Did you know Guanches worshiped a dragon tree in Tenerife, which was estimated to be 6000 years old? They knew dragon tree benefits that help them live longer even if not available modern facilities.
With time passing, dragon trees have been growing in numbers in the nurseries, backyards, and the garden for multiple purposes.
Often you can find these plants as an indoor plant in office lobbies, entrance-ways, and atriums.
Generally, dragon trees purify the air, maintain rich humidity to preserve moisture, and contain antioxidant properties to ease free radical effects. Also, they can be valuable decor properties that are easy to care for.
Widely available as an ornamental plants, dragon trees are drought-tolerant, water-conserving, and sustainable landscape projects.
So, you can cultivate it and take care of it with little effort for the potential benefits. If you are ready to know the dragon tree benefits, we have all prepared for you below!
Table of Contents
Overview of Dragon Tree
Known as the Madagascar Dragon Tree, its name comes from ancient greek, which means a female dragon.
Dragon tree is a slow-growing and evergreen long-lived plant that can grow up to 70 feet tall and live for hundreds, if not thousands of years.
You can look at the table for more general information about the dragon plant.
| Scientific Name | Dracaena draco |
| Common Name | Madagascar Dragon Tree, Malaysian Dracaena |
| Native | Cape Verde, Morocco, Spain's Canary Islands, and Madeira, Portugal |
| Family | Asparagus |
| USDA Zone | 9–12 |
| Plant Type | Broadleaf evergreen |
| Growth Size | 15-25 feet or more in height 15-25 feet or more in spread |
| Flowering | Greenish-white flowers |
| Leaf Profile | Green sword-like and red-edged leaves |
| Blooming Period | Blooms over an interval of 10 years during spring |
| Toxicity | Non toxic to humans Toxic to cats and dog |
Benefits of Dragon Tree
When you cut the bark or leaves of the dragon tree, they release a reddish resin which is one of the multiple sources of substances known as dragon’s blood.
Generally, people use dragon’s blood in the art after extracting it from species of the genus Daemonorops.
Below are some other dragon tree benefits you can leverage easily if you have grown the dragon tree in your space!
1. Acts as Air Purifier
Due to mushroom-growing factories and vehicles, the air has been dangerously populated and Ahwaz, Ulan Bator, and Ludhiana are counted as the top air-polluted cities in the world.
The American Lung Association has generated a report that more than 137 million Americans in counties, suffer from unhealthy air, which is an additional 9 million from the last year.
So, here is good news dragon trees can increase the inhalable air.
According to the NASA clean air study, Dracaena deremensis, marginata, massangeana and deremensis are potential to improve indoor air quality by removing organic pollutants from the air in energy-efficient buildings..
At times, violent organic compounds and toxic gases such as formaldehyde, benzene, trichloroethylene, and carbon dioxide are present in our space.
They are mostly present through electrical appliances, furnishings, paints, new clothes, carpets, and so on.
Exposure to these continuously may lead to mild to serious health problems such as headache, respiratory problems, anemia, marrow disease, kidney, and many more.
Altogether, the Dragon tree assists to purify the air by absorbing all these compounds.
2. Reduces Lead Poisoning
Like every other toxic compound, lead is one of the poisonous metals that causes serious health problems if available in the dust.
If one gets exposed to leads for a certain time whether, through ingestion or breathing it in, they face stomach pain, loss of appetite, memory loss, low concentration, and many more.
Similarly, if they are exposed to lead poisoning for a prolonged time, they can also face death.
So, here comes a dragon tree as a reliever!
An article published in Digital Object Identifier System shows that there is a strong positive correlation between the levels of lead in the leaves of Dracaena marginata tricolor which is high on the increasing number of leaf stomata.
Here, dragon trees absorb lead pollutants and reduce their level.
To reduce the risk of lead poisoning contamination from hand to mouth, you need to keep the habit of washing hands and toys before eating and to the bed.
3. Contain Antioxidant Properties
Antioxidants are compounds sourced from foods, which help neutralize free radicals.
These free radicals can cause the risk of vision loss, inflammation in joints, coronary heart disease, and Alzheimer’s disease.
According to National Center for Biotechnology Information, Dracaena cambodiana was found to possess a significant amount of total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC), and exhibited antioxidant activity.
The United States has deposited 1.9 million new cancer cases diagnosed in 2021 and 608,570 have already met cancer, according to American Cancer Society.
Thus, dragon tree leaves have a source of natural antioxidants that stimulates the body to prevent free radicals to make your healthy life.
4. Prevents Cancer
The dragon’s blood can be a potential treatment for cancer in its early stages due to its anti-tumor substances.
