Quilled or semiquilled, longitudinally fissured, somewhat involute or opened, 5~20 cm long, 5~12 mm in diameter, 1~4 mm thick. Outer surface greyish-brown or yellowish-brown, showing numerous transverse lenticels and rootlet scars, the exposed surface where cork fallen off appearing pink; inner surface pale greyish-yellow or pale brown, with obvious fine longitudinal striations, usually showing bright crystals. Texture hard and fragile, easily broken, fracture relatively even, mealy, pale pink. Odour, aromatic; taste, slightly bitter and astringent.

Eruptions in epidemic diseases; spitting of blood, epistaxis; consumptive fever occurring at night and subsiding in the morning without sweating; amenorrhea, dysmeorrhea; carbuncles and sores; traumatic injuries.

1.Eliminating evil heat from blood:

For the treatment of seasonal febrile disease with eruption, spitting blood and epistaxis due to blood-heat, it is often combined with Radix Rehmanniae, or with Cornu Rhinoceri if the disease is very serious; for the later stage of the disease with lingering heat attacking on Yingfen marked by night fever, with Herba Artemisiae Chinghao, Carapax Trionycis or Radix Rehmanniae and Fructus Corni; for asthenia-heat or fever before menstruation of women, with Fructus Gardeniae, Radix Angelicae Sinensis, Radix Rehmanniae, Radix Paeoniae Rubra, Rhizoma Ligustici Chuanxiong, etc. when necessary.

2.Promoting blood circulation to remove blood-stasis:

For the treatment of amenorrhea, dysmenorrhea due to blood stasis or abdominal mass due to accumulation of stasis of blood, it may be often combined with Ramulus Cinnamomi, Poria, Radix Paeoniae, Semen Persicae, etc.; for injury due to accident (esp. contusion of the chest or abdomen), marked by pain and blood-stasis, it is often combined with Radix Paeoniae Rubra, Olibanum, Resina Commiphorae Myrrhae, etc.; for the intestinal abscess with abdominal pain and constipation, it is often combined with Radix et Rhizoma Rhei, Semen Persicae, Semen Benincasae, etc. Besides, it can be used to treat carbuncle, abscess or skin pyogenic infection in combination with the other drugs. Moreover, it can be used to treat hypertension and arteriosclerosis in combination with Flos Chrysanthemi Indici, Concha Haliotidis, Caulis Lonicerae, etc.