Only a tiny proportion of the myriads of medicinal plants used by native people in the neotropical rainforests are harvested and used beyond the forests where they grow. One of these is the Sangre de Drago, the Dragon’s Blood Tree, usually known by its Spanish name even in English speaking countries. Applied topically or taken internally, it is reputed to be a cure-all for diarrhea, inflammation, insect bites, viral infections and wounds.
Description
Sangre de Drago is a medium to tall tree, up to 35 m in height, with large heart-shaped leaves. The flowers and fruits are inconspicuous in tall thin spikes, and fruits are three-celled. Red to orange sap seeps slowly when the trunk is cut; it is this latex that is used for medicinal purposes. Small vials of the sap are commonly sold in markets and shops in the countries where the tree is found, and increasing quantities are harvested and exported.
Habitat and Distribution
The Missouri Botanic Gardens Tropicos database holds records of Sangre de Drago from Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia. Both sides of the Andes are represented. The specimens held in the collection come from altitudes ranging from close to sea level to 2090 m, in primary or secondary moist to wet forests, sometimes in agricultural areas or on roadsides.
Uses
Writing in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, Jones (2003) reviewed pharmacological evidence for claimed properties of the sap. Most were substantiated, with uses for treatment of diarrhea and insect bites showing particular promise. The investigation of methods of preparation and standardization of the geographically variable product were recommended.
Sustainable Harvest
The habitat of the Sangre de Drago is threatened by ongoing large-scale and incremental clearing. As an early secondary species, Sangre de Drago can readily re-colonize forest edges and small scale clearings, so that it is less prone to depletion than many other slow growing species with more specialized habitat requirements.
Jones (2003) discusses the outlook for the sustainable use of the tree. The harvest of sap can lead to severe additional pressure on the species. The sap flows sparsely and slowly, and its value is such that there is incentive to fell the whole tree and drain a greater quantity quickly. Continuously cutting a standing tree leaves it vulnerable to fungal infections.
One solution is to plant to provide an ongoing supply of trees. Plantations can readily be established and carefully managed with a cycle of felling, draining of sap and replanting every few years. Small scale re-planting can be undertaken to replenish stocks harvested from forested sites, but the structure and composition of the forest will inevitably be modified. Limiting the rate of exploitation of a valuable product to sustainable levels will always be difficult.
Best results for conservation will always result from the protection of native forests, where natural ecological processes allow trees such as Sangre de Drago to regenerate, develop and senesce amongst the huge diversity of other species making up the ecosystem.
Where to See Sangre de Drago Trees
As the species is very widespread and well known, the locals will know its whereabouts if Sangre de Drago is present in the surrounding forest. In Ecuador, visit the Bellavista reserve close to Quito.
Barbara Stewart - I am an Australian ecologist based near Byron Bay on the east coast of the continent. My interests revolve around trees, forests and ...
