Dragon's blood is a bright red resin that is obtained from different species of four distinct plant genera: Croton, Dracaena, Daemonorops, and Pterocarpus. Resin, not to be confused with Rosin, is a Hydrocarbon Secretion of many Plants particularly coniferous trees. Croton is an extensive Plant Genus of the family Euphorbiaceae established by Carolus Linnaeus in 1737 Dracaena (romanized form of the Ancient Greek δράκαινα - drakaina "female dragon" is a genus of about 40 species of Daemonorops is a genus of Rattan palms in the family Arecaceae. Pterocarpus is a Pantropical Genus of Trees in the family Fabaceae, most of which yield valuable timber traded as padauk The red resin was used in ancient times as varnish, medicine, incense, and dye. Varnish is a transparent, hard protective finish or film primarily used in Wood finishing but also for other materials Medicine is the art and science of healing It encompasses a range of Health care practices evolved to maintain and restore Human Health by the Incense is composed of Aromatic biotic materials It releases fragrant Smoke when burned A dye can generally be described as a Colored substance that has an affinity to the substrate to which it is being applied It continues to be employed for the aforementioned purposes by some.

Name and source

A great degree of confusion existed for the ancients in regard to the source and identity of dragon's blood. Dracaena resin, "true" dragon's blood, and the poisonous mineral cinnabar (mercury sulfide) were often confused by the ancient Romans, as there appears to be a tendency to call all things that are bright red "dragon's blood". The dragon is a Legendary creature of which some interpretation or depiction appears in almost every culture worldwide Cinnabar, sometimes written cinnabarite, is a name applied to red Mercury(II sulfide ( Hg[[sulfide S]] or native Vermilion, the common In ancient China, little or no distinction was made between the dragon's blood from the different species. China ( Wade-Giles ( Mandarin) Chung¹kuo² is a cultural region, an ancient Civilization, and depending on perspective a National

Both Dracaena and Daemonorops resins are still often marketed in contemporary times as dragon's blood with little or no distinction between the plant sources. Dracaena (romanized form of the Ancient Greek δράκαινα - drakaina "female dragon" is a genus of about 40 species of Daemonorops is a genus of Rattan palms in the family Arecaceae.

Voyagers to the Canary Islands in the 15th century obtained dragon's blood as dried garnet-red drops from Dracaena draco, a native to the Canary Islands and Morocco. The Canary Islands ( English pronunciation kəˈnæriː ˈaɪləndz Spanish: Islas Canarias, ˈizlas kaˈnarjas are a Spanish Morocco (المغرب "al-Maghrib" officially the Kingdom of Morocco (المملكة المغربية is a country located in North Africa The resin is exuded from the wounded trunk or branches of the tree. Dragon's blood is also obtained by the same method from D. cinnabari, which is endemic to the island of Socotra east of Somalia. Endemism is the Ecological state of being unique to a place Endemic species are not naturally found elsewhere Socotra or Soqotra ( Arabic سقطرى; Suquṭra) is a small Archipelago of four islands and islets in the Indian Ocean Somalia ( Soomaaliya; الصومال) officially the Somali Republic ( Jamhuuriyadda Soomaaliya, جمهورية الصومال) and formerly known This resin was traded to ancient Europe via the Incense Road. The Incense Route or the Incense Road was a series of major ancient trading routes stretching across Egypt to India through Arabia.

Dragon's blood resin is also produced from the rattan palms of the genus Daemonorops of the Indonesian islands and known there as jerang or djerang. Rattan (from the Malay rotan) is the name for the roughly six hundred Species of palms in the tribe Calameae, native to tropical Arecaceae or Palmae (also known by the name Palmaceae, which is taxonomically invalid or commonly palm tree) the palm family is a family of Flowering Daemonorops is a genus of Rattan palms in the family Arecaceae. The Republic of Indonesia ( (Republik Indonesia is a Country in Southeast Asia. It is gathered by breaking off the layer of red resin encasing the unripe fruit of the rattan. The collected resin is then rolled into solid balls before being sold.

Uses

The dragon's blood known to the ancient Romans was mostly collected from D. cinnabari, and is mentioned in the 1st century Periplus (30: 10. Periplus is the Latinization of an Ancient Greek word περίπλους ( periplous, contracted from periploos) literally "a sailing-around 17) as one of the products of Socotra. Socotra or Soqotra ( Arabic سقطرى; Suquṭra) is a small Archipelago of four islands and islets in the Indian Ocean Socotra had been an important trading centre since at least the time of the Ptolemies. Dragon's blood was used as a dye and medicine (respiratory & gastroinstestinal problems) in the Mediterranean basin, and was held by early Greeks, Romans, and Arabs to have medicinal properties. The term ancient Greece refers to the period of Greek history lasting from the Greek Dark Ages ca Ancient Rome was a Civilization that grew out of a small agricultural community founded on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 10th century BC The araB gene Promoter is a bacterial promoter activated by e L-arabinose binding Dioscorides and other early Greek writers described its medicinal uses. Pedanius Dioscorides (Πεδάνιος Διοσκορίδης ca Locals of Moomy city on Socotra island use the dragon's resin as a sort of cure-all, using it for such things as general wound healing, a coagulant (though this is ill advised with commercial products, as the Daemonorops species acts as an anti-coagulant and it is usually unknown what species the dragon's blood came from), curing diarrhea, lowering fevers, dysentery diseases, taken internally for ulcers in the mouth, throat, intestines and stomach, as well as an antiviral for respiratory viruses, stomach viruses and for such skin disorders as eczema. Socotra or Soqotra ( Arabic سقطرى; Suquṭra) is a small Archipelago of four islands and islets in the Indian Ocean The panacea (pænəˈsiːə named after the Greek goddess of healing Panacea, was supposed to be a remedy that would cure all Diseases and prolong life indefinitely Coagulation is a complex process by which Blood forms Clots It is an important part of Hemostasis (the cessation of blood loss from a damaged vessel whereby It was also used in medieval ritual magic and alchemy. Magic, sometimes known as sorcery, is a Conceptual system that asserts human ability to control the natural world (including events objects people and Alchemy a part of the Occult Tradition is both a philosophy and a practice with an ultimately unknown aim involving the improvement of the alchemist as well as the making of Not native to North America, some of the plants have been brought over in recent years and have become naturalised. In Biology, naturalisation is the process when foreign or cultivated plants or animals have spread into the Wild, where they multiply by natural regeneration

