TCM Topicals & Their Role in your Care
Is there an old wives’ tale or two you grew up with? For me, it was my Granny using baking soda on every skin ailment you could think of. Worse, milk-soaked bread! That one was kind of gross. You can ask my sister, she had firsthand experience. Topical poultices, ointments, liniments, steaming or dressings are not new applications, but rather ones that seem to have been forgotten. In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) there are multiple modalities to help improve health. I think some types of care are more familiar, such as getting acupuncture or taking herbs. The less familiar is topical applications. A recognizable TCM formula here in the West would be Tiger Balm, but beyond that I doubt there is one in your medicine cabinet. In this blog I want to highlight the benefits of two topical herbal preparations I use in my practice, evil bone water and dragon blood balm. These belong to a formula category that relieve qi (pronounced ‘chee’) and blood stagnation, promote healing and relieve pain.
First, I am not the maker of these. I buy them from two small businesses in the United States because these guys are dedicated to sourcing high grade herbs and honouring the essence of medicine. We will peek into some herbs used in these products and consider how these can help your day-to-day life. I hope when you have finished reading this blog you will want to try these products. Then once you try them, that you will be left asking how you have managed this long without it. See section "To Order" for more information, details to contact and items currently in stock for ordering.
Let’s challenge some notions about pain and pain management!
Pain – what causes it and why does it linger?
Pain is among the most subjective occurrences that can be described. It is a lived experience one feels after trauma, in response to an intervention, it can originate from within your body. There is no shortage of descriptions or sources of pain. For the sake of this blog; and your time. The focus will be on physical displays of pain primarily from trauma and this will include chronic pain.
What if we could reduce or even replace over-the-counter pharmaceuticals like non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug(s) or acetaminophen? Some commonly used NSAID brands include Advil, Aleve or you may be more aware of the brand Tylonol for acetaminophen. Many retail pharmacies have these under their store brands too.
Either you are scrolling away now or you’re fascinated, maybe you are gasping! How can one claim something so strongly against the Western institution of pharmaceuticals? How can a standard of care in pain management and the failsafe of self-care be questioned in this way? I like to say that when we can view a problem differently from the conventional lens of western medicine. It affords a unique view of alternative solutions. Stay with me here.
When injury or trauma happens, it is called acute when healing takes place in reasonable time. It becomes chronic when the process is incomplete, which can be for many reasons. Let’s go a bit deeper and say that when injury occurs the substances involved become stuck in an area which results in pain. The stuck substances may or may not be where the initial injury occurred. Now, give these substances a TCM name and call them qi and blood. Pain occurs when qi and blood grind to a halt; these substances do not move freely. Qi and blood, they support each other by qi being the force that moves blood, without one the other cannot move on its own. This results in a whole host of pain descriptions. In TCM it can depend on other conditions like stasis which results in a stabbing-like pain in a specific location. Another common affliction is dampness that results in dull or heavy pain that is diffuse covering a large area.
Remember earlier TCM herbal formulas are divided into categories? It is much like how pharmaceuticals are classified by their actions. My best practice pals can help relieve pain, ease stiffness in joints, penetrate deeply to tissues to promote healing and deliver anti-inflammatory properties to where they are needed. The herbal formulas we are going to look at in more depth may be based on ones called die da jiu and qi li san. Both are from ancient martial arts practices and are often referred to as hit medicine.
Zheng Xie Gu Shui (Evil Bone Water)
I was introduced to Evil Bone Water from Saint Apothecary by a friend when I was in school. I was skeptical, but after I witnessed its abilities and had the opportunity to experience it. I have been hooked ever since. Getting this specific brand in Canada was not possible then and it is not easy now. However, it is worth the effort and cost. This was when I learned about Dragon Blood Balm too. These topical herbals can be used together or separate. This is not a patent formula; this means anyone can make it. However, herbal sourcing is so important. This step is critical, when an herb is collected, how it is managed, stored and shipped can all impact the end product. Traditionally, die da jiao was used to influence bone healing along with bone setting. Over time formulas morph into different forms that best serve the modern age. See ingredient list with references below.
In my practice, I use this to prepare needle insertion sites accounting for its alcohol base preparation. I also apply for auricular therapy, in tuina treatments and with any type of persistent pain that is impacting clear thoughts or occupying space for meaningful discussion.
Possible indications for use include:
1. Fractures | 6. Bruising |
2. Sports injuries | 7. Sprains |
3. Joint pain | 8. General pains |
4. Infection, or burns | 9. Cuts & bites of all sorts |
5. Muscle & ligament pain |
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At home you can apply this topically 2-4 times daily to area(s) as needed. It is usually applied with a cotton ball to the affected area(s). However, it can also be applied with a spray top to relieve tension and excess build up under the skin. The application would vary by your condition. It can be easy to manage, and it is an aromatic formula that I think smells great. No, as wonderful as it sounds; I don’t think it is recommended to bathe in it. A little goes a long way!
