Taspine

Taspine at a Glance

Taspine is an aporphine-derived alkaloid with two almost unrelated reputations. In South American ethnomedicine it is the best-characterised active of dragon’s blood — the red latex of Croton lechleri, sold as Sangre de Grado or Sangre de Drago — where it was identified as the cicatrizant (wound-healing) principle and drives the sap’s traditional use on wounds and ulcers ^{2,4Reference 2Vaisberg AJ et al. · 1989Taspine is the cicatrizant principle in Sangre de Grado extracted from Croton lechleriView study →Reference 4Jones K · 2003ReviewReview of sangre de drago (Croton lechleri) — a South American tree sap in the treatment of diarrhea, inflammation, insect bites, viral infections, and wounds: traditional uses to clinical researchView study →}. On top of that folk-medicine role it has accumulated a genuine, largely preclinical antitumour and anti-angiogenic literature: it is a dual topoisomerase inhibitor cytotoxic even to drug-resistant cancer cells ^{9Reference 9Fayad W et al. · 2009Identification of a novel topoisomerase inhibitor effective in cells overexpressing drug efflux transportersView study →}, and it suppresses tumour-vessel formation in cell and embryo-membrane models ^{8Reference 8Zhang Y et al. · 2008Taspine isolated from Radix et Rhizoma Leonticis inhibits proliferation and migration of endothelial cells as well as chicken chorioallantoic membrane neovascularisationView study →}.

In a completely separate context it turns up as a minor alkaloid of blue cohosh (Caulophyllum thalictroides). In the standard rat-embryo-culture screen of blue-cohosh alkaloids, taspine was highly embryotoxic but not teratogenic — a deliberate contrast with N-methylcytisine, the one alkaloid in that screen that was teratogenic ^{10Reference 10Kennelly EJ et al. · 1999In vitroDetecting potential teratogenic alkaloids from blue cohosh rhizomes using an in vitro rat embryo cultureView study →}. That distinction (toxic to the embryo, but not a cause of malformation) is the safety headline for this molecule.

Almost all of taspine’s therapeutic evidence is isolate work in animals and cell culture, or whole-sap studies in which taspine is only one of many constituents. There are no controlled human trials of the purified alkaloid.

Taspine: Dragon’s Blood Healer & Blue-Cohosh Embryotoxin

The point is that a single molecule sits at the centre of two traditions that never meet — and that its “activity” is genuinely context- and cell-type-dependent, not a contradiction to be smoothed over.

As the dragon’s-blood cicatrizant, taspine promotes tissue repair. It accelerates wound closure in animals with a cicatrizant ED50 of about 0.375 mg/kg in a mouse model, and the proposed mechanism is that it stimulates the migration of human fibroblasts into the wound — the cell movement that re-epithelialises damaged skin ^{2Reference 2Vaisberg AJ et al. · 1989Taspine is the cicatrizant principle in Sangre de Grado extracted from Croton lechleriView study →}. Follow-up work attributed the effect to enhanced chemotaxis of the repair cells (fibroblasts, and immune/epithelial cells) ^{3Reference 3Porras-Reyes BH et al. · 1993Enhancement of wound healing by the alkaloid taspine defining mechanism of actionView study →}. This is a pro-repair, pro-migration action.

As an antitumour agent, taspine does something that looks opposite: it inhibits the proliferation and migration of vascular endothelial cells and reduces neovascularisation on the chick chorioallantoic membrane ^{8Reference 8Zhang Y et al. · 2008Taspine isolated from Radix et Rhizoma Leonticis inhibits proliferation and migration of endothelial cells as well as chicken chorioallantoic membrane neovascularisationView study →}, and it is directly cytotoxic to tumour cells through dual topoisomerase I/II inhibition and intrinsic (Bak/Bax, cytochrome-c) apoptosis ^{9Reference 9Fayad W et al. · 2009Identification of a novel topoisomerase inhibitor effective in cells overexpressing drug efflux transportersView study →}. Here the same molecule blocks the cell proliferation and vessel growth that a tumour depends on.

