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Dragons Blood Essential Oil
Certificate of Analysis
Family:
Euphorbiaceae
Genus:
Croton
Species:
lechleri, salutaris, palanostigma
Synonyms:
Croton draco
Common
Names: Sangre de grado, sangre de
drago, dragon’s blood, drago, sangue de
drago, sangue de agua
Part Used: Bark, resin/sap
Uses: wounds, stops bleeding, kills
bacteria, germs, fungi, viruses, relieves
diarrhea, reduces inflammation and relieves
itching including from stings and bug bites.
Sangre de grado is a medium-sized to large
tree that grows from 10–20 m high in the
upper Amazon region of Peru, Ecuador, and
Colombia. Although tall, the trunk is
usually less than 30 cm in diameter and is
covered by smooth, mottled bark. It has
large, heart-shaped, bright-green leaves and
unique, greenish-white flowers on long
stalks. Its Peruvian name,
sangre de
grado, means “blood of the dragon” (in
Spanish). In Ecuador, it’s named sangre de
drago (which means “dragon’s blood” as
well). When the trunk of the tree is cut or
wounded, a dark red, sappy resin oozes out
as if the tree is bleeding—earning this
local name. The genus Croton is a large one,
with 750 species of trees and shrubs
distributed across the tropical and
subtropical regions of both hemispheres.
Crotons are rich in active alkaloids, and
several species are well-known medicinal
plants used as purgatives and tonics.
TRIBAL AND
HERBAL MEDICINE USES
Sangre de
grado's red sap or latex (and also its bark)
has a long history of indigenous use in the
rainforest and in South America. The
earliest written reference dates its use to
the 1600s, when Spanish naturalist and
explorer P. Bernabé Cobo found that the
curative power of the sap was widely known
throughout the indigenous tribes of Mexico,
Peru, and Ecuador. For centuries, the sap
has been painted on wounds to staunch
bleeding, to accelerate healing, and to seal
and protect injuries from infection. The sap
dries quickly and forms a barrier, much like
a "second skin." It is used externally by
indigenous tribes and local people in Peru
for wounds, fractures, and hemorrhoids,
internally for intestinal and stomach
ulcers, and as a douche for vaginal
discharge. Other indigenous uses include
treating intestinal fevers and inflamed or
infected gums, in vaginal baths before and
after childbirth, for hemorrhaging after
childbirth, and for skin disorders.
Sangre de
grado resin and bark are used in traditional
medicine in South America today in much the
same manner as indigenous ones. In Peruvian
herbal medicine it is recommended for
hemorrhaging, as an antiseptic vaginal
douche and, topically, for healing wounds.
It is also used internally for ulcers in the
mouth, throat, intestines and stomach; as an
antiviral for upper respiratory viruses,
stomach viruses and HIV; internally and
externally for cancer and, topically, for
skin disorders, insect bites and stings. In
Brazilian traditional medicine the sap
currently is used for wounds, hemorrhaging,
diarrhea, mouth ulcers, and as a general
tonic.
PLANT
CHEMICALS
Sangre de
grado resin or sap is a storehouse of
phytochemicals including proanthocyanidins
(antioxidants), simple phenols, diterpenes,
phytosterols, and biologically active
alkaloids and lignans Scientists have
attributed many of the biologically active
properties of the sap (especially its
wound-healing capacity) to two main "active"
constituents: an alkaloid named
taspine,
and a lignan named
dimethylcedrusine.
Of course,
botanists, herbalists, and naturopaths would
disagree with such reductionist conclusions
(and often do); in this particular case, the
matter is actually proven by science. Noted
author and ex-USDA economic botanist Dr.
James Duke summed this up eloquently,
saying, "I like the comments on dragon's
blood, and would add one further note: in
addition to the proanthocyanadins (including
Pycnogenol) and taspine, there's another
active ingredient - dimethylcedrusine. While
each of these alone - dimethylcedrusine,
Pycnogenol and taspine - was shown to
effectively heal wounded rats (with squares
of skin exfoliated, i.e., peeled off) by
European scientists, the whole dragon's
blood was shown to speed healing four times
faster. The whole was better than the sum of
its parts. Synergy makes the whole herb
stronger; diversity makes the rainforest
stronger."
The taspine
alkaloid from sangre de grado was first
documented with anti-inflammatory actions in
1979. In 1985 taspine was documented with
anti-inflammatory, antitumorous (against
sarcomas), and antiviral actions.
The main
plant chemicals in sangre de grado include:
alpha-calacorene, alpha-copaene, alpha-pinene,
alpha-thujene, beta-caryophyllene, beta-elemene,
beta-pinene, betaine, bincatriol, borneol,
calamenene, camphene, catechins, cedrucine,
crolechinic acid, cuparophenol, D-limonene,
daucosterol, dihydrobenzofuran,
dimethylcedrusine, dipentene, eugenol,
euparophenol, gallocatechin, gamma-terpinene,
gamma-terpineol, hardwickiic acid,
isoboldine, korberin A & B, lignin,
linalool, magnoflorine, methylthymol,
myrcene, norisoboldine, p-cymene,
proanthocyanidins, procyanidins, resin,
tannin, taspine, terpinen-4-ol, and
vanillin.