Dragon Blood Balm
I learned about dragon blood balm as a company from a podcast. I also really like to say the name, it’s fun, but it is the primary resin; sanguis draconis. Being a resin, it results in a solid state along with beeswax and frankincense, which is pretty thick and sticky when boiled. Again, this is not a patent, and anyone can make it, but it would be rather messy. It remains in the same category as other die da jiao formulations like zheng gu shui. Traditionally, this may have been a liquid product and used in a similar manner to manage skin irritations, quick healing of wounds and bruising, reducing local inflammation and protecting skin. See ingredient list with references below.
In my practice I use this with tuina treatments, acupressure, some types of shiatsu, almost all types of pain and even with moxibustion as a skin barrier. I placed a meager student sized order to try it out. I had a patient in mind whom I was most excited to share it with after trying it at home first. It worked well enough for my clinic patient I gave her a couple tubes to extend the clinic benefits at home between treatments.
Possible other indications include:
1. Skin irritations to promote healing of bites, burns, cuts, eczema, rashes |
2. After care for training or prevention of trauma |
3. On sore muscles |
4. On tendon and ligament pain |
At home you could apply this 3 times a day or more as needed to affected area(s) and in combination with evil bone water for a deeper benefit. The result of dragon blood balm is in faster healing or even prevention of trauma to skin due to the influence on the microlevel blood vessels of the localized application area. A little goes a long way! You could even reduce use of other topicals such as replacing the need for over-the-counter antibacterial products often used for minor skin problems. Or over-the-counter corticosteroids or antihistamines; all of these have some weird extra ingredients!
In closing
In TCM, the goal is to bring the body into a state of harmony, or balance if that sounds more goal worthy. Western pharmaceuticals do not offer much in the way of balancing the body. It is very much a symptom focused or system isolating application. Without much, if any, consideration what the whole system may require. It is almost a misaligned set of goals; your body (and mind) wants relief, the over-the-counter product gives you a portion of the outcome by targeting a piece of the puzzle. I believe in the use of TCM topical herbal therapies as these can be applied easily in your self-care treatment strategy or to extend the benefit of a treatment session. Evil Bone Water and Dragon Blood Balm are both hand-crafted in small batches using quality sourced (including organic) ingredients. Distilled with precision and compassion by TCM herbalists. These small companies are just trying to do good things in a big world; like me. I brought this into practice because it felt right and it works really well. Now, I want to introduce it to you. In part because I feel guilty hanging on to these super cool products that do amazing work by relieving pain, easing stiff joints, reducing inflammation, supporting acute and chronic conditions and for you to have a better quality of life without the ‘ick’ extras that are in so many topical products. They are easy to work into your routine, or easy to store in an emergency kit, medicine cabinet as a new go to for skin repair and healing.
To Order
For additional information or to order, I can be reached by text message, email, Facebook messenger, phone call. I am happy to help you explore if one or both of these products are a good fit for you. Supply is limited and available for local pick up in Barrie and surrounding area.
Currently in stock:
Seasonal dragon blood balm 0.5 oz tin (warming formula or extra warming formula)
Regular dragon blood balm in 0.5 oz tin OR easy apply stick
Evil bone water (no spray top) 3.4 oz
Bundle dragon blood balm - 3 pack of easy apply roll on (regular formula)
These are not easily available in Canada and I am not aware of another clinic currently selling either product to the public. I hope that new opportunities are coming and can increase the availability and reduce the prices.
References and Ingredient Lists
1st Chinese Herbs. (2026). TCM formulas explained: a clear guide to traditional Chinese medicine herbal blends. Retrieved January 4, 2026, from 1stchineseherbs.com website: https://1stchineseherbs.com/tcm-formulas-explained-a-clear-guide-to-traditional-chinese-medicine-herbal-blends/
Flaws, B. (2022). Statements of fact in traditional Chinese medicine : Completely revised & expanded (16th ed., pp. 99–101). Boulder, Co: Blue Poppy Press. (Original work published 1994)
Lybarger, R. (2025). Trauma medicine in traditional Chinese herbalism: a clinical guide. In https://www.skoaching.com/ (pp. 1–5). Retrieved from https://www.skoaching.com/content/files/2025/04/Trauma-Medicine-in-Traditional-Chinese-Herbalism.pdf
Me & Qi. (2026). Trauma in Traditional Chinese Medicine. Retrieved January 4, 2026, from Me & Qi website: https://www.meandqi.com/knowledge-base/conditions/trauma/
Zheng Xie Gu Shui (Evil Bone Water) Ingredients:
· Camphor (zheng nao)
· Natural menthol (bo he nao)
· Cinnamon (gui pi)
· Japanese knotweed (hu zheng)
· Zedoary (e zhu)
· Angelica (bai zhi)
· Croton (ji gu xiang)
· Flemingia root (qian jin ba)
· Elecampane (bai niu dan)
· Ginseng (tian qi)
distilled in high quality alcohol
Dragon Blood Balm Ingredients:
· Dragon blood resin (sanguis draconis)
· Beeswax
· Jojoba oil
· Hempseed oil
· Myrrh
· Frankincense
· Sappen wood
· Arnebia root
· Mugwort
· Safflower
· Angelica sinesis
· Angelica dahurican
· Astragalus root
· Plant derived menthol crystals
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