The two are reconciled by which cells, at what concentration: taspine can favour the directed migration of dermal repair cells at a healing dose while, at cytotoxic concentrations, it shuts down endothelial proliferation and tumour-cell survival. It is a useful reminder that “stimulates wound healing” and “anti-angiogenic anticancer lead” are not incompatible claims for one alkaloid.

The blue-cohosh strand is separate again. There, taspine is a trace rhizome alkaloid whose only well-documented biology is the teratology screen — embryotoxic without being teratogenic ^{10Reference 10Kennelly EJ et al. · 1999In vitroDetecting potential teratogenic alkaloids from blue cohosh rhizomes using an in vitro rat embryo cultureView study →} — and it contributes to the herb’s overall alkaloid toxicity rather than to any intended effect. In that same screen it sits between two useful reference points: N-methylcytisine, the alkaloid that was frankly teratogenic, and thalictroidine, which was neither teratogenic nor embryotoxic at the tested concentrations; anagyrine — the classic “crooked-calf” lupine teratogen — was likewise not teratogenic in this particular rat-embryo assay ^{10Reference 10Kennelly EJ et al. · 1999In vitroDetecting potential teratogenic alkaloids from blue cohosh rhizomes using an in vitro rat embryo cultureView study →}.

What It's Used For

Taspine’s evidence base is broad in type but shallow in tier: decades-old anti-inflammatory pharmacology, an animal-plus-mechanism wound-healing story, and a modern but almost entirely in-vitro/in-vivo-rodent oncology programme. The load-bearing caveat is uniform — no controlled human trials of the isolate.

Wound healing is the most grounded use:isolated taspine has a dose-related cicatrizant effect in animals (ED50 ≈ 0.375 mg/kg) and stimulates fibroblast migration ^{2,3Reference 2Vaisberg AJ et al. · 1989Taspine is the cicatrizant principle in Sangre de Grado extracted from Croton lechleriView study →Reference 3Porras-Reyes BH et al. · 1993Enhancement of wound healing by the alkaloid taspine defining mechanism of actionView study →}, and the whole dragon’s-blood latex it comes from has been trialled as a wound cream in people ^{11Reference 11Namjoyan F et al. · 2016RCTEfficacy of Dragon’s blood cream on wound healing: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trialView study →} — but the human evidence is the extract, not the pure alkaloid.

A real preclinical anticancer signal:taspine is a dual topoisomerase I/II inhibitor that triggers intrinsic apoptosis and, unusually, stays cytotoxic in cells overexpressing the P-glycoprotein/MRP drug-efflux pumps that defeat conventional agents ^{9Reference 9Fayad W et al. · 2009Identification of a novel topoisomerase inhibitor effective in cells overexpressing drug efflux transportersView study →}; it also modulates EGFR→Erk1/2/Akt signalling in vitro and in vivo ^{7Reference 7Zhang Y et al. · 2011In vitroAntitumor activity of taspine by modulating the EGFR signaling pathway of Erk1/2 and Akt in vitro and in vivoView study →} and is anti-angiogenic against endothelial cells ^{8Reference 8Zhang Y et al. · 2008Taspine isolated from Radix et Rhizoma Leonticis inhibits proliferation and migration of endothelial cells as well as chicken chorioallantoic membrane neovascularisationView study →}. All preclinical.

The safety headline is developmental:as a blue-cohosh alkaloid, taspine was highly embryotoxic but not teratogenic in rat embryo culture — toxic to the embryo without causing malformations, and distinct from the herb’s teratogenic alkaloids ^{10Reference 10Kennelly EJ et al. · 1999In vitroDetecting potential teratogenic alkaloids from blue cohosh rhizomes using an in vitro rat embryo cultureView study →}.

Evidence by IndicationStrength of support · Beta

Support is an experimental score — weighted by study type (human > animal > in vitro) and volume. A beta, not a validated metric. Scores mix an animal-plus-mechanism wound use (where the human data are the whole extract) with an otherwise preclinical oncology profile, so read the per-row basis.

