Exotic and Rare Dragon Blood tree Medicinal Uses

By Liliana Usvat
Blog 253-365

Dragon’s Blood  is a natural tree resin also known as Sangre de drago or “Blood of the Dragon”. It is extracted from a medium size tree that grows in the Amazonian regions of South America.

How to plant

The planting medium provides the moisture that the seed’s embryo requires to germinate.Choose a soilless medium such as sand or peat moss and moisten it thoroughly. When it’s dried to barely moist, fill up a planting container and lay the seed on the surface of the medium. Dracaen draco seeds require light to germinate so barely cover it with sand. This top layer, although thin, prevents the top of the seed from drying. Spritz it often with water from spray bottle.Ideal germinating temperature for Dracaen Draco is around 77-85 degree fahrenheit.

Medicinal Uses

The curative powers of this thick sap are well known by the indigenous tribes around the Amazon rainforest and is considered to be the most effective herbal medicine in that area. The natives apply the resin on their skin to help stop bleeding, disinfect wounds and promote healing of almost any skin problem they have.Dragon’s Blood sap is a very strong coagulant and so promotes the coagulation of blood and helps the blood as it works to create clots. It has a variety of uses, and many of them directed toward its coagulant properties.

Dragon’s blood contains a broad range of naturally-occurring compounds, many of which have been well studied. The sap is rich in protective antioxidant phenols, and anti-inflammatory compounds of various kinds. Due to these compounds, Dragon’s blood sap helps to protect the cells of the skin, and reduces redness and swelling. 

 It also contains a group of compounds called proanthocyanidins, which actually repair collagen, the lattice-like main protein that makes up much of our tissues. Additionally, Dragon’s blood contains taspine, a known tissue-healing agent. The sap also demonstrates antibacterial, antiviral and antifungal activity. This is why Dragon’s blood is so widely used on infectious skin conditions of all kinds with great success.

Making the cut – to obtain Dragon’s blood, it is necessary to cut into the bark of the tree at a diagonal, deeply enough that the blood-like sap will flow. A cup is affixed to the tree at the bottom end of the slash, and the sap collects in the cup. 

In the markets of the Amazon, you will find bottles of Dragon’s blood selling at various medicinal stands, and at many other types of shops. As indispensable to a home first aid agent as bandages, Dragon’s blood is liberally applied to the skin in case of a problem. When the red sap is rubbed onto skin, it forms a thin cream-colored layer, like a very fine additional skin membrane.

In tribal medicine it is used both topically and orally to 

• heal wounds and cuts, 

• stomach ulcers,  

• burns, 

• mouth ulcers, 

• insect bites, 

• rash 

• Acne

• Rash

• Eczema, 

• Psoriasis 

• heale infected spider bite

• pre-cancerous and even cancer lesions

• The sap is also believed to be useful as an anti-herpes agent and many centuries ago 

• it was used as a tooth paste to maintain clear white teeth. 

• The antiseptic resin dries quickly, forming a seal over wounded skin to prevent infection and allows the skin to heal faster.

A testimonial from a Chilean woman in her 60's who is a High Altitude trekker confirm clinical studies of the benefits of Dragon's Blood for pre-cancerous and even cancer lesions. She used external applications twice a day on the cancerous lesion she had on the top of her index finger and had remarkable results. In just two weeks her cancerous lesion were healed. She has since used Dragon’s Blood for pre-cancerous sensitive spots on her face with great results in a week.
Pet Care
It is good for healing cuts and scratches, on the dogs Dragon's Blood quickly takes the pain and swelling from insect bites such as spiders, red ants and even scorpion and bee stings. 



Plea for keeping the trees alive


This is just one example of how rainforest products can help to keep some acreage intact due to the economic benefits of sustainable harvesting. Instead of cutting down the forest for timber, the forest can be managed better intact, and can yield greater profits through trade in medicinal plants, fruits, and oil-bearing nuts and seeds. And with Dragon’s blood, you also derive an even more elusive and sought-after effect – enhanced beauty.

History

Dragon’s blood has been around for many centuries and was traded frequently between the continents. Few centuries ago (1403 A.D.) it was a very popular medicine which was prescribed by Doctors and Shamans and its commercial value was so high that it was paid for with gold coins. Unfortunately, the great demand for the unique resin caused the eradication of many trees and with no planning for the future, the dragon’s blood market was suddenly a trend of the past. 

