Compound Monograph
Crofelemer
Crofelemer is a plant-derived proanthocyanidin medicine from the red sap of the dragon's blood tree, used for diarrhea — a polymer mixture rather than a single molecule.
Sources · 1
Where Does It Come From?
Crofelemer is a naturally occurring proanthocyanidin (polymeric), found in Dragon's blood tree. It is well tolerated orally (low toxicity).
Concentration
Content by Source
Concentrations not reported. No percent-dry-weight or mg/g figures have been published for this compound in its source plants.
Research & Evidence
Crofelemer is a purified proanthocyanidin extracted from the red latex (dragon’s blood) of the South American tree Croton lechleri. It acts in the gut by inhibiting chloride channels, reducing the secretion of water into the intestine, and is approved as a prescription medicine to relieve non-infectious diarrhea in certain patients. It is one of relatively few modern drugs derived directly from a traditional plant remedy.
It is not a single molecule. Crofelemer is an oligomeric proanthocyanidin — a population of related polymer chains of varying length, built mainly from catechin, epicatechin, gallocatechin and epigallocatechin units, and defined by its source and purification specification rather than by one molecular formula. That is unusual for a licensed drug, and it is why the product is characterised by an average size range rather than a fixed weight.
This page exists because crofelemer is a named article of commerce with its own approval and clinical file. Most plant fractions of this kind — polysaccharides, glycoproteins, peptide mixtures — are described on the herb’s own Phytochemistry section instead, since the compound database is molecule-level.
Toxicity & Safety
Crofelemer is minimally absorbed from the gut, acting locally, and is generally well tolerated, with mild gastrointestinal effects being the most commonly reported. As a prescription medicine it should be used under medical direction.
