Calamus Draco (Xuejie/Qilinjie)

Xuejie血竭 (Blood Stasis Resin) also named Qilinjie麒麟竭is a traditional Chinese medicine made from the resin exuded from the fruit of the palm plant Calamus draco. This plant is distributed in Indonesia, including Java, Sumatra, and Borneo. Xuejie is known for its properties of invigorating blood and relieving pain, resolving stasis and stopping bleeding, and promoting wound healing and tissue regeneration. It is used to treat trauma and bruises, abdominal pain due to blood stasis, external bleeding from injuries, and non-healing sores.
Botanical Name: Calamus draco

Definition: Blood-stopping resin known as Xuejie is derived from the fruit of the palm plant Calamus draco. It is processed from the resin exuded from the fruit. The plant is distributed in Indonesia, particularly in Java, Sumatra, and Borneo.

Part Used:

  • Resin exuded from the fruit of the plant.

Properties:

  • Taste: Sweet, salty.
  • Nature: Neutral.

Meridian Affinities:

  • Heart and Liver meridians.

Functions:

  • Invigorate Blood & Alleviate Pain: Enhances blood circulation and relieves pain.
  • Resolve Stasis & Stop Bleeding: Resolves blood stasis and helps to stop bleeding.
  • Promote Wound Healing: Assists in the healing of wounds and sores.

Indications:

  • Used for treating trauma and bruises, abdominal pain from blood stasis, external bleeding from injuries, and non-healing sores.

Formulations:

  1. For Abdominal Pain:
    • Combine Xuejie, Frankincense (乳香), Myrrh (没药), and Coptis (孩儿茶) in equal amounts. Take with warm wine to relieve pain.
  2. For Postpartum Hemorrhage:
    • Place Xuejie and Frankincense inside the cavity of a fish, burn in a cloth bag, grind into powder, and take with hot wine.
  3. For Postpartum Bleeding and Chest Fullness:
    • Mix Xuejie and Myrrh with child’s urine and wine, then consume.

Dosage and Administration:

  • Internal Use: 1-2 grams in powdered form, or included in pill formulations.
  • External Use: Apply as a powder or in plasters.

Precautions:

  • Use cautiously during pregnancy.
  • Avoid use during menstruation.

Processing:

  • Collection and Preparation:
    • Harvest the fruits in autumn, cook in a steamer to extract the resin, which solidifies. Grind the solidified resin into a fine powder.
  • Processing Method:
    • Remove impurities and grind into fine particles or powder.

Botanical Characteristics:

  • Plant Type: A perennial, evergreen vine, growing 10-20 meters long.
  • Stem: Covered with leaf sheaths and sharp spines.
  • Leaves: Pinnate compound, with alternate arrangement at the tips and sometimes near opposite at the base. Leaflets are linear-lanceolate, 20-30 cm long, 3 cm wide, with sharp tips and narrow bases. Leaf stalks and axils have sharp spines.
  • Flowers: Inflorescences are spikes with pale yellow, unisexual flowers. Male flowers have six stamens and elongate anthers. Female flowers have six sterile stamens and one pistil with a bottle-shaped ovary covered in scales. The stigma is trifid.
  • Fruit: Drupe-like, oval-spherical, about 2-3 cm in diameter, reddish-brown with yellow scales. The fruit contains deep red resin, which exudes from beneath the scales and solidifies into a blood-like substance.

Habitat:

  • Grows in humid, tropical regions, particularly in Indonesia (Java, Sumatra, Borneo).

Medicinal Characteristics:

  • Appearance: Slightly rounded, square, or brick-shaped, dark red with a shiny surface, covered with red powder from friction. Hard and brittle with a red fracture surface. Turns brick-red when powdered.
  • Odor and Taste: Slight odor, bland taste.
  • Solubility: Insoluble in water, softens in hot water.

Historical and Classic References:

  1. Compendium of Materia Medica (本草纲目):
    • Describes Xuejie as a resin similar to human blood, with sweet and salty taste, primarily affecting the liver and heart meridians.
  2. Materia Medica (本经逢原):
    • Used for treating pain from injuries and blood stasis. Xuejie is especially potent for liver blood issues but should be used cautiously due to its strong action.

Xuejie is highly valued in traditional medicine for its diverse therapeutic effects, particularly in managing trauma, wound healing, and addressing blood-related conditions.