What it is:
This herb is the rhizome of Bletilla striata (Thunb.) Reichb. f. (family Orchidaceae) which is produced mainly in the provinces of Guizhou, Sichuan, Zhejiang and Hunan. It is dug in summer and autumn, washed clean after removal of the hairy root- lets, boiled till there is no white core in it, peeled, dried in sunlight, and then sliced or ground to powder for use.

Property:
Bitter, sweet and astringent in fla- vour, slightly cold in property, acting on the lung, liver and stomach channels.

Effects:
Iducing astringency to stop bleeding, promoting subsidence of swell- ing and regeneration of the tissue.

Used for:
1. Hemoptysis, hematemesis and tr- aumatic bleeding, es- pecially lung or stomach hemorrhage. It can be used alone by mixing its powder with water in which glutinous rice is cooked, or with cool boiled water for an oral dose. The mixture of the fine powder of this herb and notoginseng can be used for oral administration. For the treatment of phthisical cough and hemoptysis, it is used with loquat leaf, gecko powder and donkey- hide gelatin; for hema- temesis accompanied with stomachache and acid regurgitation, it is used with cuttle-bone, as in Powder of Cuttle- bone and Hyacinth Bletilla (Wu Ji San); for traumatic bleed- ing, the powder of hyacinth bletilla is applied externally.

2. Sores, car- buncles and other pyogenic skin dis- eases. For early, nonulcerated infec- tions, it is used with honeysuckle flower, tricho- santhes fruit and honeylocust thorn; for slow-healing ones long after ul- ceration, the powder of this herb can be applied externally. Besides, the ointment make of hyacinth bletilla powder and sesame oil can be used for cracked skin of the hands and feet, anal fissure and scalds.

Dosage and administration:3-10g, decocted in water for an oral dose; 1.5-3g of its powder for oral administra- tion; proper amount for external use.

Precautions:
It is antagonistic to aconite.