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Review

Dragon’s Blood

No authors listed
In: LiverTox: Clinical and Research Information on Drug-Induced Liver Injury [Internet]. Bethesda (MD): National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases; 2012.
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Review

Dragon’s Blood

No authors listed.
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Excerpt

Dragon’s blood is a red resin obtained from the sap of several species of plants that is used as a varnish, paint pigment, and dye, but also as a traditional medicine, used topically as an astringent and orally as treatment for diarrhea and digestive diseases. Therapy with dragon’s blood has not been linked to elevations in serum enzymes or to instances of clinically apparent liver injury.

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References

    1. Zimmerman HJ. Unconventional drugs. Miscellaneous drugs and diagnostic chemicals. In, Zimmerman, HJ. Hepatotoxicity: the adverse effects of drugs and other chemicals on the liver. 2nd ed. Philadelphia: Lippincott,1999: pp. 731-4.(Expert review of hepatotoxicity published in 1999; several herbal and dietary supplements [HDS] are discussed, but not dragon’s blood).
    1. Liu LU, Schiano TD. Hepatotoxicity of herbal medicines, vitamins and natural hepatotoxins. In, Kaplowitz N, DeLeve LD, eds. Drug-induced liver disease. 2nd ed. New York: Informa Healthcare USA, 2007, pp. 733-54.(Review of hepatotoxicity of herbal and dietary supplements published in 2007; no mention of dragon’s blood).
    1. Dragon’s Blood (Xue-Jie). In, PDR for Herbal Medications. 4th ed. Montvale, NJ. Thompson Healthcare Inc. 2007: pp. 263.(Monographs on herbal products mention that dragons’s blood is a red resin extract from Dragon trees, Daemonorops draco or propinquis, native to Malaysia and Indonesia).
    1. Ubillas R, Jolad SD, Bruening RC, Kernan MR, King SR, Sesin DF, Barrett M, et al. SP-303, an antiviral oligomeric proanthocyanidin from the latex of Croton lechleri (Sangre de Drago). Phytomedicine. 1994;1(2):77-106.(Description of extraction of dragon’s blood rich in catechins and that has antiviral activity in cell culture). - PubMed
    1. Holodniy M, Koch J, Mistal M, Schmidt JM, Khandwala A, Pennington JE, Porter SB. A double blind, randomized, placebo-controlled phase II study to assess the safety and efficacy of orally administered SP-303 for the symptomatic treatment of diarrhea in patients with AIDS. Am J Gastroenterol. 1999;94:3267-73.(Among 51 adults with AIDS and non-infectious diarrhea treated with SP-303 [crofelemer] or placebo every 6 hours for 4 days, reduction in stool weight was greater with crofelemer [-451 vs -150 gm daily by day 4] and there were no serious adverse events or changes in laboratory values). - PubMed

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