The oldest and most convincing use, and the one that matches the plant’s traditional reputation. Isolated taspine is the cicatrizant principle of Croton lechleri sap: in a mouse wound model it produced a dose-related healing effect with an ED50 of ~0.375 mg/kg, and in culture it increased the migration of human foreskin fibroblasts — the likely mechanism for faster closure ^{2Reference 2Vaisberg AJ et al. · 1989Taspine is the cicatrizant principle in Sangre de Grado extracted from Croton lechleriView study →}.

A mechanistic follow-up framed the action as enhanced chemotaxis of repair cells ^{3Reference 3Porras-Reyes BH et al. · 1993Enhancement of wound healing by the alkaloid taspine defining mechanism of actionView study →}, and Chinese work on taspine hydrochloride reported accelerated skin-wound healing in rats ^{12Reference 12Dong YL et al. · 2005AnimalDong YL, He LC, Wang HH, et al. (2005). [Effect of taspine hydrochloride on skin wound healing in rats and its mechanism]. Journal of Chinese Integrative Medicine (Zhong Xi Yi Jie He Xue Bao). https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16159575/View study →}.

In people, a randomised controlled trial of a dragon’s-blood cream found faster wound healing — but that is the whole latex, in which taspine is one active among proanthocyanidins and other constituents ^{11Reference 11Namjoyan F et al. · 2016RCTEfficacy of Dragon’s blood cream on wound healing: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trialView study →}.

Gap: the isolate data are animal + in-vitro, and the only human trial used the whole extract, not purified taspine — so the human wound-healing evidence cannot be assigned to this molecule alone ^{2,11Reference 2Vaisberg AJ et al. · 1989Taspine is the cicatrizant principle in Sangre de Grado extracted from Croton lechleriView study →Reference 11Namjoyan F et al. · 2016RCTEfficacy of Dragon’s blood cream on wound healing: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trialView study →}.

The largest modern strand, and entirely preclinical. Taspine was identified in a natural-product screen as a dual topoisomerase I and II inhibitor that induces conformational activation of Bak/Bax, mitochondrial cytochrome-c release and intrinsic apoptosis in colon-cancer cells — and, importantly, it stays cytotoxic in cell lines overexpressing the P-glycoprotein and MRP drug-efflux transporters that render doxorubicin, etoposide and mitoxantrone ineffective ^{9Reference 9Fayad W et al. · 2009Identification of a novel topoisomerase inhibitor effective in cells overexpressing drug efflux transportersView study →}.

Separate work showed antitumour activity by modulating EGFR→Erk1/2 and Akt signalling in vitro and in vivo ^{7Reference 7Zhang Y et al. · 2011In vitroAntitumor activity of taspine by modulating the EGFR signaling pathway of Erk1/2 and Akt in vitro and in vivoView study →}, and Croton lechleri sap and isolated taspine both inhibited human melanoma (SK23) and colon-cancer (HT29) cell lines ^{6Reference 6Montopoli M et al. · 2012Croton lechleri sap and isolated alkaloid taspine exhibit inhibition against human melanoma SK23 and colon cancer HT29 cell linesView study →}.

These findings have driven a programme of semi-synthetic taspine derivatives aimed at improving potency and selectivity ^{5Reference 5Zhang J et al. · 2011Synthesis and cytotoxic evaluation of novel symmetrical taspine derivatives as anticancer agentsView study →}.

Gap: no whole-animal tumour-regression or human oncology data for native taspine beyond the mechanistic in-vivo signalling study; the cell-line cytotoxicity is the isolate, but clinical relevance is unestablished ^{6,7,9Reference 6Montopoli M et al. · 2012Croton lechleri sap and isolated alkaloid taspine exhibit inhibition against human melanoma SK23 and colon cancer HT29 cell linesView study →Reference 7Zhang Y et al. · 2011In vitroAntitumor activity of taspine by modulating the EGFR signaling pathway of Erk1/2 and Akt in vitro and in vivoView study →Reference 9Fayad W et al. · 2009Identification of a novel topoisomerase inhibitor effective in cells overexpressing drug efflux transportersView study →}.

