Dragon's blood, this liquid bandage from the Amazon

The most amazing discovery I made in Peru is undoubtedly the Sangre de Drago tree! 

Sangre de grado is a medium to large tree that grows 10 to 20 m tall in the Amazon region of Peru, Ecuador and Colombia.

Although large, the trunk is usually less than 12 inches in diameter and is covered with a smooth, mottled bark. It has large, heart-shaped bright green leaves and unique greenish-white flowers on long stems.

Its Peruvian name, sangre de grado, means “the blood of the dragon” (in Spanish). When the tree trunk is cut or injured, a dark red, sappy resin oozes out as if the tree is bleeding - earning this local name.

Several varieties of Croton (scientific name for Sangre de Drago) exist, some of which inhabit the Indian coasts and certain African forests. The variety that grows in the Amazon is nevertheless very special and has incredible medicinal properties! 

Sangre de Drago is rich in active alkaloids, and several species are well known in herbal medicine for use as laxatives and tonics.

The sap or red latex of Sangre de grado (as well as its bark) has long been used by the natives of the Amazon.

The first written reference dates its use to the 1600s, when the Spanish naturalist and explorer P. Bernabé Cobo discovered that the healing power of the sap was widely known among the indigenous tribes of Mexico, Peru and Ecuador.

For centuries, sap has been painted on wounds to stop bleeding, speed healing, and seal and protect wounds from infection.

The sap dries quickly and forms a barrier, much like a "second skin".

This sap is used topically by indigenous tribes and local people in Peru for wounds, fractures, and hemorrhoids, internally for intestinal and gastric ulcers, and as a douche for vaginal discharge.

Personally, I have used it to treat my ulcer and when I have canker sores in my mouth. 

Other native uses include the treatment of intestinal fevers and inflamed or infected gums. 

Via the vagina, Sangre de Drago is always used in the Amazon in baths before and after childbirth, for hemorrhages after childbirth and for skin disorders.

It is therefore natural that we chose it to be part of the composition of a large number of our products, you will find Sangre de Drago, under the name of "Croton Lechleri" in the composition of our two star products. : The Rose and the Dragon day cream (which bears this name by the way for the presence of Sangre di Drago "in the formula) and our Cover me Gold serum.