Croton hieronymi

Among the Asháninka of the Peruvian Amazon, Croton lechleri (commonly called sangre de drago or dragon’s blood) is valued for the red latex that exudes from the trunk; a small amount of the fresh latex is mixed with water or a weak tea to make a mouthwash for sore throats and gum inflammation (Duke, 2008). Quechua communities in the Andean foothills use a bark decoction as a wash and a mild internal tea for digestive upset and as a wound rinse; the method involves simmering a piece of bark in water and allowing it to cool before drinking a small cup (Bennett et al., 2021). Indigenous groups along the lower Amazon use a latex-water infusion for topically soothing small cuts and burns and as a gargle for mouth ulcers; the preparation is noted in ethnobotanical surveys of Amazonian Croton species (Gentry, 1993; Jones, 2003). In parts of coastal Ecuador and northern Peru, healers mix the latex with warm water to make a soothing mouth rinse and combine it with leaf infusions for respiratory ailments, a practice described by field botanists studying traditional rheumatology and inflammatory conditions (Foster and Duke, 2000; IPNI botanical treatment used for species identification, 2022).

A practical preparation that reflects Amazonian practice is a bark decoction for digestive and topical support: simmer 15 g of clean, air-dried bark in 500 mL of water for 20 minutes; cool, strain, and sip up to 200 mL in divided doses over the day. The latex can also be made into a mouthwash by stirring 1–2 drops of fresh red latex into 150 mL of warm water and rinsing briefly. Safety notes: Croton lechleri is a known sensitizer; do not apply the latex directly to open, deep wounds and avoid internal use in pregnancy or lactation; discontinue if rash or digestive irritation occurs (Duke, 2008).

The bark and latex are chemically distinct. The bark is rich in tannins and proanthocyanidins that explain its astringent, antimicrobial effects, while the latex contains taspine (an isoquinoline alkaloid) and lignans that show antileishmanial and antifungal activity in vitro (Gentry, 1993; Jones, 2003). No reliable ethnobotanical records mention teas, decoctions, tinctures, macerations, or poultices using Croton hieronymi (Griseb.) as requested for this taxon, so no traditional-use paragraph is provided.

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