Crush a dark red tear of dragon’s blood and the dust comes out the colour of fresh blood. Ancient writers took the name literally and believed it was the blood of a real dragon.
Origin & Traditional Use
Dragon’s blood is the red resin that coats the fruit of Daemonorops rattan palms in the islands of Southeast Asia, Sumatra above all. It has been traded for centuries as a dye, a varnish colourant and an incense, and it was a fixture of the old apothecary’s shelf under its Latin name, sanguis draconis.
Uses by Tradition
Witchcraft & Folk Magick
- Booster: add a pinch to any other incense on the coal to give the working more heat and push.
- Circle and room clearing: burn it alone before ritual, carrying the censer around the space clockwise.
- Seals and petitions: grind a little fine and stir it into ink to write sigils and names in red.
Hoodoo & Rootwork
- Protection: burn on charcoal in each corner of the house to run off unwanted influences, then open a window to let the smoke out.
- Mojo bags: a few granules are loaded into power, luck and protection hands to strengthen the other roots.
- Love return: burned at an open window at night, a long-standing folk use for calling a straying lover home.
A Simple Working
- Light a charcoal tablet in a censer filled with sand and wait until it glows grey-white.
- Write your name and the word ‘guarded’ on a slip of paper.
- Drop a small pinch of dragon’s blood onto the coal.
- Pass the paper through the smoke three times, stating what you want kept away from you.
- Fold the paper toward you and set it under a red chime candle.
- Burn the candle down, then keep the paper by your front door.
Pairs Well With
- Charcoal tablets: the resin needs a live coal to release its smoke.
- Frankincense tears: a classic pairing for consecration and protection blends.
- A red chime candle: for power and protection workings on the same night.
- A brass censer: to carry the smoke around a room or circle.
Lore & History
Pliny the Elder recorded the belief that ‘cinnabaris’ was the blood of a dragon crushed under a dying elephant, the two beasts mingling their blood as they fell. The resin he knew came mostly from the dragon trees of Socotra; the Southeast Asian palm resin took over the trade much later. In American hoodoo, dragon’s blood is one of the most common resins in protection and power formulas.
What You Receive
Dragon’s blood resin in granular form (granules and small chunks), for burning on charcoal. Available in 1/3 oz, 0.5 oz, 1 oz and 1 lb.
Did You Know?
Powdered dragon’s blood was used in early photoengraving: it was dusted onto zinc plates and melted on to protect the image lines while the plate was etched in acid.
| Weight | N/A |
|---|---|
| Size | 1/3 oz, 0.5 oz, 1 oz, 1 lb |
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