5 Things to Know About Sangre de Grado from Peru

Walk through a market stall in Iquitos and you'll see small amber bottles lined up next to bundles of dried herbs. The liquid inside looks like watered-down red wine. Vendors call it sangre de grado, which translates roughly as "dragon's blood." Some people pay no attention. Others know exactly what it is and buy two.

If you've never come across it, here are five things worth knowing.

1. It comes from a tree, not an animal

The name throws people off. There's no actual blood involved. Sangre de grado is the latex sap of Croton lechleri, a tall, fast-growing tree native to the western Amazon. When you make a shallow cut in the bark, the tree weeps a thick, dark-red liquid. Asháninka and Shipibo communities in Peru have used this sap for hundreds of years, mostly for skin care and to support gut comfort.

The sap dries to a brownish-red film when it touches air, which is why it's been called "dragon's blood" in trade since at least the 16th century. (Confusingly, the same name gets applied to resins from completely different plants in Asia and the Canary Islands. They aren't the same thing.)

2. Researchers have actually looked at it

A lot of Amazonian plants have a thin paper trail. Sangre de grado has more than most. A compound called taspine, isolated from the sap, has been studied for wound-healing properties going back to the 1980s. There's also work on SP-303, also known as crofelemer, a polymer extracted from the sap that the FDA approved in 2012 for a specific kind of diarrhea in HIV/AIDS patients. The drug is called Mytesi.

That doesn't mean swallowing raw sap is the same as taking the prescription drug. It means the plant has been worth a closer look in labs. Research on topical use for cuts and scrapes shows the sap forms a protective film over the skin and may speed up the early stages of healing.

3. People use it two main ways

In Peru you'll see both:

Topical, dabbed onto a cut, insect bite, canker sore, or rough patch of skin. A small drop is enough. It stings for a few seconds, dries to a rust-colored crust, and stays put for hours.

Diluted in water and sipped, usually 10 to 20 drops in a glass, for digestive complaints. The taste is woody and slightly metallic. Some people swear by it for occasional stomach upset. The research on internal use is thinner than topical, so go light.

A third use, less common, is rubbed into the gums for mouth sores. Honest warning: it turns your teeth temporarily red.

4. Quality varies a lot

Not every bottle on the market is the real thing. Because Croton lechleri grows in a specific region, supply is limited, and adulteration with cheaper resins or watered-down sap is common in tourist markets.

A few signs of legitimate sap: it's thick enough to coat the inside of the bottle when you tip it. A drop on white paper dries to a brown ring with a sharper red edge. When you rub a drop between your fingers it turns from red to a creamy off-white as the latex emulsifies. That last test, the "white cream" test, is the one Amazonian harvesters use to spot the real thing.

Wildcrafted sap from sustainable harvesters costs more for a reason. The trees take years to grow, and harvesting too aggressively kills them. We work with suppliers who tap the trees without felling them.

5. It's not for everyone

Pregnancy and breastfeeding: skip it. There isn't enough safety data either way, and topical absorption is real even if small.

Medications: if you're on anything that affects gut motility or absorption, talk to a clinician first. The crofelemer research suggests sangre de grado polymers can slow how quickly fluids move through the intestine.

Allergies: if you're sensitive to other plants in the Euphorbiaceae family (poinsettia, cassava leaves, castor), patch-test before applying widely.

Kids: external use only, and even then a doctor's call is the smart move.

We're not doctors. None of this replaces medical advice. Treat sangre de grado the way you'd treat any traditional remedy: try a small amount, see how your body responds, and stop if something feels off.

A note on where ours comes from

The sap we sell is wildcrafted from the Madre de Dios region of Peru, harvested without clear-cutting and with permission from the local communities who've worked these forests for generations. It's bottled in Lima without added solvents or thinners. One ounce lasts most people a few months unless you're using it daily.

If you'd like to read about the work our suppliers do in the region, we have a few stories from the field on the blog. We also stock other Amazonian plants worth a look in the full catalog.

*These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. Dragon's Blood (Sangre de Grado) is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.