24. Archived from the original on November 10, 2012. Accessed October 22, 2019.
A secret "medicinal liquor" passed down in Korea for hundreds of years is actually made from the feces of a 6-year-old child, Focus-Asia, August 22, 2013
"National Diet Library Digital Collection: Cold," Revised Eastern Medical Mirror, Incurable Diseases Volume 3, by Togai Tobei, 1724.
"King Sejong the Great Loved Meat... Obesity and Diabetes," Dong-A Ilbo, August 22, 2005, 03:11, accessed August 24, 2013
"Changes in Medicine as Seen through the Treatment of Illnesses of Joseon Kings," Kim Jeong-seon, Graduate School of Medicine, Seoul National University
Imamura, "Collection of Korean Customs: Complete," Shidokan, 1914, p. 426
"I Tried Tongsul, the Traditional Korean Liquor Made with Human Feces / It's Exactly the Color of Poop, but Tastes Like Herbal Liquor." Rocket News 24 (November 11, 2012). Archived from the original on November 13, 2012. Retrieved October 22, 2019.
"[Tongsul] I Had Five Beautiful Women Try Korean Poop Liquor / Girl: "It Tastes Like Fine Wine" → Reporter: "There's Poop in It" → Girl: "No Poop, Ughー＝ッ！！！！！" Rocket News 24 (December 28, 2012). Archived from the original on December 31, 2012. Accessed October 22, 2019.
Let's take a look at Korea's secret human feces liquor, "Tongsul," from its manufacturing process to its taste! (Archived as of August 19, 2013) VICE JAPAN, August 17, 2013. Accessed September 1, 2013.
A Japanese female journalist tastes Korea's secret "Tongsul," made from the feces of a 6-year-old child - Chinese newspaper (Archived as of August 25, 2013). Xinhua Economics, August 23, 2013. Accessed September 1, 2013.
"Park Bo-gum and Park Bo-young win Best Actor and Best Picture awards in Korean dramas...'Moonlight Drawn by Clouds' Best Picture Award (2)." JoongAng Ilbo - Providing the latest Korean news in Japanese. Accessed July 23, 2022.
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