Dragon’s Blood Extract / Sangre de Grado / Sangre de Drago

Dragon’s Blood extract is known by several other names around the world including Sangre de Grado and Sangre de Drago. In medieval times it was believed that Dragon’s Blood extract came from the blood of dragons and elephants that died in war, but is is actually a botanical extract. It is a bright red, resin-like liquid with a sweet/spicy aroma that is extracted from a number of different plants including Croton, Dracaena, Daemonorops, Calamus rotang and Pterocarpus.

Dragon’s Blood extract has been in constant use since ancient times and has traditionally been used as a dye or varnish, but also was used by apothecaries to treat various ailments; in the Americas indigenous cultures also considered it to be useful in their traditional remedies and in India it was used in religious ceremonies.

It is an extremely rich source of antioxidants; Dragon Blood is also packed with a host of essential nutrients such as protein, potassium, and sodium. Dragon’s Blood extract is now used as an ingredient in many commercially-available cosmetics and personal care formulations, and the organic version is often selected to be used in nutraceuticals supplements.