Mechanisms

Target / pathway	Effect	Relevant to
Fibroblast / repair-cell chemotaxis	stimulates directed migration of fibroblasts (and immune/epithelial cells) into the wound → faster re-epithelialisation	wound healing (cicatrizant)
Topoisomerase I and II	dual catalytic inhibition → DNA damage, Bak/Bax activation, cytochrome-c release, intrinsic apoptosis	antitumour / cytotoxic
EGFR → Erk1/2 and Akt signalling	suppression of proliferative/survival signalling in tumour cells (in vitro and in vivo)	antitumour
Vascular endothelial cells / neovascularisation	inhibits endothelial proliferation and migration; reduces CAM neovascularisation	anti-angiogenic (antitumour)
P-glycoprotein / MRP-overexpressing cells	remains cytotoxic where conventional topoisomerase inhibitors are effluxed and fail	antitumour (drug-resistant cells)
Inflammatory/oedema mediators (carrageenan, granuloma, adjuvant models)	anti-oedema / anti-inflammatory	anti-inflammatory

The pro-migration wound effect and the anti-proliferative/anti-angiogenic tumour effect are the same molecule acting on different cell types at different concentrations — the interpretive crux of the page, not a contradiction.

Pharmacokinetics

Taspine’s human pharmacokinetics are not characterised. It is a basic, relatively polar alkaloid (used experimentally as the water-soluble taspine hydrochloride salt ^{12Reference 12Dong YL et al. · 2005AnimalDong YL, He LC, Wang HH, et al. (2005). [Effect of taspine hydrochloride on skin wound healing in rats and its mechanism]. Journal of Chinese Integrative Medicine (Zhong Xi Yi Jie He Xue Bao). https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16159575/View study →}), and its documented efficacy is topical/local — the dragon’s-blood cicatrizant use is on the skin, and the cell-culture and CAM work applies it directly to cells ^{2,8Reference 2Vaisberg AJ et al. · 1989Taspine is the cicatrizant principle in Sangre de Grado extracted from Croton lechleriView study →Reference 8Zhang Y et al. · 2008Taspine isolated from Radix et Rhizoma Leonticis inhibits proliferation and migration of endothelial cells as well as chicken chorioallantoic membrane neovascularisationView study →}. No absorption, oral-bioavailability, metabolism or half-life data for the isolate have been established, so the in-vitro cytotoxic concentrations cannot be assumed reachable in blood by any oral route. For the blue-cohosh exposure route, taspine is a trace rhizome constituent and its systemic kinetics are unstudied ^{10Reference 10Kennelly EJ et al. · 1999In vitroDetecting potential teratogenic alkaloids from blue cohosh rhizomes using an in vitro rat embryo cultureView study →}.

Clinical Trials

Human evidence exists only for the whole plant, not the isolate. A randomised controlled trial of a dragon’s-blood (Croton lechleri) cream reported improved wound healing ^{11Reference 11Namjoyan F et al. · 2016RCTEfficacy of Dragon’s blood cream on wound healing: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trialView study →}, but that tests the full latex, in which taspine is one constituent. There are no registered clinical trials of purified taspine; the oncology and anti-angiogenic work is preclinical.

Completed	Planned	Terminated	Preclinical
Whole dragon’s-blood cream (wound healing) ^{11Reference 11Namjoyan F et al. · 2016RCTEfficacy of Dragon’s blood cream on wound healing: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trialView study →}	—	—	Antitumour(topo I/II, EGFR), anti-angiogenic, wound-healing mechanism, anti-inflammatory

Last checked: July 2026.

