| Botany
Herb 30 to 40 cm high; leaves arising
from the ground, smooth, thick, fleshy, mucilagenous, succulent, narrow-lanceolate,
20 to 50 cm long, 5 to 8 cm wide, tapering, light green with white blotches,
spiny-toothed margins; flowering stalk erect, usually twice the height
of the plant; flowers yellow, 2 to 3 cm long.
Properties
• Aromatic, astringent, aperient,
purgative, emmenagogue, emollient, cholagogue, laxative, stomachic,
tonic, vulnerary.
• Considered antitoxic, anticancer, antimutagenic.
Constituents
Aloin; barbaloin, 25%; isobarbaloin resin, 12.5%; (sicaloin;
emodin; cinnamic acid; b-arabinose; oxidase); cinnamic acid;
resin up to 20% (aloesin, aloesone, aloeresin A and C); coumarins,
traces of volatile oil.
Distribution
and Production
Commonly raised in clay pots or perforated containers. Sporadic
in the yard; ordinary garden soil with compost is best. Regenerates
its growth as lower leaves are cut, perpetuating availability
of the material.
Parts
utilized
Leaves, pulp, and sap.
Dried juice from leaves.
Harvest mature leaves and rinse with water; remove spines prior
to use.
Uses
Folkloric
Dandruff.
Fresh juice expressed from the leaves is spread on skin burns, scalds,
scrapes, sunburn and wounds.
Burns and scalds: Use ointment made by mixing equal amounts of powdered
aloe and coconut oil.
Wound healing.
Conjunctivitis: Apply the juice to the outer eyelid.
Sprains, sore throat.
In small doses, used as a tonic.
Contusions or local edema: Bruise fresh leaves and apply as poultice
over affected areas.
Alopecia and falling hair: Remove spines, cut leaves and rub directly
on the scalp. The juice of fresh leave may be mixed with gogo and used
as a shampoo.
Juice mixed with coconut milk used for dysentery and kidney pains.
Bruises: Equal parts of juice and alcohol, then applied to affected
areas.
Hemorrhoids: Cuticle from leaves used as suppository for hemorrhoids.
In the Arabian peninsula, used for diabetes.
New uses
Benefits are derived from
a combination of all active components; the aequous form provides the
most benefits.
Widely used in cosmetic preparations.
Salicylic acid content can inhibit prostaglandin and thromboxane formation
by blocking the arachidonic acid cascade.
UV-B protection through cinnamic acid.
Caution !
Not for internal use.
Some mineral cyto-toxicity of the juice. Should be rinsed off after
30 minutes.
Studies
• Laxative:
Aloin is the presumed laxative component of aloe. Further studies are
needed to establish the dose and safety.
• Genital Herpes:
Limited evidence for extract of aloe vera in a hydrophilic cream preparation
for use in treatment for genital herpes.
• Psoriasis vulgaris:
Evidence suggests aloe extract in hydrophilic creams to be of benefit
in psoriasis vulgaris.
• Dandruff: Studies
suggest effectiveness for treatment of seborrheic dermatitis.
• Other promising with postiive results for use in canker sores
(aphthous stomatitis), lichen planus, ulcertaive colitis, wound healing,
skin burns.
• Antigenotoxic:
Study showed antigenotoxic potentials of aloe and suggests a potential
use in prevention of DNA damage caused by chemical agents.
• Psoriasis vulgaris:
A double-blind placebo-controlled study to evaluate the efficacy and
tolerability of topical Aloe vera in a hydrophilic creams showed it
to be more effective than placebo without toxic or objective side effects
and can be considered a safe alternative treatment for psoriasis.
• Anti-leukemic / Anti-Mutagenic:
Study isolated di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate (DEHP) from Aloe vera. It exhibited growth inhibition against three leukemic cell lines and reduced AF-2-induced mutagenicity. DEHP was considered the active principle responsible for the anti-leukemic and anti-mutagenic effects in vitro.
• Acemannan / Macrophage Activation: Study isolated a major carbohydrate fraction from the gell of Aloe vera leaf. It has been claimed to accelerate wound healing, immune stimulation and have anti-cancer and anti-viral effects. Study showed acemannan stimulate cytokine production, nitric oxide release. The production of cytokines IL-6 and TNF-alpha were acemannan dose-dependent. The results suggest acemannan may function, in part, through macrophage activation.
• Aloeride / Immunostimulatory Activity: Study characterized a new immunostimulatory polysaccharide, Aloeride, from commercial aloe vera juice.
• Aloe-emodin / Anticancer / Antiproliferative: Study showed aloe-emodin inhibited cell proliferation and induced apoptosis in two human liver cancer cell lines, but with different antiproliferative mechanisms. Results suggest aloe-emodin may be useful in liver cancer prevention.
• Biochemotherapy: Study showed percentage of both objective tumor regressions and disease control was significantly higher in patients concomitantly treated with Aloe than with chemotherapy alone. Study suggest Aloe may be beneficial to use with chemotherapy to increase efficacy in terms of both tumore regression and survival time.
• Antidiabetic: (1) In a study of patients with non-insulin diabetes and Swiss albino mice with aloxan-induced diabetes, lowering of blood sugars was noted by as yet unknown mechanisms. (2) In a study of 5 plants used by Kuwaiti diabetics, only extracts with myrrh and Aloe gums effectively increase glucose tolearance in both normal and diabetic rats.
• Burn Wound Healing: Based on meta-analysis using duration of wound healing as the outcome measure, the healing time of the aloe vera group was 8.79 days shorted than the control group. Cumulative evidence supports aloe vera as beneficial intervention for burn wound healing in first to second degree burns.
Availability
Wild-crafted.
Cultivated for ornamental and medicinal use.
Ingredients to many commercial hair/cosmetic products.
Gels and other products in the cybermarket.
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