Having grown up in South Texas, I have always had an interest in our native wildlife, both flora and fauna. My paternal grandmother kindled my interest in medicinal plants at an early age. She had to raise her young family on a ranch in Webb County and depended on the pharmacy of the monte for medicinal needs, as did many other people of her generation.
One of the first native species that drew my attention was Sangre de drago or just plain drago. It gets its name from the fact that when the plant's root is cut, the clear sap turns blood red upon contact with the oxygen in the air. Like so many other plants of our subtropical desert, it is rather curious looking and inconspicuous at the same time. drago grows about knee-high as a short, erect, flexible stem with a few green leaves during the growing season. It drops its leaves during the winter or during extreme drought to conserve moisture. The plant can be solitary or part of a big clan, connected by an underground network of fleshy, succulent roots. Its habitat extends from South Texas to Baja California and south into Mexico.
My maternal grandmother, I'm told, used to rinse her long hair with drago steeped in rain water. This is one of the traditional uses for the plant. The thick, fleshy root is mashed and soaked in water or brewed into a tea and applied as a final rinse to the scalp to tighten it up, prevent hair loss, and make the hair healthier.
The second most common use for drago is to firm up loose teeth and to fight gingivitis and pyorrhea by chewing on or rubbing the root on the teeth and gums. I have always used the root to brush my teeth when I am out in the brush. I don't know of anything store-bought that works better than drago root. Whenever I take kids or adults on a tour of the brush, that is one of the plants they get to try first hand. Quite a few youngsters have learned how to use drago as a toothbrush while out in the monte. About 15 years ago I used to market some native plants to mail order companies. One of my first was drago. I named it The Toothbrush Plant, which I thought was appropriate to help sell it, and the name has stuck ever since. Locally, drago and sangre de drago are the most commonly used names for the plant. In other areas it is known by other names which include batácora, metácora, tecote prieto, telondilla, sangre de Cristo, dragon's blood, limber bush, and leatherstem. Botanically it is known as Jatropha spathulata or Jatropha dioica. Interestingly, Jatropha is derived from Greek words meaning physician, nourishment, and food. It is in the same family which includes the chaya and poinsettia.
Other traditional uses for drago include as a mouthwash and gargle, for varicose veins, for bruises and minor wounds, to fight skin infection and conjunctivitis, to dissolve cataracts, and to treat dysentery and diarrhea. It is an effective natural antiseptic and astringent. If you are ever in need of a quick antiseptic first-aid medicine for a minor abrasion while out in the brush, just dig up a piece of drago root and apply the juice directly to the wound. Be sure to rinse off the root and peel its outer layer before applying.
Note of caution: The aerial parts or above-ground stems are toxic and should not be ingested, but can be used topically or externally. The juice of the fleshy, underground parts are safe to swallow.