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ALOE (AND ALOE VERA)
Source:Aloe vera(L.) Burm. f. (syn.Aloe
barbadensisMill.);A. perfoliataL. var.vera
L.); A. arborescens Miller var. natalensis
Berger;A. feroxMill. and its hybrids with
A. africanaMill. andA. spicataBaker;A.
perryiBaker (Family Liliaceae).
GENERAL DESCRIPTION
There are two major products derived from the
leaves ofAloespp. The yellow bitter juice
present in specialized cells beneath the thick
epidermis yields the drug aloe, which is ob-
tained from all above species. The parenchy-
matous tissue in the center of the leaf contains
a mucilaginous gel that yields aloe gel orAloe
veragel, which is currently obtained fromA.
vera.^1
All the above species are perennial succu-
lents native to Africa that later spread to other
parts of the world. They are not cacti and
should not be confused with the American
aloe or century plant (Agavesp.). Consider-
able confusion has arisen over the nomencla-
ture ofAloespecies. Currently, there are more
than 360 accepted species ofAloe. N. L. Bur-
man’sAloe verabinomial was published in
1768 and therefore has priority over Miller’s
A. barbadensis.^2 Aloe vera is also a common
name.
Aloe verayields Curac ̧ao aloe or Barbados
aloe, which is produced in the West Indies
(Curac ̧ao, Aruba, Bonaire).Aloe feroxand its
hybrids yield Cape aloe that is produced in
South Africa. OtherAloespecies yield aloes of
lesser importance.
Aloe is obtained by cutting the leaves at
their base and letting the yellow bitter juice
drain out. The water is evaporated off from the
juice by heat and the resulting light to dark
brown mass is the drug aloe.
Commercial aloin is a concentrated form of
aloe containing high concentrations of anthra-
glycosides (mostly barbaloin). This commer-
cial product is not pure aloin.
Aloevera gel is prepared from the leaves by
numerous methods, some patented and others
proprietary.3–6 These methods essentially
involve expression and/or solvent extraction,
often with harsh physical and chemical treat-
ments; the resulting gel products vary consid-
erably in properties and generally are not
representative of the fresh gel.CHEMICAL COMPOSITIONAloe contains cathartic anthraglycosides;
mostly C-glucosides such as barbaloin, a
glucoside of aloe-emodin. Aloes from most24 Aloe (and aloe vera)