Article: Aloe vera

?Aloe vera
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae Division: Magnoliophyta Class: Lilliopsida Order: Asparagales Family: Asphodelaceae Genus: Aloe Species: A. vera
Binomial name
Aloe vera (L.) Burm.f.

Flowers

Leaf close up

Aloe vera (syn. A. barbadensis Mill., A. vulgaris Lam.) is a species of Aloe, native to northern Africa.

It is a stemless or very short-stemmed plant growing to 80-100 cm tall, spreading by offsets and root sprouts. The leaves are lanceolate, thick and fleshy, green to grey-green, with a serrated margin. The flowers are produced on a spike up to 90 cm tall, each flower pendulous, with a yellow tubular corolla 2-3 cm long.

Cultivation and uses

Aloe vera has a long history of cultivation throughout the drier tropical and subtropical regions of the world, both as an ornamental plant and for herbal medicine. For its herbal and medicinal uses, many of which are shared with related species, see Aloe.

Food preservative

Researchers at the University of Miguel Hernández in Alicante, Spain, have developed a gel based on Aloe vera that prolongs the conservation of fresh produce, such as fresh fruit and legumes. This gel is tasteless, colourless and odourless. This natural product is a safe and environmentally friendly alternative to synthetic preservatives such as sulfur dioxide. The study showed that grapes at 1°C coated with this gel could be preserved for 35 days against 7 days for untreated grapes. According to the researchers, this gel operates through a combination of mechanics (Serrano et al., 2006), forming a protective layer against the oxygen and moisture of the air and inhibiting, through its various antibiotic and antifungal compounds, the action of micro-organisms that cause foodborne illnesses.

Medicinal uses

Aloe vera (syn. A. barbadensis) is commonly used externally to treat various skin conditions such as cuts, burns and eczema. It is alleged that sap from Aloe vera eases pain and reduces inflammation. Scientific evidence on the effects of Aloe vera sap on wound healing is contradictory (Vogler and Ernst, 1999). A study performed in the 1990s showed that the healing of a moderate to severe burn was sped up by six days when covering the wound on a regular basis with aloe vera gel, compared to the healing of the wound covered in a gauze bandage (Farrar, 2005). In contrast, another study suggested wounds to which Aloe vera gel was applied were significantly slower to heal (Schmidt and Greenspoon, 1991).

Many cosmetic companies add sap or products derived from Aloe vera to products such as makeup, moisturisers, soaps, sunscreens, shampoos and lotions. Aloe gel is alleged to be useful for dry skin conditions, especially eczema around the eyes and sensitive facial skin and for treating fungal infections such as ringworm.

An article published in the British Journal of General Practice suggests that the topical application of Aloe vera is not an effective preventative for radiation-induced injuries. Whether or not it promotes wound healing is unclear, and even though there are some promising results, clinical effectiveness of oral or topical Aloe vera remains unclear at present.