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Considering

Introduced into Sharn by Daask, dragon's blood is a potent and highly addictive stimulant. In addition to inducing euphoria, it can enhance spellcasting ability or even temporarily imbue a user with the ability to cast sorcerer spells. The drug's effects are potentially dangerous and always unpredictable. This isn't something a player character should want to use; adventurers are more likely to interfere with Daask smugglers or deal with an addict who accidentally casts a fireball in a crowded street. - ERLW, page 244

could a blood drawn (donated?) from a person with a draconic ancestry (e.g. sorcerer) double as a source for the drug? I'm assuming dragon's blood here means literary blood of the dragon because it's not capitalized (hence can't be a name of the drug). But I could be wrong.

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    \$\begingroup\$ I see you’ve cited Eberron: Rising from the Last War, a D&D 5th Edition source. Are you seeking a canonical answer specific to 5th Edition, or would an answer incorporating lore from previous editions be appropriate? \$\endgroup\$
    – Thomas Markov
    Commented Jun 15, 2021 at 15:43
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    \$\begingroup\$ Lore from previous editions is welcome as well. I just cited ERLW because it is the first time i saw dragon's blood used for anything practical. \$\endgroup\$
    – Maxoholic
    Commented Jun 15, 2021 at 15:47
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    \$\begingroup\$ Even if it was real dragons blood, I think there would be a significant potency difference. \$\endgroup\$
    – Fering
    Commented Jun 15, 2021 at 16:07
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    \$\begingroup\$ @Fering and...given how insanely powerful and organized the dragons of Eberron are and how low leveled the people of Khorvair are, I can't imagine it going well for anyone trying to industrially harvest the blood of dragons. \$\endgroup\$
    – guildsbounty
    Commented Jun 15, 2021 at 16:12

1 Answer 1

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Dragon's Blood is not literally the blood of a dragon.

From the Eberron Sourcebook Sharn: City of Towers on page 161

Dragon's Blood: This dark fluid is not literally dragon's blood; it derives its name from its power to enhance the innate magical abilities of sorcerers and dragonmarks. The nature of the drug is a mystery. It is produced by the hags of Droaam and uses a component that has yet to be identified; without this component, it is impossible to create.

"Dragon's Blood" is the name of the drug, not what it's made of. Sort of like how, IRL, the hallucinogen often called "Bath Salts" is not literally made of the salts you put into a bathtub for soaking and easing sore muscles and "Rocket Fuel" is a nickname for PCP despite that drug definitely not being made of highly refined petroleum.

So, in the same way that you couldn't use gasoline as 'knock-off PCP,' you can't use a Sorcerer's blood as knockoff "Dragon's Blood," because that's not what that drug is made of.

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    \$\begingroup\$ When I first heard about bath salts years ago, thats exactly what I thought was happening. It wasnt until later I found out about designer drugs and learned I had been wrong. But hey, in a world where people sniff glue and gas to get high, snorting bath salts isnt as strange. \$\endgroup\$
    – Fering
    Commented Jun 15, 2021 at 16:06
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    \$\begingroup\$ You could add a draconic sorcerer's blood is neither literally the blood of a dragon. The books use "blood" as "ancestry", not as "red bodily fluid". See "Blood" - "3.b human stock or lineage" \$\endgroup\$
    – enkryptor
    Commented Jun 15, 2021 at 16:33

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