The Four Constitutional Types
Sasang constitutional medicine (사상의학) was systematized by Korean physician Lee Je-ma (이제마) in his 1894 text Donguisusebowon (동의수세보원). It classifies all people into four constitutional types — each with distinct physiology, metabolism, personality, and responses to food and herbs.
Quick Start
No API key. No registration. Just fetch.
// Get So-Yang constitutional profile const res = await fetch('https://peaceakame.github.io/sasang-api/api/type/so-yang.json'); const type = await res.json(); console.log(type.tagline); // → "Runs hot · Moves fast · Feels everything loudly" console.log(type.diet.ginseng); // → "avoid" console.log(type.diet.ginseng_reason); // → "Ginseng is a warming herb that raises internal heat..."
import requests r = requests.get('https://peaceakame.github.io/sasang-api/api/herb/ginseng.json') ginseng = r.json() for type_id, info in ginseng['constitutional_guidance'].items(): print(f"{type_id}: {info['recommendation']}") # tae-yang: strictly_avoid # so-yang: avoid # tae-eum: moderate_benefit # so-eum: highly_beneficial
Endpoints
| Endpoint | Description |
|---|---|
| /api/type/index.json | All four types — summary with organ balance and thermal nature |
| /api/type/tae-yang.json | Tae-Yang full profile (diet, herbs, skincare, personality, health) |
| /api/type/so-yang.json | So-Yang full profile |
| /api/type/tae-eum.json | Tae-Eum full profile |
| /api/type/so-eum.json | So-Eum full profile |
| /api/foods/index.json | Food recommendations by constitutional type |
| /api/skincare/index.json | Skincare ingredients with constitutional compatibility ratings |
| /api/herb/index.json | Herb compatibility guide — quick ratings for key herbs |
| /api/herb/ginseng.json | Ginseng: detailed safety profile by constitution with alternatives |
| /api/symptoms/index.json | Symptom → constitutional type mapping with mechanisms |
Why This Exists
Korea built a $754M ginseng export industry while its own medical tradition says approximately 30% of people should actively avoid it and another 50% should use it cautiously. The Sasang framework explains why the same herb, diet, or skincare ingredient works brilliantly for one person and causes adverse reactions in another.
This API makes that clinical knowledge machine-readable for the first time.
Ginseng Constitutional Safety
| Type | Recommendation | Why |
|---|---|---|
| So-Eum 소음인 | ✅ Highly Beneficial | Provides the warmth and digestive support this cold type lacks |
| Tae-Eum 태음인 | ⚠️ Moderate Benefit | Tolerable, but may promote stagnation without dispersing herbs |
| So-Yang 소양인 | ❌ Avoid | Adds heat to an already hot constitution |
| Tae-Yang 태양인 | 🚫 Strictly Avoid | Maximum Yang + warming tonic = dangerous heat accumulation |
Use Cases
Setup (GitHub Pages)
- Fork or clone this repository
- Go to repo Settings → Pages
- Set source to
mainbranch, root directory - Your API is live at
https://YOUR-USERNAME.github.io/sasang-api/
All endpoints are static JSON files served directly by GitHub Pages — no server, no database, no build step.
Attribution & License
Data derived from the Sasang constitutional medicine tradition codified by Lee Je-ma (이제마) in Donguisusebowon, 1894.
Compiled and structured by hanbangtype.com — the most user-friendly English-language resource for Sasang constitutional medicine.
License: CC BY 4.0 — Free to use, modify, and distribute with attribution.
"attribution": "Sasang Constitutional Medicine API — hanbangtype.com"