Links

http://www.foxnews.com/health/2010/03/03/dragons-blood-great-skin/

http://wholeworldbotanicals.com/dragons_blood

Deforestation in Amazon and Ancient Construction Projects

By Liliana Usvat

Blog 252-365

Large areas of pristine forest in Brazil and Bolivia and was cleared for cattle grazing. 

Hundreds of circles, squares, and other geometric shapes once hidden by forest hint at a previously unknown ancient society that flourished in the Amazon, a new study says. 
Unusual earthworks, which include square, straight, and ring-like ditches, were first uncovered in 1999.
The purpose of the massive earthworks and who created them remains unknown.

The ditches were sculpted from the clay rich soils of the Amazon and are typically around 30 feet wide and 10 feet deep, alongside 3 feet high walls. However, the largest ring ditches found so far are an incredible 1,000 feet in diameter.  The purpose of the ditches remains a complete mystery. 

Many of them are clustered on a 200 metre high plateau suggested they were used for drainage or for channelling water since most were placed near spring water source.

SATELLITE IMAGES of the upper Amazon Basin taken since 1999 have revealed more than 200 geometric earthworks spanning a distance greater than 155 miles (250 kilometers). 

Until recently, it was believed that the earthworks dated back to around 200 AD. However, the latest study has revealed that they are, in fact, much older.

The sediment cores had been taken from two lakes near the major earthwork sites.  These sediment cores hold ancient pollen grains and charcoal from long-ago fires, and can reveal information about the climate and ecosystem that existed when the sediment was laid down as far back as 6,000 years ago. 

The results revealed that the oldest sediments did not come from a rain forest ecosystem at all. Rather, they showed that the landscape, before about 2,000 to 3,000 years ago, looked more like the savannas of Africa than today’s lush rain forest.

The earthworks predate the shift from savanna to rain forest, which reveals that the creators of these ditches carved them before the forest moved in around them. They continued to live in the area as it became forested.

The discovery and dating of the ditches sheds new light on life in the Amazon region thousands of years ago. Previous study have stated that the area could only support small, impermanent village. Instead, it seems likely that the Amazon teemed with complex societies immersed in a rich culture and advanced enough to undertake massive CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS  which would have required a large, co-ordinated labour force.

Here is an hypothesis.

The rain forest was planted and developed by human society intentionally using knowledge of collecting water and using this water to sustain plants trees something that present permaculture is trying to recreate . It is possible that an civilized society existed few thousands years ago on that region?

It is time to stop massive deforestation and start replanting trees and forests.

Lost History Records

The discovery adds to evidence that the hinterlands of the Amazon once teemed with complex societies, which were largely wiped out by diseases brought to South America by European colonists in the 15th and 16th centuries.

The newfound shapes are created by a series of trenches about 36 feet (11 meters) wide and several feet deep, with adjacent banks up to 3 feet (1 meter) tall. Straight roads connect many of the earthworks.

Preliminary excavations at one of the sites in 2008 revealed that some of the earthworks were surrounded by low mounds containing domestic ceramics, charcoal, grinding-stone fragments, and other evidence of habitation.

The new study suggests that the modern forest is a co production between humans and nature. Natural cycles drove the rain forest to sprout, but humans stayed on-site for 1,500 years afterward.

"It's very likely, in fact, that people had some kind of effect on the composition of the forest," "People might favor edible species, growing in orchards and things like that, [or] altered the soils, changing the soil chemistry and composition, which can have a longer-lasting legacy effect."

Causes of Deforestation in Amazon

Direct DRIVERS of deforestation including conversion of forests for pasture, farmland, and plantations, as well as surface mining, dams that inundate forested areas, and intense fires. 
Indirect drivers of deforestation include more subtle factors, like insecure land tenure, corruption, poor law enforcement, infrastructure projects, policies that favor conversion over conservation, and selective logging that create conditions or enable activities that facilitate forest clearing. 

Links

http://rainforests.mongabay.com/20brazil.htm

http://www.livescience.com/46682-earthen-rings-predate-amazon-rainforest.html

http://www.ancient-origins.net/news-history-archaeology/mysterious-man-made-ditches-predate-amazon-rainforest-001833

Jacaranda Tree Medicinal Uses

By Liliana Usvat
Blog 251-365

Jacaranda mimosifolia is a sub-tropical tree native to south-central South America that has been widely planted elsewhere because of its beautiful and long-lasting blue flowers.

