ZANGRADO®

Zangrado is a patent-pending extract derived from the latex (sap) of a tree (Croton species) found only in the Amazonian Rainforest of South America. The tree is referred to as a “weed tree” because it is hearty, ubiquitous (common) throughout the Rainforest and grows at an incredible rate – approximately 10 meters (30 feet) per year.

The raw sap is commonly known as Sangre de grado or Sangre de drago – literally translated as “Dragon’s Blood” – because of its thick blood-red color. Dragon’s Blood is harvested in a manner similar to maple-syrup in which a cut is made in the bark, the tree “tapped” and the sap collected.

There are few doctors or hospitals in the rainforest so to the Indians, Dragon’s Blood is an important medicine with a history of use both topically as well as internally. Topically, it is used to stop pain and itching, to prevent infections and heal wounds. Internally, it is used to stop excessive bleeding (as from birth or menstruation), relieve upset stomachs and gastrointestinal problems – including ulcers and bowel irregularities.

We had first heard of Dragon’s Blood through interactions in Peru and at the time, there had been a minimal amount or research – primarily concentrating on its wound healing abilities. Chemicals had been identified - isolated from the latex – and later tested in cell lines and shown to be effective and patents were even issued for use in wound healing^1-10. However, there was some mention of possible internal applications¹¹ and one pharmaceutical company in the US had patented and was developing an anti-diarrheal drug¹².

Again, while it is much easier to show that something works (i.e. Dragon’s Blood for wound healing), it is much more interesting to find out it works. How does Dragon’s Blood work - both topically and internally?

We started in the late 1990’s and since most research had concentrated on its topical uses, we began by looking at its gastrointestinal benefits. We published that Dragon’s blood – and later an extract known as Zangrado – not only was an effective treatment for diarrhea but also promoted the healing of gastric ulcers^13-14. We were later able to show that it could be used for both general gastrointestinal health and also specific gastrointestinal conditions – like inflammatory bowel disease and possibly gastrointestinal cancer^15-17.

We followed with experiments designed to tests its topical effects. Not only was it an anti-inflammatory internally, but we were the first to show that it also acted as a topical anti-inflammatory¹⁸. But the actual breakthrough as to how it worked came in part from spicy boiled crawfish.

At a crawfish boil in New Orleans, a friend complained of an intense burning sensation from his chapped lips after he had eaten some. Mark gave him the only balm that he had – intended for the lab and containing Dragon’s blood - and once applied, there was an immediate relief from the pain and burning. That was the key – the breakthrough.

One of the main spices in crawfish is pepper – and the chemical in peppers that give them their “hot” reputation is called capsaicin. There are very specific nerves that line the skin – such as the lips – that sense capsaicin and because Dragon’s blood stopped pain induced by capsaicin, it must in some way affect these sensory nerves. Most importantly, not only do these specific nerves line the skin, but they also line the gastrointestinal tract as well as many other internal areas of the body.

Using a profession pest control company for subjects, we were able to show that a topical balm containing an extract of Dragon’s Blood – Zangrado – reduced inflammation and stopped pain and itching from a variety of insect bites and stings as well as from poisonous plant irritation¹⁹. In this same paper, and through these same nerves, we also showed that Zangrado was an effective treatment for nausea. We later confirmed that it was responsible for suppressing these nerves and proposed other applications – such as sore throat and lung irritation (after all, coughing is simply your body’s way of “itching” the lungs)²⁰.

One of the problems encountered in formulating effective topical treatments using Dragon’s Blood was the intense red color. This is the same “red” found in red wine - but much more concentrated: while red wine stains cloth, Dragon’s Blood actually stains the skin. Therefore, we develop a method for removing and discarding this red component whilst still retaining Dragon’s Blood’s therapeutic properties. This material is known as Zangrado.

While others were still looking at chemicals components and uses for the raw material ^21-25, we were submitting patents for extraction methods and therapeutic applications ^26-28.

Nutrazon contains a therapeutically effective dose of Zangrado.

