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1. Aloe vera: The remarkable Herbal Medicine Aloe is a popular plant comprising over 360 species most of which originate from Africa. More species of Aloe are found in South Africa than in any other country in the world. Nearly 40 species of Aloe are found in the wild in Ethiopia with nearly 30 being endemic, signifying that these species are not known elsewhere in the world. Among the endemic species of Ethiopia: A. Aloe debrana (from Debre Berhan), A. sinana (Debre Sina), A. adigratana (Adigrat), A. ankoberensis (Ankober), A. yavellana (Yabello) etc.

Due to the high demand for Aloe as medicine and as an ornamental plant, Aloe species have been introduced over the ages to different parts of the world to as far as the West Indies in the New World, to China and Japan in the Orient. Aloe species characteristically possess thick succulent leaves but could also vary considerably from each other in size, leaf and flower forms and shapes. From the tiny pot plant A. aristata to the giant tree A. arborescens, a popular plant cultivated widely in Japan.

The name Aloe is believed to be derived from the Hebrew or Arabic word “Alloeh” meaning “bitter”. It is believed that the use of Aloe as medicine goes back to the days of the Egyptians. Legend has it that Cleopatra kept her fine complexion by spreading Aloe juice over her skin daily to prevent sunburn. Alexander the great is also credited for using it to treat wounds of his soldiers.

A. vera is by far the most popular Aloe as there is more scientific information on it than any other species. A. vera is a domestic plant, known only in gardens and in cultivation but not in the wild. When Aloe leaf is cut on the edges, very bitter yellow exudate drips out, which when dried yields the laxative aloe drug. If on the other hand the leaf is sliced into two right in the middle, a viscous gel appears, which is soluble in water. The gel is made up of mucopolysaccharides, a group of complex natural polymers, which are responsible for most of the healing properties of Aloe gel.

By a unique mechanism of action, Aloe gel helps damaged cells to revive quickly and then multiply, thus making it useful to treat wounds, digestive troubles and ulcer. Aloe gel is known to be anti-oxidant because it combats skin damaging active oxygen species or free radicals. No wonder then, that Aloe body care products such as creams, soaps, shampoo etc enjoy worldwide sale running per annum into billions of U.S. dollars. These products are believed to alleviate sunburn, eczema, diabetes, high blood pressure, liver troubles, aging, hemorrhoids, rheumatoid arthritis, asthma, bronchitis, athlete’s foot etc. In short A. vera is a useful household remedy that should be within easy reach of any family. Keep an Aloe vera pot plant at your home and use the gel from a mature leaf for some of the above mentioned purposes. 

For a review of the chemistry of Aloes we refer our readers to the following article: Dagne, E., Bisrat, D., Viljoen, A., and Van Wyk, B-E. Chemistry of Aloe Species. Current Organic Chemistry 4, 1055-1078. 2000.

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