Croton lechleri / Dragons Blood / Euphorbiaceae (Spurge family)

Information

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Other Names

Croton lechleri, Croton draco var. Sangre de Grado, Sangre de Drago, Dragons Blood, Drago, Sangue de Drago, Sangue de Agua.

Scent

Virile, wood scent. Usually added to incense formulas or perfumes for its magical powers.

Aromatic Properties

Used in incense preparations to cleanse a space of negative entities or influences.

Contents

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.
Because of the variety of compounds it contains, Sangre de Grado acts as a multi-functional agent.

Synergic Combinations

Palo Santo, Patchouli, Lavender, Rosemary and Tea Tree.

Historical

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. Bernabe Cobo found that the curative power of the sap was widely known throughout the indigenous tribes of Mexico, Peru, and Ecuador. Sangre de Drago is used extensively by indigenous cultures of the Amazon River basin for its remarkable healing properties. (1)
"The results of in vitro and in vivo studies largely support the majority of ethnomedical uses of sangre de drago..."(2)

Plant Description

Sangre de Grado is a medium-sized to large tree that grows from 10-20m high in the upper Amazon region of Peru, Ecuador, and Colombia. Although tall, the trunk is usually less than 30cm 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. 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.

References

(1) Sangre de Grado - Raintree Plant Database
(2) Review of Sangre de Drago (Croton lechleri) - A South American Tree Sap in the Treatment of Diarrhea, Inflammation, Insect Bites, Viral Infections, and Wounds: Traditional Uses to Clinical Research - The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine