Aloe
(Aloe Vera)
Common Names: Barbados aloe, Curacao aloe.
Medicinal Part: Leaves.
Description: The aloe is a perennial plant found wild in East and South Africa and also cultivated in the West Indies and other tropical areas. It has also been reported in the Zapata area of Texas. The strong, fibrous root produces a rosette of fleshy basal leaves as in the agave but considerably smaller. The narrow-lanceolate leaves are 1 to 2 feet long and whitish-green on both sides, and they bear spiny teeth on the margins. The yellow to purplish, drooping flowers, which are evident most of the year, grow in a long raceme at the top of a flower stalk up to 4½ feet high. The fruit is a triangular capsule containing numerous seeds.
Properties and Uses: Emollient, purgative, vulnerary. Aloes is the dried juice of the aloe plant. Because of its nauseating taste, it is generally used in powder or pill form when taken for a purgative. It also tends to gripe and cause a constipative reaction, so that it should be combined with a carminative for best results. The fresh leaves of the aloe can be split to expose the gelatinous juice and then rubbed on the skin for sunburn and other minor burns, wrinkles, insect bites, skin irritations, and minor cuts and scratches. The fresh juice is also said to help heal wounds by preventing or drawing out infection. A tea made from the dried juice makes a good wash for wounds and for the eyes.
Preparation and Dosage: Powder: A dose is from 1 to 5 grains. Fluid Extract: A dose is from 5 to 30 drops. Wash: Dissolve ½ tsp. aloes in 1 cup water. If desired, add 1 tsp. boric acid as a preservative and to help in healing. NOTE: Several other aloes are also used medicinally, including
ALOE PERRYL
Bombay aloe; Turkey aloe, Zanzibar aloe; found on the island of Socotra near the entrance of the Gulf of Aden. This is used like Barbados aloe, although considered by some to be less powerful.
ALOE LATIFOLIA 009
Found in South Africa. Some natives use the leaf pulp to treat inflamed boils and sores; others use the leaf pulp and the plant’s yellow juice to cure ringworm.
ALOE SAPONARIA 010
Found in South Africa. Natives use the leaf pulp and yellow juice for ringworm.
ALOE TENUIOR 011
Found in South Africa. Natives use a decoction of the root for tapeworm.