Pretoria, the administrative capital of South Africa is popularly and poetically known as Jacaranda City or Jakarandastad in Afrikaans because of the huge number of the trees which turn the city blue when they flower in the spring. The name Jakarandastad is frequently used in Afrikaans songs,

The flowers are up to 5 cm (2.0 in) long, and are grouped in 30 cm (12 in) panicles. They appear in spring and early summer, and last for up to two months. They are followed by woody seed pods, about 5 cm (2.0 in) in diameter, which contain numerous flat, winged seeds. The Blue Jacaranda is cultivated even in areas where it rarely blooms, for the sake of its large compound leaves. 

Other synonyms for the Blue Jacaranda are Jacaranda chelonia and J. ovalifolia. The Blue Jacaranda belongs to the section Monolobos of the genus Jacaranda.

There are almost 50 species of Jacaranda

Medicinal Uses

The leaves are the medicinal parts. They are somewhat coriaceous, from 1 to 2 inches long, entire or nearly so, elliptic, lance-oblong, or oblong; either oblique at base, or subacute at both extremities, smooth, and dark-brown on upper surface, lighter beneath, strongly nerved, and velvety-woolly. The surfaces are beset with oil-glands. Odor slight; taste bitter-astringent.

Water extract of Jacaranda mimosifolia shows higher antimicrobial action against Bacillus cereus and Escherichia coli than gentamicin sulfate does. The extract also acts against Staphylococcus aureus.

Is efficient in treating bacterial infections as well as gonorrhea and syphilis. Since about one-third of the world population is allergic to penicillin--the primary drug used in fighting these venereal diseases as well as other infections--it is beneficial to have the option offered by the jacaranda Mimosifolia.

The method of using jacarandas varies; some experts use essential oils derived from the leaves, others from bark, seeds (aka fruits, but they really look like a cross between a tiny turtle shell and a nut) or flowers. Others use, instead, a water extract of any of these same parts, either by use internally or externally.

It  is used both locally and internally in syphilitic ulcerations.

Fluid extract of jacaranda is given in doses of from 15 to 30 minims, 4 times a day, carobin, in 1-grain doses. For local use, Rx Jacaranda leaves (powdered)

Used also for Mental enfeeblement, voracious appetite, and epilepsy.

Having antiseptic and antibiotic qualities, Jacaranda gives out some secret natural medical gifts, too. The tree is used to treat hepatitis and in folk tradition the flowers, leaves and bark are used to ease neuralgia and varicose veins. It is scientifically proven that Jacaranda has qualities that treat leukemia. Hot Jacaranda leaf baths treat wounds and skin infections and the tree also helps in the treatment of acne.

The leaves contain carobin (0.16 per cent), a crystallizable, faintly bitterish, inodorous principle, soluble in boiling water and alcohol, insoluble in ether, precipitated from aqueous solution by tartar emetic; with acetic acid it yields a crystallizable compound. Carobic acid (0.05 per cent) crystallizes in needles of aromatic odor and acid taste; is soluble in water and diluted alcohol; steocarobic acid (0.10 per cent), pale-brown, of a tonka-like odor, soluble in cold absolute alcohol and ether; carobone (2.66 per cent), a balsamic, resinous acid, greenish, soluble in alcohol (sp. gr., 0.815) and caustic alkalies; caroba resin (3.33 per cent), inodorous and tasteless; caroba balsam (1.44 per cent), dark brown, syrupy, of tonka-like odor; caroba tannin (0.44 per cent), and a bitter principle (2.88 per cent); albumen, starch, etc. The bark contains carobin (0.3 per cent), caroba resin (0.5 per cent), the bitter principle (0.28 per cent), and in addition carobaretic acid (0.2 per cent), devoid of odor. According to Hesse (1880), no alkaloid is present.

Reforestation

Trees tolerate a wide variety of soils, but are shallow rooted therefore young plants should be staked and watered until roots are established. Occasional pruning and deep watering is recommended, once the hardy plants are established. The plant, although considered subtropical, is surprisingly hardy to at least light frosts.

Yellow jacaranda, Rosewood, Tipu tree, Pride of Bolivia - hardy, evergreen fast growing tree with bright yellow-orange flowers. Best choice for those who need a large tree in no time. Tolerates some freeze, one of the hardiest of all tropical trees.