Family: Liliacea

Other known names:
Mediterranean Aloe, Real Aloe, Star Cactus

Thai names: Waan haang jarakhe, Waan faimai (North), Haang takhe – which due to its appearance literally means ‘crocodile tail’

Botanical description:
Aloe vera (Linn. )Burm.f. is a short stemmed succulent (rich in sap) medicinal plant. The juicy leaves are arranged around the stem in a crown shaped form.
Their colour is green-grey. They are from 20 to 50 cm in length, 3 to 5 cm in width at the stem and from 1 to 2.5 cm thick. The leaves contain a bitter latex-like sap. The flowers are on a 50 - 100 cm stem. Different varieties vary in the size and colouring of the flowers. Aloe Vera requires a dry, sandy soil with a low nitrogen content. These plants are cultivated for decorative and medicinal purposes.
Traditional Thai medicine uses the wild plants from the southern coastal regions where optimal soil conditions for this variety can be found. This area also has the best tropical conditions although this Aloe Vera will thrive under subtropical conditions.

Uses in Ethnic Medicine:

Root:
Treatment of gonorrhoea, Leukorrhagie, Fluorine abuse, infections of the cervix, lymphorragy

Leaves:
For the treatment of asthma, stomach ulcers, otitis (earache), flatulence, burns, chronic radiation burns, grazes, aphten, lesions, herpes simplex (all forms from labial to genital) , (constipation), haemorrhoids (piles), insect bites, headache, laxative, infection prevention, antipyretic - reducing fever, treatment of infected mucous membrane.

Traditional Thai Prescriptions:
Treatment of burns and radiation burns (X-ray):
Fresh gel is applied to the wound.
Treatment of stomach ulcers:
Fresh gel is taken orally two times daily.
This gel can normally be used either for topical (local) application or administered orally.

Ingredients:
In the leaves which can be used are:
Alkaloids, alocitin A4, alocitin B5, aloe-emodin, aloe-emodin-glycocide, aloeemodin- monoglycocide, aloenin B, aloesol, aloeson, aloetic acid, amino acids, 2- amino-2 deoxyglucose, amylase, anthranol, anthranolglycoside, arabinose, arginine, ascorbic acid, barbaloin, bradykinin, calcium malate, campesterol, carboxylic acid, casanthranol, 1 and 2, catalase, zellusolse, Citric acid, 1.8- dihhydroxyanthracine, 1.8 galactan D-gluctiol, D-glucomannan, glucosamine, Dglucose, homonatoin, hydrolysable sugar, imidazol derivative, anorganic elements, isobarboloin, isocitric acid, isoemodin, isolucine, leucine, lupeol, malic acid, malic chromanol, 8-methylocol, minerals, monosaccheride, oxidase, peptase acids, poly phenols, polysaccharide, proteinase, m-protocatechuic aldehyde, pteroylglutamic acids, quinone, reduced sugar, resin, sapogenin glycoside, saponins, ß-sisterol, sucrose, tartaric acid, uronic acid, valine.

Flowers and fruit:
Ascorbic acid (vitamin C)
Aloe vera is widely used in the cosmetic industry in the West and also now in Thailand. Rarely is a product not praised for the effects of its content of Aloe vera, which is now often a substitute for Hamamelis, a plant which originally comes from Arabia. Aloe vera plays a significant role in its topical form for the treatment of burns, superficial injury of the skin tissue where it provides good results, but its use in systemic conditions does not yet appear to have met with the same level of recognition.
Regularly taken, Aloe Vera is able to increase the biosynthetic production of prostaglandin E2 and thereby provides excellent prevention against infection. It reduces the absorption of fat into the body, acts as an has antic cancer and anti viral effects, has anti allergen qualities and stimulates the immune system. It alleviates pain and combats fungal disorders particularly aspergillus niger and trichophyton mentagrophytes. The effects of Aloe Vera as a laxative have been particularly well studied. It is employed especially in cases of drug abuse - barbiturates - as it is harmless to the intestines and unlike Senna, does not lead towards dependency.