Aloe vera

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iAloe 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.

Image:Aloe vera.jpg Image:Aloe vera leaf.jpg 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.

1 Cultivation and uses
- 1.1 Food preservative
- 1.2 Medicinal uses
2 References

[edit] Cultivation and uses

Aloe vera is relatively easy to care for in cultivation. The species requires well-drained sandy soil in moderate light. Potted plants should be allowed to completely dry prior to re-watering.

A. 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.

[edit] Food preservative

Researchers at the University of Miguel Hernández in Alicante, Spain, have developed a gel based on A. 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.

[edit] Medicinal uses

A. vera 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 of Aloe vera's beneficial properties are attributed to mucopolysaccharides present in the inner gel of the leaf, especially acemannan (acetylated mannans). An injectable form of acemannan manufactured and marketed by Carrington Laboratories as Acemannan Immunostimulant™ has been approved in the USA for treatment of fibrosarcoma (a type of cancer) in dogs and cats after clinical trials. It has not been approved for use by humans, and although it is not a drug its sale is controlled and it can only be obtained through a veterinary doctor.

Many cosmetic companies add sap or other derivatives 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. In addition, it has been used for treating fungal infections such as ringworm.

An article published in the British Journal of General Practice suggests that A. vera is particularly good at treating long sufferers of athlete's foot. The topical application of A. 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 A. vera remains unclear at present.