As I have already mentioned that dragon trees with antioxidants and the effects of free radicals. And this has a direct link to cancer growing inside.
According to Food and Chemical Toxicology, the extracts of Dracaena draco have antiproliferative effects on human colon and renal cancer cells
Thus the dragon tree acts as a promising novel cancer chemopreventive and chemotherapeutic agent.
So, you have the risk of growing cancer due to unhealthy habits, you can save yourself with dragon trees
5. Increases Humidity Level
In the lack of humidity around the living place, dry air becomes obvious which can cause itching, flaking, and tightness around the joints.
If you have already developed skin problems such as eczema and acne, dry air can flare-ups it to worsen the condition.
So, having the plants around your space can leverage you to enjoy luxurious moisture in the air through the photosynthetic and respiratory processes.
The Agricultural University of Norway proves that the presence of the Dragon tree showed a decreasing rate of cough, cold, and sore throats.
We are all well aware of the photosynthesis process in plants. What is more, to it is that the plants also release moisture during that certain process.
Hence, having the Dragon tree can reduce cold, dry cough, and sore throat caused by dry air.
6. Boost Productivity and Reduces Stress
Today’s world is totally different than the years before as you can rarely greenery and plants around the living places of people, especially in urban cities.
Paris is a city that ranks as a top city containing the least plants, which not only hampers the physical health but the mental fitness as well.
The Journal of Environmental Horticulture shows that interior plants can improve worker productivity result in a 12% quicker reaction time to the computer task.
In the meantime, they also help to enhance memory, concentration, attention, and overall mental wellness.
Thus, if you come home from the workplace, sharing the moment with the dragon plant can help you relax your stress and motivate your to begin a new work with a fresh mind.
7. Provides High Decor Value
With the bushy appearance and strikingly long leaves, the dragon tree holds a rich decor or ornamental value. They have always been gardener’s favorite and are winning the hearts of office workers as well.
Fragrans, sanderiana, surculosa, marginata, reflexa, and deremensis are some of the most recommended species of the Dracaena for interior decor.
You can place the dragon trees on the tabletops or desks when they are young. This helps you create a shabby chic style for your indoor interior on the tabletops or desks.
Dragon trees also produce a flower spike which represents white, lily-like perfumed flowers. If you want to know more, you can read Dragon Tree Flower.
As they grow up, they develop woody stems and turn tall, which can add a brighter splash of texture to both indoor and outdoor spaces.
If you wish to plant it inside your living room, they would look the best near the curtained windows.
8. Needs Low Maintenance
Dragon trees are slow-growing plants so it does not need tight schedules to grow. Once every two weeks watering and monthly fertilization will be enough to grow these tree plants.
Further, you can seek more requirements in the table below!
| Factors | Favorable Conditions |
|---|---|
| Light | 4-6 hours of bright indirect light |
| Watering | Once every 10-14 days |
| Temperature | Between 65°- 75°F (18°- 24 °C) and not less than 50°F (10°C) |
| Humidity | 60% to 80% |
| Soil | Well-drained with pH levels between 6 and 6.5 |
| Repotting | Once every 3-5 years when kept indoor |
| Fertilizer | Once or twice a month during spring and summer |
| Pruning | Once every one or two years |
| Propagation | Via stem cuttings, top cuttings |
Health Considerations To Keep In Mind
Dragon tree is not harmful to humans but you need not touch with bare hands or consume it by mouth. But if you keep furry pets, you must be aware of the hazardous results.
According to ASPCA, Dracaena marginata contains Asparagaceae which can be toxic to dogs, cats, and horses.
Vomiting (occasionally with blood), anorexia, depression, hypersalivation, and dilated pupils can be visible if the dragon trees show up poisoning effects.
Also, Pet Poison Helpline shows that dragon trees contain saponins that can cause drooling, weakness, vomiting, incoordination, and dilated pupils in cats when ingested.
So, if you have any emergency, you can take help from the contacts below!
Dragon Tree: Where to Buy?
If you do not own a Dragon tree yet and wish to buy one, we provide you with multiple choices to look after.
Here is a table; go and get one for you to leverage the above benefits!
| Shops | Delivery |
|---|---|
| Leon & George | 4-5 days |
| True Green Nursery | 5-6 days |
| Ikea | 7 days |
| Etsy | 7-10 days |
| Walmart | 7-9 days |
Conclusion
The dragon tree not only highlights your home decor but also improves your health if you grow it and be around it.
It is a purely beginner-friendly plant, so if you have decided to keep at least one plant in your home. You can begin with a dragon tree.
The lively outcome of the plants will leave you hearty satisfied. Keep Growing plants!
