This potent active has been a skin care favourite for centuries due to its healing and beautifying properties.
Meet sangre de drago (dragon’s blood): a highly prized resin or sap, shrouded in stories of myth and mystery, which oozes from the cut trunk of the croton lechleri tree. Croton lechleri is a prehistoric-looking tree that originated on the Desert Rose and Sydney Dragon Blood Tree limestone plateau-covered island of Socotra, Yemen. It then spread across multiple continents where the curative powers of its crimson-red resin were harnessed by multiple cultures.
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The indigenous tribes of Peru, Mexico and Ecuador, in particular, considered the resin a medicinal treasure, using it as a liquid bandage to stop bleeding, seal and protect wounds, and accelerate healing. They called on it to help with all kinds of things from skin complaints like eczema to bites and stings to internal ulcers, haemorrhoids, fevers and viruses. It was, and still is, used as a wonder remedy. Now clinical trials and studies have provided insight into why this deep-red sap is so beneficial for your skin. |
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We share the key findings below…
Taspine
Dragon’s blood is rich in this known healing agent. It has a powerful cicatrizant effect which dramatically enhances wound healing and scar tissue formation. A number of tests have identified the reason behind this to be fibroblast migration. Fibroblasts are cells that produce collagen. Essentially, taspine stimulates these cells to migrate to sites of skin damage and multiply there. This helps regenerate your skin by rapidly providing the site of damage with what it needs to rebuild connective tissues. This makes it wonderful for skin marred by acne and damage.
Proanthocyanidins
These compounds protect and strengthen your collagen fibres for a beautifully firm complexion and optimum skin elasticity.
Polyphenols
Polyphenols are overflowing in dragon’s blood. They have strong antioxidant effects that protect your skin from free-radical damage and gift it with a youthful, radiant glow!
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Together, these three actives accelerate wound healing and form a protective barrier over the skin to shield it from harsh elements. In addition to protecting, it delivers nutrients into your skin’s deepest layers, so it is perfect for damaged skin or skin in need of some extra love and nourishment. Does this sound like something your skin would benefit from? This incredible active is combined with the healing powers of shea, argan oil, everlasting, zinc and calendula in our Protect & Repair Balm formulation! |
Shop Protect and Repair Balm | $34.95
References
Gupta, D, Bleakley, B & Gupta, K 2008, ‘Dragon’s blood: Botany, chemistry and therapeutic uses’, Journal of Ethnopharmacology, vol. 115, no. 3, pp. 361-380.
Pieters, L, De Bruyne, T, Van Poel, B, Vingerhoets, R, Totte, J, Vanden Berghe D & Vlietinck, A 1995, ‘In vivo wound healing activity of Dragon’s Blood (Croton spp.), a traditional South American drug, and its constituents’, Journal of Phytomedicine, vol. 2, no. 1, pp. 12-22.