Dragon's blood of both Dracaena draco and Dracaena cinnabari were used as a source of varnish for 18th century Italian violinmakers. The 18th century lasted from 1701 to 1800 in the Gregorian calendar, in accordance with the Anno Domini / Common Era numbering system Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest There was also an 18th century recipe for toothpaste that contained dragon's blood. Toothpaste is a Paste or Gel Dentifrice used to clean and maintain the aesthetics and health of Teeth. In modern times it is still used as a varnish for violins, in photoengraving, as an incense resin, and as a body oil. Varnish is a transparent, hard protective finish or film primarily used in Wood finishing but also for other materials The violin is a bowed String instrument with four strings usually tuned in Perfect fifths It is the smallest and highest-pitched member Photoengraving also known as photo-chemical Milling is a process of Engraving using Photographic techniques The most common type of photoengraving involves Incense is composed of Aromatic biotic materials It releases fragrant Smoke when burned An oil is a substance that is in a viscous Liquid state ( "oily") at ambient temperatures or slightly warmer and is

Dragon's blood from both Daemonorops were used for ceremonies in India. India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country Sometimes Dracaena resin, but more often Daemonorops resin, was used in China as red varnish for wooden furniture. China ( Wade-Giles ( Mandarin) Chung¹kuo² is a cultural region, an ancient Civilization, and depending on perspective a National It was also used to colour the surface of writing paper for banners and posters, used especially for weddings and for Chinese New Year. Chinese New Year is the most important of the Traditional Chinese holidays.

In American Hoodoo, African-American folk magic, and New Orleans voodoo, it is used in mojo hands for money-drawing or love-drawing, and is used as incense to cleanse a space of negative entities or influences. It is also added to red ink to make "Dragon's Blood Ink", which is used to inscribe magical seals and talismans.

In folk medicine, dragon's blood is used externally as a wash to promote healing of wounds and to stop bleeding. The term traditional medicine ( Indigenous medicine or folk medicine) describes medical knowledge systems which developed over centuries within various societies In Medicine, a wound is a type of Injury in which the Skin is torn cut or punctured (an open wound or where blunt force trauma It is used internally for chest pains, post-partum bleeding, internal traumas and menstrual irregularities. In the field of Obstetrics, lochia is Post-partum Vaginal discharge containing Blood, Mucus, and Placental tissue In neopagan Witchcraft, it is used to increase the potency of spells for protection, love, banishing and sexuality. Neopaganism or Neo-Paganism is an Umbrella term used to identify a wide variety of modern religious movements particularly those influenced by historical Witchcraft, in various historical anthropological religious and mythological contexts is the use of certain kinds of Supernatural or magical powers In New Age shamanism it is used in ceremonies in a similar way as the neopagans use it. Neopaganism or Neo-Paganism is an Umbrella term used to identify a wide variety of modern religious movements particularly those influenced by historical

It is also commonly distributed as "red rock opium" to unsuspecting would-be opium buyers, though it contains no opiates and has not been shown to have intoxicating effects [1].

List of botanical sources for Dragon's blood

• Croton draconoides Müll. Arg.
• Croton draco Schltdl. & Cham.
• Croton lechleri Müll. Arg.
• Croton urucurana Baill.
• Croton xalapensis Kunth
• Daemonorops draco Blume
• Daemonorops didymophylla Becc.
• Daemonorops micranthus Becc.
• Daemonorops motleyi Becc.
• Daemonorops rubra (Reinw. ex Blume) Mart.
• Daemonorops propinquus Becc.
• Dracaena cinnabari Balf. f.
• Dracaena cochinchinensis Hort. ex Baker
• Dracaena draco (L. Dracaena draco, the Canary Islands Dragon Tree or Drago is a subtropical Dragon Tree native to the Canary Islands, Cape ) L.
• Pterocarpus officinalis Jacq.

References

• Casson, L. 1989. The Periplus Maris Erythraei. Princeton University Press. Especially pp. 69, 169-170. ISBN .
• Langenheim, J. (2003). Plant Resins: Chemistry, Evolution, Ecology, and Ethnobotany. Timber Press Inc. . ISBN 0-88192-574-8.  
• Schafer, E. H. 1963. The Golden Peaches of Samarkand: A study of T'ang Exotics. University of California Press. First paperback edition, 1985. , p. 211. ISBN
• Schoff, Wilfred H. 1912. The Periplus of the Erythraean Sea. Longmans, Green, and Co. , New York, Second Edition. Reprint: New Delhi, Oriental Books Reprint Corporation. 1974. (A new hardback edition is available from Coronet Books Inc. Also reprinted by South Asia Books, 1995, ISBN 81-215-0699-9 )
• Yronwode, C. (2002). Catherine "Cat" Yronwode (or catherine "cat" yronwode, born Catherine Anna Manfredi on May 12 1947 is a writer and editor with an extensive career Hoodoo Herb & Root Magic. The Lucky Mojo Curio Co. , Forestville, CA. ISBN 0-9719612-0-4.