Work Cited:

Zangrado®
1. J Pharm Sci, 68:124-6, 1979. Taspine isolation and anti-inflammatory activity.
2. Planta Med, 55:140-3, 1989. Taspine is the cicatrizant principle in Sangre de Grado extracted from Croton lechleri.
3. Chem Pharm Bull (Tokyo), 39:1041-2, 1991. A cytotoxic substance from Sangre de Grado.
4. J Nat Prod, 56:899-906, 1993. Isolation of a dihydrobenzofuran lignan from South American dragon's blood (Croton spp.) as an inhibitor of cell proliferation.
5. Planta Med, 60:541-5, 1994.Studies on the anti-tumour, anti-bacterial, and wound-healing properties of dragon's blood.
6. J Ethnopharmacol, 58:103-8, 1997. Effects of Sangre de Drago from Croton lechleri Muell.-Arg. on the production of active oxygen radicals.
7. Phytochemistry, 53:851-4, 2000. Synthesis of methyl dihydrohardwickiate and its C-4 epimer. Structural amendment of natural crolechinic acid.
8. USPTO No. 5,156,847: Wound-healing composition. 1992.
9. USPTO No. 5,474,782: Wound-healing composition and method. 1995.
10. USPTO No. 5,474,782: Wound-healing composition and method. 1995.
11. Phytochemistry, 38:1319-43, 1995. A matter of some sensitivity (Review).
12. USPTO No 5,211,944: Proanthocyanidin polymers having antiviral activity and methods of obtaining same. 1993.
13. Amer J Physiol, 279; G192-G200, 2000. Treatment of gastric ulcers and diarrhea with the amazonian medicinal, sangre de grado.
14. Amer Bot Council HerbClip, HC 032221 – 214, 2002. Sangre de Grado for Treatment of Gastric Ulcers.
15. Trends in Inflammatory Bowel Disease Therapy 1999,:Kluwer (New York), 2000. pp 201-206. Gut Inflammation: Is there a role for herbal medicines?
16. JANA, 5: 2-4, 2002. The impact of nutritional, bacterial and botanical approaches to gastrointestinal dysfunction.
17. J Ethnopharmacol, 80:121-9, 2002. Sangre de grado Croton palanostigma induces apoptosis in human gastrointestinal cancer cells.
18. Chron Skin Allergy, 7:4, 2001. Amazonian tree sap demonstrates anti-inflammatory properties.
19. J Invest Dermatol, 117:725-30, 2001. Inhibition of neurogenic inflammation by the Amazonian herbal medicine sangre de grado.
20. Itch: Basic Mechanisms and Therapy, Marcel Dekker, Ed. G. Yosipovitch: p311-320, 2003. Mechanistic and clinical assessment of Zangrado®, an extract of the Amazonian ethnomedicine sangre de grado, for the treatment of itch
21. Altern Med Rev, 6:567-79, 2001. Review of antiviral and immunomodulating properties of plants of the Peruvian rainforest with a particular emphasis on Una de Gato and Sangre de Grado.
22. J Nat Prod, 65:814-9, 2002. Geographic distribution of three alkaloid chemotypes of Croton lechleri.
23. Phytomedicine, 10:139-44, 2003. Evaluation of the mutagenic, antimutagenic and antiproliferative potential of Croton lechleri (Muell. Arg.) latex.
24. Planta Med, 69:785-94, 2003. Immunomodulatory activity and chemical characterisation of sangre de drago (dragon's blood) from Croton lechleri.
25. J Altern Complement Med, 9:877-96, 2003. Review of sangre de drago (Croton lechleri) - a South American tree sap in the treatment of diarrhea, inflammation, insect bites, viral infections, and wounds: traditional uses to clinical research.
26. USPTO Application No. 20040067269: Methods & preparations of the latex from the croton species.
27. USPTO Application No. 20040067270: Pharmaceutical preparations for the treatment of itch, nausea, hyperalgesia and the complications of opioid agonists.
28. USPTO Application No. 20040071793: Oral rehydration methods and compositions.