Isolate vs. Plant Studies

The evidence divides cleanly. The mechanistic and animal work is the isolated alkaloid: the cicatrizant ED50 and fibroblast-migration assay ^{2Reference 2Vaisberg AJ et al. · 1989Taspine is the cicatrizant principle in Sangre de Grado extracted from Croton lechleriView study →}, the dual-topoisomerase apoptosis screen ^{9Reference 9Fayad W et al. · 2009Identification of a novel topoisomerase inhibitor effective in cells overexpressing drug efflux transportersView study →}, the EGFR/Erk/Akt antitumour study ^{7Reference 7Zhang Y et al. · 2011In vitroAntitumor activity of taspine by modulating the EGFR signaling pathway of Erk1/2 and Akt in vitro and in vivoView study →}, the endothelial/CAM anti-angiogenesis work ^{8Reference 8Zhang Y et al. · 2008Taspine isolated from Radix et Rhizoma Leonticis inhibits proliferation and migration of endothelial cells as well as chicken chorioallantoic membrane neovascularisationView study →} and the 1979 anti-inflammatory models ^{1Reference 1Perdue GP et al. · 1979South American plants II: taspine isolation and anti-inflammatory activityView study →} all used taspine (or taspine hydrochloride) directly. As a preclinical mechanism base for the molecule, that is a genuine strength.

The human evidence, by contrast, is the whole extract. The dragon’s-blood wound-cream trial is a Croton lechleri latex preparation ^{11Reference 11Namjoyan F et al. · 2016RCTEfficacy of Dragon’s blood cream on wound healing: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trialView study →}, and the sap’s chemistry is complex — proanthocyanidins, the lignan dimethylcedrusin, other alkaloids and immunomodulatory constituents all co-occur [8-note not-applicable], so its clinical effect cannot be reduced to taspine ^{4Reference 4Jones K · 2003ReviewReview of sangre de drago (Croton lechleri) — a South American tree sap in the treatment of diarrhea, inflammation, insect bites, viral infections, and wounds: traditional uses to clinical researchView study →}. The correct framing is: strong isolate mechanism + whole-sap human wound data + no human isolate trials. On the blue-cohosh side there is no therapeutic evidence at all — only the teratology characterisation of the isolate ^{10Reference 10Kennelly EJ et al. · 1999In vitroDetecting potential teratogenic alkaloids from blue cohosh rhizomes using an in vitro rat embryo cultureView study →}.

Prevalence in Nature

Taspine is an aporphine-derived alkaloid reported from a small number of unrelated plants. Its richest and best-known source is the red latex of dragon’s blood (Croton lechleri, Euphorbiaceae), the Sangre de Grado of the upper Amazon, from which it was isolated as an anti-inflammatory and then wound-healing principle ^{1,2Reference 1Perdue GP et al. · 1979South American plants II: taspine isolation and anti-inflammatory activityView study →Reference 2Vaisberg AJ et al. · 1989Taspine is the cicatrizant principle in Sangre de Grado extracted from Croton lechleriView study →}. Croton lechleri is chemically variable: distinct alkaloid chemotypes are distributed geographically across its range, so taspine content is not uniform between collections ^{14Reference 14Milanowski DJ et al. · 2002Geographic distribution of three alkaloid chemotypes of Croton lechleriView study →}. The same sap yields the approved anti-diarrhoeal proanthocyanidin drug crofelemer — a reminder that dragon’s blood is a chemical mixture, not a single active.

It also occurs as a minor rhizome alkaloid of blue cohosh (Caulophyllum thalictroides, Berberidaceae), alongside the aporphine magnoflorine and the quinolizidine alkaloids that define that herb’s toxicity ^{10Reference 10Kennelly EJ et al. · 1999In vitroDetecting potential teratogenic alkaloids from blue cohosh rhizomes using an in vitro rat embryo cultureView study →}, and it is known from Leontice (Radix et Rhizoma Leonticis, also Berberidaceae) ^{8Reference 8Zhang Y et al. · 2008Taspine isolated from Radix et Rhizoma Leonticis inhibits proliferation and migration of endothelial cells as well as chicken chorioallantoic membrane neovascularisationView study →}. Its absolute abundance in these sources has not been systematically quantified, which is why no comparative content chart is given here (the missing figures are tracked in the compound’s gaps file).

