Aloe My Friend

Aloe vera belongs to the Liliaceal family and is one of the few Aloe species important for its medicinal use (Vogler & Ernst, 1999).  It is postulated that aloe originated from South and East Africa, and then was brought over to areas such as North Africa, China and Spain (Haller, 1990).  Aloe has a history of use since the ancient Egyptians, Biblical times and Mediterranean civilizations (Grindlay & Reynolds, 1986).  The two parts of the aloe plant that are used medicinally are the aloe latex and the aloe gel.  The aloe latex is a bitter yellow juice collected from the pericyclic cells beneath the plant skin.  The aloe gel is colourless and obtained from the mucilaginous cells of the inner leaf (Klein & Penneys, 1988).  Traditionally, the entire aloe vera leaf could be used, or the aloe latex dried and the gel collected to be used separately (Grindlay & Reynolds, 1986).  Aloe was used in folk medicine as a laxative and for dermatological issues such as burns and wounds.  It was not until the 19^th century was evidence found to support aloe use through the discovery of aloin.  Aloin is an active ingredient in aloe latex that can relieve constipation by increasing activity in the intestine and bowel.  By the 20^th century, it became very popular in the United States and there were numerous formulations of aloe laxatives taken in the form of pills.  At this time, the use of aloe was not yet regulated.  Later it was discovered that ingestion of aloe induced painful griping, and so the use of aloe as a laxative has decreased (Haller, 1990). On the countrary, more recently, the use of aloe gel for dermatological wounds has increased in popularity (Grindlay & Reynolds, 1986).