Xue Yu Tan

Xue Yu Tan, literally blood-remainder charcoal, is Crinis Carbonisatus, prepared by carbonizing washed clean human hair in a closed crucible until it forms shiny black brittle masses that retain the form of clumped hair. The processed material is broken into irregular pieces, light in weight, with a faint scorched odor and a slightly salty taste. The substance is classified in traditional Chinese medicine as a processed animal-derived medicinal, bitter and neutral in nature, entering the Liver and Stomach channels; it stops bleeding, dispels blood stasis, and promotes urination, and is used for hematemesis, epistaxis, hemoptysis, hematuria, hematochezia, uterine bleeding, and traumatic bleeding. It is typically applied topically as a powder or taken internally in pills and powders rather than decocted, often paired with other hemostatics.