Nature: sweet, salty, neutral

Enters: Heart, Liver

Topical Actions: Promotes regeneration of tissue; stops bleeding.

Topical Indications:
• Bleeding due to external trauma.
• Non-healing skin ulcers: protects the surface of the ulcer, prevents decay, and generates flesh.
Weng Weiliang, et. al.:
• Ulcer after tumor operation: Xiao Du San: xue jie, feng fang tan, bi hu, 10g each; bing pian 5g, honey of proper amount. The drugs were grounded into fine powder and applied to the ulcer which was surrounded by honey later, then the honey was applied on top of the drug powder. 33 cases of ulcer after tumor operation were treated, and scab formed after 6.5 days averagely.
• Primary liver cancer: Pu Tuo Gao made of xue jie, quan xie, wu gong, shui hong hua zi, bai jiang can, mu bie zi, da feng zi, zhe cong, bing pian was applied externally for 5~7 days. Change the dressing after 3 days’ interval, 12 times as a course of treatment. 67 cases of primary liver cancer were treated, and the pain alleviating rate was 96.7%.
• Bedsore: san qi, xue jie, hong hua, ze lan, dang gui wei, ru xiang, mo yao, zhi ma qian zi, hu po, sheng da huang, tao ren, xu duan, gu sui bu, zhe chong, zi ran tong, su mu, qin jiao, zao xiu. All drugs were soaked in wine for 3~6 months. The infusion could be used to treat bedsore and had swelling relieveing, tissue regenerating effect.

Topical Dose: 6-9g

Internal Actions: Promotes blood circulation, dispels blood stasis, alleviates pain.

Internal Indications:
• Blood stasis: trauma, swelling, pain, symptoms related to injury from falls, fractures, contusions, sprains, endometriosis.
• Similar to San qi, but weaker than San qi at promoting blood circulation or stopping bleeding.
• Contraindicated in patients without blood stasis.
• Bensky and Gamble classify this herb as a blood mover.
Eric Brand:
Xue Jie (Daemonoropis Resina) is a fascinating substance. Also known as Dragon’s Blood, Xue Jie has been used for hundreds of years in many different cultural contexts. Xue Jie is a tree resin that has been used as a medicine, incense, and dye since ancient times. It was recorded in Greece by Dioscorides and appeared for the first time in Chinese medicine in the Lei Gong Pao Zhi Lun (Master Lei’s Treatise on Drug Processing), written in the Northern and Southern Dynasties period (420-589 CE). It later appeared in the Tang Ben Cao (Tang Materia Medica), the first Imperial textbook on materia medica.
Xue Jie is used for a diverse range of purposes. In Chinese medicine, it is said to quicken the blood, stanch bleeding, and engender flesh. It is a major medicinal in traumatology and is also used to treat bleeding in the upper GI tract. Beyond injuries and bleeding, if we look at its applications in modern Chinese medical gynecology, we find that Xue Jie is an incredibly important medicinal in empirical formulas to treat endometriosis.
The importance of Xue Jie in endometriosis is evident when examining modern Chinese textbooks on TCM gynecology. Its claim to fame lies in expelling old blood stasis so that new blood can be engendered; in fact, its Chinese name literally means “exhausted (spent) blood.” Looking at the treatments for endometriosis relative to traditional TCM disease categories such as painful menstruation or concretions and conglomerations (zheng jia), we see that the formulas selected for the same patterns are consistent but nearly all the endometriosis formulas add in Xue Jie. Thus, clearly the experts in China know something about Xue Jie that most of us do not.
Xue Jie in the treatment of Endometriosis
Hong-Yen Hsu (Oriental Materia Medica): Antibacterial, hemostatic.

Internal Dose: 0.3-1.5g