Discovery & Synthesis

Taspine was brought to pharmacological attention through South American ethnobotany: it was isolated from Croton lechleri and reported with anti-inflammatory activity in 1979 (“South American Plants II”) ^{1Reference 1Perdue GP et al. · 1979South American plants II: taspine isolation and anti-inflammatory activityView study →}, then identified as the cicatrizant principle of Sangre de Grado in 1989 by Vaisberg and colleagues, who tied it to fibroblast migration ^{2Reference 2Vaisberg AJ et al. · 1989Taspine is the cicatrizant principle in Sangre de Grado extracted from Croton lechleriView study →}. The alkaloid was already known from Leontice (Berberidaceae) before that, and the name reflects its botanical origins; a well-documented first total synthesis is not on record, and modern chemistry has instead pursued semi-synthetic taspine derivatives as anticancer and anti-angiogenic leads ^{5,13Reference 5Zhang J et al. · 2011Synthesis and cytotoxic evaluation of novel symmetrical taspine derivatives as anticancer agentsView study →Reference 13Zhang J et al. · 2010Discovery of novel taspine derivatives as antiangiogenic agentsView study →}.

Manufacture today is by extraction from Croton lechleri latex (or from Leontice material), with the water-soluble hydrochloride salt used in experimental work ^{12Reference 12Dong YL et al. · 2005AnimalDong YL, He LC, Wang HH, et al. (2005). [Effect of taspine hydrochloride on skin wound healing in rats and its mechanism]. Journal of Chinese Integrative Medicine (Zhong Xi Yi Jie He Xue Bao). https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16159575/View study →}; there is no commercial total-synthesis route.

Patents: not yet researched.

Toxicity & Safety

Taspine carries a moderate flag. Two facts drive it: it was highly embryotoxic (though not teratogenic) in the standard blue-cohosh rat-embryo-culture screen ^{10Reference 10Kennelly EJ et al. · 1999In vitroDetecting potential teratogenic alkaloids from blue cohosh rhizomes using an in vitro rat embryo cultureView study →}, and it is a cytotoxic, DNA-topoisomerase-poisoning alkaloid by design of its anticancer activity ^{9Reference 9Fayad W et al. · 2009Identification of a novel topoisomerase inhibitor effective in cells overexpressing drug efflux transportersView study →} — properties that make it unsuitable for casual internal use even though its established human exposure is topical (via dragon’s-blood sap) or trace (via blue cohosh).

Safety at a Glance

Moderate toxicity

Traditional topical use of the whole sap is long-standing. Dragon’s-blood latex has a long ethnomedical record for wounds, and a controlled trial of a dragon’s-blood cream supports topical wound healing ^{11Reference 11Namjoyan F et al. · 2016RCTEfficacy of Dragon’s blood cream on wound healing: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trialView study →}.
Embryotoxic alkaloid. In rat embryo culture, isolated taspine showed high embryotoxicity (toxic to the developing embryo) — not teratogenic, but a clear developmental hazard for the isolate ^{10Reference 10Kennelly EJ et al. · 1999In vitroDetecting potential teratogenic alkaloids from blue cohosh rhizomes using an in vitro rat embryo cultureView study →}.
Cytotoxic / topoisomerase-poisoning by nature. Taspine’s anticancer activity comes from dual topoisomerase inhibition and induction of apoptosis, so it is inherently cytotoxic, not a benign nutrient ^{9Reference 9Fayad W et al. · 2009Identification of a novel topoisomerase inhibitor effective in cells overexpressing drug efflux transportersView study →}.
Blue-cohosh context. In blue cohosh, taspine adds to a toxic alkaloid mixture (nicotinic quinolizidine alkaloids, teratogenic constituents); developmental and general safety are decided on the herb page, where intake is decided, not here.
Human PK and interaction data are absent. No absorption, bioavailability, metabolism or drug-interaction data exist for the isolate; in-vitro cytotoxic concentrations should not be assumed safe or reachable.

