Common Names: Aloe, Aloe Vera, Barbados Aloe, Key west Aloe

Latin Names: Aloe Vera

Family: Asphodelaceae

Parts Used: Leaves

Description: A succulent, tender perennial, Aloe has tough, fleshy, grayish-green leaves that taper to a point like a spear. They have small, spiny teeth along their margins. The

leaves arise directly from the root and grow as a circular cluster about two feet tall. Yellow or dark pink tubular flowers are produced on a branching flower stalk that rises above the rest of the plant.

Habitat: Aloe is native to Mediterranean coastal areas, but grows wild in tropical and subtropical regions where the climate is sunny and dry, including the southern Mediterranean, Latin America, and the Caribbean. It is also extensively cultivated worldwide.

If the old stories are true, one of Cleopatra’s beauty secrets was Aloe. The ancient Egyptians recognized the healing properties of this herb and also used it as one of the ingredients in embalming fluid.

There are more than 300 species of Aloe, but only a few have traditionally been used as herbal medicines. These include Aloe Perryi from northeastern Africa and A Ferox from South Africa. But it is Aloe Vera that tops the list as the Aloe with the widest use. Both the Greeks and the Romans used it for treating wounds. During the Middle Ages, the yellow juice found in the leaf skin, was favored as a purgative. Throughout history, Aloe Vera’s value has largely been divided between these two distinct therapeutic roles-as purgative and as leaf gel to heal wounds.

The clear gel found inside the fleshy leaves has a soothing effect which is felt almost immediate, and it forms a coating over minor wounds that seems to help prevent infection. In Indian Ayurvedic medicine, Aloe gel is considered an important tonic for excess pitta (meaning “fire”.)

Aloe Latex contains Anthraquinones, chemical compounds that stimulate contractions in the walls of the digestive tract, accounting for the herb’s laxative properties. Aloe gel is also rich in chemical compounds that speed healing by arresting pain and inflammation, encouraging cellular repair, and stimulating the immune system. The emollient gel is largely attributed to the complex carbohydrate glucomannan. Some preliminary studies on ale gel indicate it may help lower blood sugar levels in people with Type 2 diabetes, but results are not conclusive and more research is needed. The results of some experiments with whole Aloe leaf extracts suggest the plant may have some anticancer properties, and may enhance the effectiveness of some antiviral medications, but more study is needed to confirm, or refute, the findings.

According to some accounts, the first known mention of Aloe as a plant with healing powers may be a Sumerian clay tablet written around 2200 B.C. and unearthed in excavations of the ancient city of Nippur. A reference to Aloe’s use as a medicine is found in the Ebers Papryus, an ancient Egyptian papyrus, scroll dating to about 1550 B.C. that contains some 700 magical formulas and remedies. The Greeks also praised Aloe for its medicinal virtues. In fact, it was so prized as a healing herb among the Greeks that, according to one legend, Greek philosopher Aristotle (384-322 B.C.) tried to persuade his pupil Alexander the Great (356-323 B.C.) to conquer the Indian Ocean island of Socotra near the Gulf of Aden for its Aloes so that Alexander’s armies would have a good supply of Aloe for their wounds. Centuries later, Greek physician Dioscorides (A.D. 4090) gave the first detailed description of Aloe in his medical writings, describing Aloe’s juices (Aloe latex) as having the power to induce sleep, loosen the belly, and cleanse the stomach. He went on to note that Aloe was good for healing bruises, mouth, throat, and eye irritations, and could stop wounds from bleeding.