Supplement analysis backed by scientific evidence · PT

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Moderate evidenceGut health

Sangre de Grado (Dragon's Blood)

The purified oligomeric proanthocyanidin from Croton lechleri latex is crofelemer, an FDA-approved prescription antidiarrheal — genuinely effective for a narrow indication. The raw red latex sold as a supplement is a different, unstandardized product and should not be assumed to work the same way.

What the science says

  • Treats non-infectious secretory diarrhea Strong evidence

    Crofelemer, the standardized oligomeric proanthocyanidin extracted from Croton lechleri stem bark latex, was approved by the FDA in 2012 for symptomatic relief of non-infectious diarrhea in adults with HIV/AIDS on antiretroviral therapy. Approval rested on ADVENT, a 376-patient multicenter phase III trial in which 125 mg twice daily significantly reduced secretory diarrhea versus placebo over 4 weeks. It works locally by blocking the two principal chloride channels in the enterocyte luminal membrane and is minimally absorbed.

  • Helps diarrhea-predominant IBS Limited evidence

    A 240-woman randomized trial of crofelemer 125 mg twice daily for 12 weeks in IBS-D missed its primary endpoint — no significant difference in percentage of abdominal pain/discomfort-free days. Post hoc FDA monthly responder analysis favored crofelemer for abdominal pain (54.2% vs 42.5% over 3 months, p = 0.037) but showed no benefit for stool consistency. Post hoc findings generate hypotheses; they do not establish efficacy.

  • Wound healing and topical use Limited evidence

    The traditional Amazonian use is dripping the latex onto cuts, insect bites, and mouth sores, where it forms a protective film; taspine and the proanthocyanidins have antimicrobial and cell-migration effects in vitro. Controlled human wound-healing trials are essentially absent, so this remains traditional practice with a plausible mechanism rather than demonstrated benefit.

  • The supplement is not the drug Limited evidence

    Crofelemer is a defined, purified, enteric-coated botanical drug substance manufactured to pharmaceutical specification. Bottles of raw sangre de grado latex sold as supplements are not standardized to proanthocyanidin content, are not enteric-protected, and have never been tested for the diarrhea indication. Do not read the crofelemer trial data onto a supplement label.

Dosage & safety

Studied dosePrescription crofelemer is 125 mg delayed-release tablets twice daily, which is the only dose with efficacy data. Raw latex supplements have no validated oral dose; traditional internal use is a few drops in water, and traditional topical use is applying the latex directly and rubbing it until it turns white.
SafetyCrofelemer was generally well tolerated in ADVENT, with overall treatment-emergent adverse event rates similar to placebo over the 4-week controlled phase; infections and GI disorders (flatulence, nausea, abdominal pain) were most common, and there was no effect on HIV viral load or CD4 counts. The important clinical rule is that infectious causes of diarrhea must be excluded first — suppressing secretory output during an untreated infection is a bad idea. Raw latex contains taspine and other alkaloids not present in the purified drug, with no toxicology in humans. If you need a diarrhea treatment for a defined medical condition, this is a conversation with a physician about a prescription, not a supplement purchase.

Scientific references

Where to buy

Herb Pharm, Dragon's Blood, 1 fl oz (30 ml)

View on iHerb

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