Dosage

There is no established or recommended human dose for isolated taspine. The cited efficacy figures are research values, not self-dosing guidance:

Application	Form	Dose / concentration
Wound healing (animal)	isolated taspine	cicatrizant ED50 ≈ 0.375 mg/kg in a mouse model ^{2Reference 2Vaisberg AJ et al. · 1989Taspine is the cicatrizant principle in Sangre de Grado extracted from Croton lechleriView study →}
Wound healing (human)	whole dragon’s-blood cream	topical, as formulated in the RCT — the extract, not the isolate ^{11Reference 11Namjoyan F et al. · 2016RCTEfficacy of Dragon’s blood cream on wound healing: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trialView study →}
Antitumour / anti-angiogenic	isolated taspine (in vitro / CAM)	micromolar cell-culture concentrations; no systemic human dose ^{8,9Reference 8Zhang Y et al. · 2008Taspine isolated from Radix et Rhizoma Leonticis inhibits proliferation and migration of endothelial cells as well as chicken chorioallantoic membrane neovascularisationView study →Reference 9Fayad W et al. · 2009Identification of a novel topoisomerase inhibitor effective in cells overexpressing drug efflux transportersView study →}
Blue-cohosh exposure	herbal (rhizome)	trace, unquantified alkaloid intake ^{10Reference 10Kennelly EJ et al. · 1999In vitroDetecting potential teratogenic alkaloids from blue cohosh rhizomes using an in vitro rat embryo cultureView study →}

The realistic human exposure is either topical, as one active of dragon’s-blood sap, or trace dietary/herbal, via blue cohosh — not purified taspine. These are doses studied in research and are not a personal recommendation.

References

Perdue GP, Blomster RN, Blake DA, Farnsworth NR (1979). South American plants II: taspine isolation and anti-inflammatory activity. Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/758452/
Vaisberg AJ, Milla M, Planas MC, et al. (1989). Taspine is the cicatrizant principle in Sangre de Grado extracted from Croton lechleri. Planta Medica. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/2748730/
Porras-Reyes BH, Lewis WH, Roman J, Simchowitz L, Mustoe TA (1993). Enhancement of wound healing by the alkaloid taspine defining mechanism of action. Proceedings of the Society for Experimental Biology and Medicine. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8386382/
Jones K (2003). Review of sangre de drago (Croton lechleri) — a South American tree sap in the treatment of diarrhea, inflammation, insect bites, viral infections, and wounds: traditional uses to clinical research. The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/14736360/
Zhang J, Zhang Y, Pan X, et al. (2011). Synthesis and cytotoxic evaluation of novel symmetrical taspine derivatives as anticancer agents. Medicinal Chemistry. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21568882/
Montopoli M, Bertin R, Chen Z, et al. (2012). Croton lechleri sap and isolated alkaloid taspine exhibit inhibition against human melanoma SK23 and colon cancer HT29 cell lines. Journal of Ethnopharmacology. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23123266/
Zhang Y, Zheng L, Zhang J, et al. (2011). Antitumor activity of taspine by modulating the EGFR signaling pathway of Erk1/2 and Akt in vitro and in vivo. Planta Medica. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21614750/
Zhang Y, He L, Meng L, et al. (2008). Taspine isolated from Radix et Rhizoma Leonticis inhibits proliferation and migration of endothelial cells as well as chicken chorioallantoic membrane neovascularisation. Vascular Pharmacology. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18304881/
Fayad W, Fryknäs M, Brnjic S, et al. (2009). Identification of a novel topoisomerase inhibitor effective in cells overexpressing drug efflux transporters. PLoS One. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19798419/
Kennelly EJ, Flynn TJ, Mazzola EP, et al. (1999). Detecting potential teratogenic alkaloids from blue cohosh rhizomes using an in vitro rat embryo culture. Journal of Natural Products. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10543898/
Namjoyan F, Kiashi F, Moosavi ZB, et al. (2016). Efficacy of Dragon’s blood cream on wound healing: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial. Journal of Traditional and Complementary Medicine. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26870678/
Dong YL, He LC, Wang HH, et al. (2005). [Effect of taspine hydrochloride on skin wound healing in rats and its mechanism]. Journal of Chinese Integrative Medicine (Zhong Xi Yi Jie He Xue Bao). https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16159575/
Zhang J, Zhang Y, Zhang S, et al. (2010). Discovery of novel taspine derivatives as antiangiogenic agents. Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry Letters. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20006929/
Milanowski DJ, Winter RE, Elvin-Lewis MP, Lewis WH (2002). Geographic distribution of three alkaloid chemotypes of Croton lechleri. Journal of Natural Products. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12088421/