ALOE BARBADENSIS

Common name: Aloe vera, Medicinal aloe, Burn plant • Hindi: Gheekumari घीकुमारी • Marathi: Khorpad • Tamil: கற்றாழை Kathalai • Malayalam: Chotthu kathalai

Botanical name: Aloe vera   

Family: Asphodelaceae (Aloe family)

Synonyms: Aloe barbadensis, Aloe indica, Aloe vulgaris

Geographical distribution

The plant occurs throughout the country, nowa- days being cultivated as medicinal plant in some states. Also grown as pot herb.

Introduction Aloe, a popular houseplant, has a long history as a multipurpose folk remedy. Commonly known as Aloe vera, the plant can be snapped off and placed on cuts and burns for immediate relief. Aloe vera is a clump forming succulent whose fleshy gray-green leaves are arranged in a vase shaped rosette atop a very short stem. The leaves are up to 18 in long and 2 in wide at the base, slightly grooved on top, and terminating in a sharp point. The leaves have small grayish teeth on the margins. The main rosette gets up to about 2 ft high, and the plant continually produces little offset rosettes. In winter and spring, medicinal aloe bears small tubular yellow flowers on branched stalks up to 3 ft tall. The real Aloe vera has yellow flowers, but many of the clones available have orange flowers. Although Aloe Vera is a member of the Lily family, it is very-cactus like in its characteristics.

Medicinal uses: Aloe Vera contains over 20 minerals, all of which are essential to the human body. The human body requires 22 amino acids for good health -- eight of which are called "essential" because the body cannot fabricate them. Aloe Vera contains all of these eight essential amino acids, and 11 of the 14 "secondary" amino acids. Aloe Vera has Vitamins A, B1, B2, B6, B12, C and E. In India, Aloe vera is believed to help in sustaining youth, due to its positive effects on the skin. Hence it is called ghee kunvar or ghee kumaari.

Chemical composition

The pulp contains glucoside, barbaloin, b-barbaloin, aloe-emodin and crystalline glycoside barbaloin.The outer rind contains a bitter yellow latex composed of anthraquinone barbaloin (a glucoside of aloe, emodin) and iso-barbaloin plus o-glycosides of barbaloin called aloinosides, chrysophanic acid. The inner gel is devoid of anthraquinone glycosides and contains a polysaccharide, glucomanine.

Therapeutic uses

The leaves are alternative, stomachic, aphrodisiac, catharatic, emmenogogic, astringent, anthehelmintic, and hepatic stimulant. The pulp of leaf is given in fevers, enlargement of liver, spleen, and other glands, gonorrhoea, constipation, menstrual suppression, piles, jaundice and rheumatic affections. The inner gel is used for sunburn, sun poisoning and burns, and is employed in skin creams, lotions, hair treatments, cuts, scratches, irritated skin, insect bites, etc. Now-a-days it is mostly used in facial creams and lotions.

Folk medicine uses

In diseases of liver and spleen pulp of one leaf is administered with black salt and ginger every morning for 10 days. The juice of roasted leaves is given with honey for cough and cold. Fresh pulp of the leaves is used in sprains and inflammations of the body. A poultice of the leaves is applied to tumours, cysts, inflamed parts, burns and scalds.

Preparations

Kumaryasav, kumari-vati, kumarika-vati, rajapravarttni-vati and kumaripak.

Flowers : March-April