You may have heard of a magical ingredient called dragon’s blood. Dragons aren’t real, so what exactly is it made from, and what is it used for? That’s what I’ll be explaining in this article.

What is dragon’s blood? Dragon’s blood is a resin that comes from a family of tropical trees called dragon trees. It gets its name from its dark red appearance. Dragon’s blood has a number of uses as medicine, incense, dye, paint, an ingredient in magical spells, and much more.

In this article, I’ll explain what dragon’s blood is and what some of its various uses are.

What Is Dragon’s Blood?

Dragon’s blood isn’t actually blood at all. It’s a resin that comes from a plant. Actually there are several different species of plants and trees that are used to create dragon’s blood. The resin gets its name from its dark red color, which is similar to that of blood.

The resin can be extracted from most species of tropical trees in a group called dragon trees. This includes plants in the dracaena, pterocarpus, croton, and daemonorops families, as well as potentially others as well.

Dragon’s blood has been used all over the world for thousands of years. It has a surprising number of uses and applications. It was spoken about in records that we have from the ancient Romans and Greeks, all the way through the Middle East to China and India.

                                                                 Image source: Wikipedia / Andy Dingley

How Is Dragon’s Blood Used?

Applications of dragon’s blood throughout history have been quite varied. Some things it has been used for in the past have fallen out of favor, but it still has a number of uses today.

Medical Uses of Dragon’s Blood

Dragon’s blood has been used as a folk remedy and its use dates all the way back to traditional Chinese medicine. At one point it was considered a cure-all and was used for everything from respiratory problems to helping speed up healing.

Not all of these are still accepted uses of dragon’s blood. However, there has been some scientific research done to back up some of these claims, and you can buy dragon’s blood as a supplement still today.

However, I do not recommend ingesting dragon’s blood for any purpose. It hasn’t been tested as much as other compounds, and there are modern medicines that can accomplish many of the same results with less risk.

Some things dragon’s blood has been shown to be potentially beneficial for include:

• For treatment of topical (external) ulcers, like pressure ulcers or bed sores. As well as diabetic ulcers. However, there is no evidence to show they can help with internal ulcers like stomach ulcers.
• As an antimicrobial. Dragon’s blood has been shown to offer some level of protection against fungi, viruses, and bacteria.
• As an anti-inflammatory. There’s some evidence to suggest that dragon’s blood can act like an anti-inflammatory and may also work as an antioxidant.
• For digestive health. One of dragon’s blood’s longest and most common uses is for digestive health or to help treat diarrhea.
• May help fight cancer. Some research has been done that suggests dragon’s blood may have some anti-tumor properties. However, this research is very preliminary and has only been tested in vitro. It is not currently proven and shouldn’t be a substitute for conventional cancer treatment or prevention.

Magical and Spiritual Uses of Dragon’s Blood

Uses of dragon’s blood in magic, the occult, or religious rituals is just as extensive as its purported medical benefits. All types of believe systems including shamanism, voodoo, wicca, and others make use of this natural resin.

For Finding Marriage

Dragon’s blood is believed to help women who want to receive a marriage proposal. Traditionally a woman would write her suitor’s name on a square piece of paper, cross it with their own name, and add some dragon’s blood powder into the paper and fold it up. The paper is then thrown into a fire while reciting a specific spell or prayer.

To Draw Money or Love

In voodoo, dragon’s blood is used in all sorts of rituals involving drawing money or love to yourself.

For Cleansing An Area

Dragon’s blood can be used similar to other cleansing herbs like white sage to purify a space. It can either be burned as an incense, or you can sprinkle dragon’s blood powder around the edges and corners of a room to help remove negative energies. You can also combine it with sweetgrass or sage to take advantage of their multiple protective properties.

To Boost Spell Potency

In many schools of witchcraft, dragon’s blood is used as a general potency booster that can be broadly used to make spells more effective. However, it’s believed to be most useful for spells involving banishing, protection, or love.

As A Substitute For Fire

As its red color would indicate, dragon’s blood is often used to represent fire. You can use it in rituals in place of a candle or other type of flame. Or to represent the sun, heat, or any other fiery element.

Practical Applications of Dragon’s Breath

Dragon’s blood can be used as a physical material for more practical things than just spiritual applications.

As An Incense

Dragon’s blood resin is still often used as an incense today. It’s said to have a sweet smell, somewhat like vanilla combined with a few other spices.

As A Dye

Since dragon’s blood has such a rich red color, it is often used as a dye or the powder is used to make paint and varnishes. In China it was traditionally used to varnish wooden furniture and violins. As well as dying paper used to make banners for Chinese New Year and other special occasions.

How To Make Dragon’s Blood Powder

Dragon’s blood most commonly comes as large chunks of resin. If you need it as a powder, it’s easy to do. It’s as simple as breaking it into smaller pieces with a mortar and pestle. If you don’t have one, you can alternatively place the chunks of dragon’s blood into a plastic bag, put the bag on a hard surface, and hit it with a hammer until the resin is crushed into a fine powder.

Side Effects To Consider

As I said above, I don’t recommend ingesting dragon’s blood or putting it into your body for any reason. While many people currently use it for health reasons, the safety of it is still unclear, even when just applied to the skin.

You may also want to avoid handling dragon’s blood if you’re breastfeeding or pregnant.

If you do insist on taking dragon’s blood orally, it’s best to talk to your doctor first to ensure there aren’t any complications with any medication that you’re currently taking, or health issues that you currently have.

Lastly, in some parts of the world, the dragon tree is becoming threatened due to climate change and habitat destruction. So you might want to take care for environmental reasons when purchasing dragon’s blood.

Related Questions

Q: Is dragon’s blood a drug?
A: In the past, dragon’s blood has sometimes been referred to as red rock opium and sold to more gullible drug buyers. Dragon’s blood is not an opiate, and any psychoactive effects are very minimal, if it has any at all.

Q: What does dragon’s blood smell like?
A: Dragon’s blood has a sweet aroma. Since it’s a resin, it’s often compared to amber and other types of tree saps. It also has a subtle spicy and vanilla scent to it.

Conclusion

Dragon’s blood is a natural plant resin that has been used for centuries. It has all kinds of different applications including for medical, spiritual, and practical uses.

While dragon’s blood has purported health benefits, many of these have not been proven by science. So use caution if you plan to use the resin for these purposes, and talk to your doctor about any potential interactions or complications.

However, there is little harm in trying to use dragon’s blood for magical or spiritual purposes.