![]() The term “Dragons blood” comes from the red substance that comes from the tree (Pearson, 2002). The name Dracaena came from the Greek word “drakainia” which is a female dragon (Pearson, 2002). It also goes by Dracaena cinnabari in Socotra, Dracaena draco in the Canary Islands, Daemonorops in Malaysia, and the genus Croton in South America (Pearson, 2002). The term “Dragon’s blood” isn’t the only name for this plant. ![]() But what impacted the name of this exceptional plant and where did it come from? Use of this plant dates back to the medieval times being used as a pigment in art up until the 19 th century, and was also used in printing until the 1930’s (Pearson, 2002). It is quite obvious that the Dragon’s blood tree has a very unique appearance and also a very unique name. Our technological and medical advances allow us to use substances and drugs more powerful than Dragon’s Blood, but to natives and other locals it is still an important drug (Grieve).Īrkive, Wildscreen. Today, Dragon’s Blood is still used for dying color, toothpaste, plaster, to heal major and minor ailments, diarrhea, and syphilis. In the nineteenth century only few people were using the resin for folk remedies, and it was considered to be an exotic product and could not be sold commercially (Sanchez-Pinto). It was also used in mensuration cycles and for abortions of babies. More specifically used for lipstick, face de-aging, ointments for embalming and other spiritual dances where the skin was artificially colored. A variety of cultures used the red colored sap as a pigment for dye, jewelry, pottery, skin rejuvenation and spiritual practices. ![]() In ancient texts, Dragon’s Blood was used to script the ancient documentation as well as a variety of other uses. Not only was it a drug to treat everything, but was a substance with a well-rounded use. By 1698, Pharmacopoeia declared it to be a drug to treat almost everything. By 1640 all over Europe Dragon’s Blood was being used to treat anything from teary eyes or weak teeth, all the way to treating gonorrhea, hernias and sexual impotence. As the trade of Dragon’s Blood began to pick up, more uses for the sap were being discovered. Medieval doctors used the sap to heal open wounds, and hemorrhages. The uses for the resin began back in ancient times (Banfield). It is extracted via sap and sometimes chemically curved to create a powder allowing it to be made into different substances for various uses. By taking a simple tool and widening the wounds in the tree, the resin is easily drained and harvested. This blood-like resin is a natural sap from fissures in the tree found in wounds and gouges in the bark. ![]() Dragon’s Blood Tree received its name due to the discovery of its thick, deep red sap that secretes from the truck when it is cut or wounds in the tree. These ten foot giants live for about a few hundred years and grow at slow rates. When Dragon’s Trees are matured they appear to be separated far from the rest of the trees, but somehow are altogether creating a thick forest (Arkive). It has a bizarre appearance of an umbrella turned inside out due to its upside-down, densely- paced crown. It has been used for many medicinal and recreational purposes since the ancient Egyptian times, and today are used in the same similar fashions (White).ĭragon’s blood tree is given its name for many reasons. This unique plant also makes a mark by being the face of Yemen’s 20-rail coin. On a broad hill called Firmihin, one of Socotra’s most famous and distinct plant grows in its forests. Two Hundred twenty miles across the Arabian Sea lies part of Yemen with a vast biological diversity and ecosystems This little island is known as Socotra Island.
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