BIOLOGICAL
ACTIVITIES AND CLINICAL RESEARCH
The
wound-healing action of sangre de grado
resin was first related to the taspine
alkaloid in 1989. Several later studies also
concentrated on the wound-healing and
antitumorous properties of taspine. The
lignan dimethylcedrusine was isolated by
scientists in 1993 and was shown to play a
central role in sangre de grado's effective
wound-healing action. This Belgian study
revealed that the crude resin stimulated
contraction of wounds, helped in the
formation of a crust/scab at the wound site,
regenerated skin more rapidly, and assisted
in the formation of new collagen. This was
the study to which Dr. Duke referred in
documenting that the crude resin was found
to be four times more effective at wound
healing and collagen formation than its
isolated chemicals (and healed wounds 10-20
times faster than using nothing at all).
The Belgian
scientists also determined that taspine was
active against herpes virus in this study.
In 1994 other phytochemicals were found,
including phenolic compounds,
proanthocyanadins, and diterpenes, which
showed potent antibacterial activity
(against E. coli and Bacillus subtilis) as
well as wound-healing properties. Another
study documented sangre de grado's
antioxidant effects and researchers in
Canada documented its antifungal properties.
Another important traditional use of the sap
was verified by clinical research in a 2000
study designed to evaluate its
gastrointestinal effects. Researchers
concluded that "Sangre de grado is a potent,
cost-effective treatment for
gastrointestinal ulcers and distress via
antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and
sensory afferent-dependent actions." In
2002, these same researchers reported that
sangre de grado evidenced an in vitro effect
against stomach cancer and colon cancer
cells as well. In 2003 Italian researchers
reported that the resin inhibited the growth
of a human myelogenous leukemia cell line
and also prevented cells from mutating in
test tube studies.
Extracts of
sangre de grado have demonstrated antiviral
activity against influenza, parainfluenza,
herpes simplex viruses I and II, and
hepatitis A and B. The antiviral and
anti-diarrhea properties of sangre de grado
have come to the attention of the
pharmaceutical industry over the last 10
years. A U.S.-based pharmaceutical company
has filed patents on three pharmaceutical
preparations that contain antiviral
constituents and novel chemicals (a group of
plant flavonoids they've named SP-303),
extracted from the bark and resin of sangre
de grado. Their patented drugs include an
oral product for the treatment of
respiratory viral infections, a topical
antiviral product for the treatment of
herpes, and an oral product for the
treatment of persistent diarrhea. These
products have been the subject of various
human clinical trials. Although the
immunomodulating effects of sangre de grado
have not been the subject of targeted
research yet, some researchers believe that
the anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and
antioxidant activities may provide
nonspecific immune enhancement effects as
well.
More
recently, several scientific tests have been
conducted on a proprietary sangre de grado
product (made into a skin balm) which was
also based on traditional uses. They
reported that in pest control workers, a
sangre de grado balm was preferred over
placebo, for the relief of itching, pain,
discomfort, swelling, and redness in
response to wasps, fire ants, mosquitoes,
bees, cuts, abrasions, and allergic plant
reactions (poison ivy and others). Subjects
reported relief within minutes, and that it
provided pain relief and alleviated symptoms
(itching and swelling) for up to six hours.
These reported effects in humans as well as
several other tests they conducted in
animals and in vitro models of inflammation
led them to conclude that sangre de grado
prevents pain sensation by blocking the
activation of nerve fibers that relay pain
signals to the brain (therefore functioning
as a broad-acting pain killer) as well as
blocks the tissue response to a chemical
released by nerves that promotes
inflammation.
CURRENT
PRACTICAL USES
Research
has confirmed many of the indigenous uses of
this powerful rainforest plant. It is a
wonderful, sustainable rainforest resource
that warrants consumer attention as it
becomes more widely available in the
marketplace. Applied directly to the
affected area, it is helpful for all types
of cuts, scrapes, external wounds, bites,
stings, rashes, and skin problems, including
skin and nail fungi.
In
addition, several health practitioners in
the U.S. indicate benefits in using sangre
de grado resin internally for diabetic
neuropathy because of its previously
documented effects on nerve endings, nerve
pain and nerve inflammation. Benefits have
also been reported with diabetes-related
skin ulcers and sores (applied topically)
which have refused to heal using other
methods.
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Aromatherapy Products Safety |
therapeutic quality Essential Oil Safety
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irritation occurs. If redness, burning, itching or irritation occur, stop using
oil immediately. Use less rather than more.
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