NATURA
DRAGON'S
BLOOD
COMMERCIAL
DESCRIPTION OF THE PRODUCT.-
Common Names: Sangre de
Grado, Sangre de Drago or Sangre de Dragón.
Scientific Name: Croton
Lechleri.
Family: Euphorbiaceae
English Name: Dragon’s
Blood.
I. DESCRIPTION OF THE PLANT.-
It is a tree of the genera
Croton, with wide and round crown, from which bark
can be extracted a dark-reddish resinous latex.
-
HABITAT:
This tree can be found along
the tropics in the Amazon region. In Peru, it is
found in the Departments of Amazonas, Cuzco,
Huanuco, Loreto, Madre de Dios, Puno, San Martín
and Ucayali.
Dragon's Blood
II.
HISTORICAL AND TRADITIONAL USE.-
It has been used in traditional
native medicine for many purposes, among them to
promote wound scarring(1), closing of burn wounds,
curing gastric ulcers(2) and stopping diarrhea(3).
Against influenza, intestinal disease, as an
anti-inflammatory (5), against hemorrhoids
(5)(6)(7), hemorrhage(8), tonsillitis(8)(9),
gonorrhea and herpes (9)(4), kidney disease and
snake bites (10).
Currently, Sangre de Grado
(Dragon’s Blood) is exploited industrially for local
use and export.
III. CHEMICAL COMPOSITION.-
It has mainly alkaloids such as
taspine, crotonic acid, anti-tumoral alkaloids (Piridone),
anthraquinines, unsaturated fatty acids, triterpenes,
tannins and benzoic acid.
IV. MEDICINAL PROPERTIES.-
Dragon’s Blood, through its high
content of Taspine has anti-inflammatory properties
that accelerate the scarring process in external
wounds, stimulating the formation of fibroblasts and
collagen (1). The same process also helps in healing
internal wounds and stomach ulcers.
According to studies made in the
University Cayetano Heredia in Peru and the Biology
Science Faculty of Lima (11)(12), it was determined
that the alkaloid Taspine was the principal scarring
agent. This alkaloid has also been shown in other
in-vitro experiments to have cito-static activity
against tumors KB and V-79, making this alkaloid
responsible for the anti-carcinogen activity of the
sap(13). Also noted, poly-phenols have an important
role in the scarring process, as removers of
free-radicals around and inside the
lesions(13)(14)(15).
Taspines have also been noted to
reduce ulceration, increase the thickness and
consistency of the gastric mucus(16).
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
(1)…Pieters,
Luc.
(1992): The Biologically Active Constituents of
“Sangre de Drago”.
A
Traditional South American Drug.
Universiteit Antwerpen Universitaire Instelling
Antwerpen. Departement Farmaceutische Wetensschappen.
Antwerpen.
(2)…Urrunaga
Soria, R. M. (1997): Estudio Fotoquímico de
Croton Lechleri Muell. Arg. Sangre de Grado.
Tesis para optar el título profesional. Programa
Académico de Biología. Universidad Nacional San
Antonio Abad del Cuzco. Perú.
(3)…Arévalo Válera, G. (1994): La Plantas
Medicinales y su Beneficio en la Salud: Shipibo-Conibo.
AIDESEP. Lima-Perú.
(4)…Tempesta, M.S. (1993): Proanthocyanidin
Polymers having Antiviral Activity and Methods of
Obtaining Same.
United States patent. 5,211,944. May 18.
(5)…Ubillas
R., Jolad S.D., Bruening R.C., Kernan M.R., King S.R.,
Sesis D.F., Barrtt M., Stoddart C.A., Flaster T.,
Kuo J., Ayala F., Meza E., Castañal M.,
McMeekin D., Rozhon E., Tempesta M.S., Barnard D.,
Huffman J., Smee D., Sidwell R., Soike K., Brazier
A., Safrin S., Orlando R., Kenny P.T.M., Berova N.,
Nakanishi K. (1994): SP-303 an Antiviral
Oligomeric Proantocyanidin from the Latex of Croton
Lechleri (Sangre de Drago). Phytomedicine, Vol.
1, p77-106.
(6)…Duke, J. & Vasquez R. (1994): Amazonian
Ethnobotanical Dictionary. Boca Raton, Fl. CRC
Press.
(7)…Rutter
R. (1990): Catálogo de Plantas Utiles de la
Amazonía Peruana.
Ministerio de Educación, Instituto Lingüístico
de Verano. Pucallpa. Perú.
(8)…Mejía K. & Rengifo E. (1995): Plantas
Medicinales de Uso Popular en la Amazonía Peruana.
Agencia Española de Cooperación Internacional (AECI),
Instituto de Investigaciones de la Amazonía Peruana
(IIAP). Lima. Perú.
(9)…Lacaze
D. & Alexiades M. (1995): Salud para Todos.
Plantas Medicinales y Salud Indígena en la Cuenca
del Río Madre de Dios. Centro de Estudios
Regionales Andinos Bartolomé de las Casas.
Federación Nativa del Río Madre de Dios y Afluentes.
Cuzco. Perú.
(10)…Naturalfa
(1997): Manual de Conceptos y Usos NATURALFA.
Lima. Perú. Manuscrito.
(11)…Morales Girbau, M.A. (1985). Estudio Clínico
de los Efectos de C. Draconoide M. Arg. (Sangre de
Grado) en el Tratamiento de Alveolitis Seca Dolorosa.
Tesis de Bachiller. Programa Académico de
Estomatología. Universidad Particular Cayetano
Heredia (UPCH). Lima. Perú.
(12)…Saravia
Rojas, M.A. (1985): Reacción Anti-inflamatoria
del Tejido Conjuntivo al Cemento de Obturación de
Conductos a base de C. Lechleri (“sangre de grado”)
en Ratas de Cepa Holtzman. Tesis para optar el
grado de Bachiller. Facultad de Estomatología. UPCH.
Lima. Perú.
(13)…Chen Z.P., Cai Y., Phillipson J.D. (1994):
Studies on the Antitumor, Anti-bacterial, and
Wound-Healing Properties of Dragon´s Blood. Planta
Médica Vol. 60, N° 6: 541-545.
(14)… Phillipson J.D. (1995): A Matter of
Some Sensitivity.
Phytochemistry. Vol. 38, N° 6: 1319-1343.
(15)…Uchida S., Ohta H., Niwa M., Mori A., Nonaka
G., Nishioka I., Ozaki M., 1990: Prolongation of
Life Span of Stroke-prone Spontaneously Hypertensive
Rats (SHRSP) Ingesting Persimmon Tannin.
Chem.
Pharm. Bull 38, 1049-1052.
(16)…Málaga Trillo, G.E. (1991): Efecto del
Clorhidrato de Taspina sobre la Curación de Ulcera
Gástrica Inducida en Ratas. Tesis de Bachiller
en Biología. UPCH. Lima. Perú.
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