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The formulations of drilling fluids using conventional clays are often faced with difficulties in the control of rheology, filtration and gelation, owing to the flocculation of the clay at the temperature above 250 °F. In this study, tannins were extracted from the bark wastes of Rhizophora Mucronata spp. (RMTE) and used as a deflocculant to formulate water-based muds (WBMs). The efficacy of reducing the gelation and viscosity of WBMs with the extracted RMTE was compared with commercial Modified Desco Tannin (MDT). The RMTE was characterized using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Rheological and filtration control properties tests were conducted on the RMTE and MDT mud samples before and after hot rolling tests at different temperatures of 225 °F, 250 °F, 275 °F and 300 °F. FTIR test data indicate the presence of different active functional groups in the RMTE structure, especially the hydroxyl …