Bai Ji Granules, Box of 40 Packets (2g each)

Bitter, sweet, and cool, restraining and astringent, with a very sticky texture, Bletillae Rhizoma (bai ji) enters the Lung, Stomach, and Liver channels. Internally its function is to constrict and stop bleeding, but applied externally it can also drain heat, reduce swelling, and generate flesh. Its main use is in the treatment of bleeding from the Lungs or Stomach, but it can also be used in dysfunctional uterine bleeding, for wounds from trauma, and sores whether or not they have formed or perforated. For the latter two purposes it can be used both internally and externally. A common treatment for cracked and chapped skin of the hands is a lotion of Bletillae Rhizoma (bai ji) powder mixed with sesame oil. Caution should be used in externally-contracted diseases, due to its sticky nature, which can hold a pathogen within the body instead of allowing it to disperse outward. For the same reason, some feel that it should not be used in the early stages of sore and abscesses, and because it tends to promote the regrowth of flesh, which may cause the abscess to heal over before perforation allows its toxic pus to be expelled. Yet while this proscription would apply to most herbs of this nature, Bletillae Rhizoma (bai ji) may nonetheless be used in this situation, and also for early-stage boils and furuncles.* --Bensky: Chinese Herbal Medicine Materia Medica, 3rd ed.