Common Name:  Aloe Vera,  Aloe barbadensis, Mill; star cactus, laloi

 

Family:  Aloaceae

 

Part Used:  Gel-viscous, colorless, transparent liquid from inside the leaf; Juice-from cells of the pericycle and adjacent leaf parenchyma; flows from cut leaf; Resin-powdered concentrate derived from the juice

 

Active constituents:  Polysaccharides, glucomannan, acemannan, mannose derivatives; amino acids; lipids, sterols and enzymes; Aloe resins-hydroxypanthrone derivatives of aloe emodin

 

Actions:  Gel and juice: Demulcent, vulnerary, stimulant laxative; immune enhancing, antiviral,, anti-inflammatory, antitumor.  TCM: Benefits the skin, enriches yin and moistens dryness; treats head damp cold; stops lactation.  Resin: stimulating, laxative, purgative, emmonagogue; TCM: treats intestinal qi stagnation, clears liver fire, treats uterine, GB, ST qi stagnation; clears parasites

 

Indications:  Gel: Topical: dry skin eruptions; skin blemishes, burns, skin ulcers, minor cuts and scrapes, nail fungus, insect repellent, dental abscesses; corneal ulcers and keratitis, conjunctivitis Herpes conjunctivitis in cats, gingivitis, periodontal disease, extraction sites, acute mouth lesions, glossitis;  Internally-weaning, peptic ulcers; bronchitis and asthma (best with vaporizer); allergies, fungal infections, pyoderma, IBD, insulin resistance, high blood glucose.  Aloe Juice and Resin: stubborn chronic constipation; chronic amenorrhea, upper gastric deficiency; intestinal parasites, fungal infection, tumors; with ginger as a physic ball in horses; colic, Newcastle disease in chickens.  Acemannan: FIV, feline leukemia, feline hyperthyroidism, fibrosarcoma, reoviruses in poultry, used as a adjuvant.

 

Cautions:  Decrease lactation; not to use resin continuously as long term use may cause dependence, electrolyte disturbances or atonic colon; if used, concurrent use with carminatives will minimize any side effects.

 

Contraindications:  Aloe Resin is contraindicated in pregnancy and in congestive conditions of the urogenital organs and pelvis, cramps, colic, hemorrhoids, nephritis, or undiagnosed abdominal symptoms; used only if no effect with diet or bulk laxatives;  Should not be used if abdominal pain, nausea, or vomiting is present or obstruction or stenosis, atony, dehydration or inflammatory conditions (different from gel)

 

Herb Drug Interactions:  Decreased intestinal transit time with juice or resin may reduce absorption of orally administered drugs; hypokalemia from long-term use could potentiate cardiotonic glycosides and antiarrhythmic drugs; hypokalemia induced by diuretics; adrenocorticosteroids, and licorice could be enhanced.

 

Dosage (use animal doses where available, otherwise human doses can be included here but specify):   Gel and Juice External Use: Fresh Gel, apply topically, cut leaf lengthwise scrape gel out; Juice: apply directly.  Internal use: Human: juice from leaf: 10-30 ml TID; Latex, dried 500-1000 mg at bedtime (no longer for 10 days); Acemannan: 500-1000 TID; Small Animal: Juice from leaf: 0.5-1.5 ml per kg  Resin: Human dose: smaller dose for stimulating effect: tincture: 24 drops, Powder: 0.07 g; large dose for purgative effect: tincture 1-3 ml, powder: 0.2-0.5 g

 

Notes:  Native to Africa, naturalized all warm areas.

 

Energetics:  Gel-bland, a bit salty, cool, moist; slightly bitter; Juice and Resin-sour, very bitter;

 

Meridians:  Lung, St, resin also has an effect on the Liver meridian

 

Recent studies: successfully used as an immunotherapeutic agent against coccidiosis in industrial broiler chickens; strong anti-diabetic effect, reduces blood glucose levels; reduces insulin levels; lowers triclyglycerides; hepatoprotective effects, restores hepatocytes integrity and stimulate bile flow secretion; strong antipsoriatic activity; strong anthelmintic effect; mediate inflammatory changes caused by Salmonella typhimurium by decreasing peroxidative damage via a decrease in the levels of monokines and an increase in the level of superoxide dismutase , enhancing its levels in the macrophages; aloe-emodin suppresses prostate cancer progression; antiproliferative activity in various cancer cell lines; differentiation-inducing selective agent for therapeutic treatment of leukemia

 

Published research: Juice stimulates colonic motility, augmenting propulsion and accelerating colonic motility, which reduces fluid absorption from the fecal mass and increases the water content in the large intestine.; effect due to the glycosides aloin A and B; wound healing-directly stimulates macrophages and fibroblasts; positive response in IBD; useful in eye inflammations; topical burn therapies; regulation of thyroid hormones; Acemannan activity as an immunostimulant for fibrosarcoma, Feline leukemia, FIV, chicken viral diseases and adjuvant.

 

Holmes:  The gel best when moisture, protection, cooling, soothing and disinfecting is needed; resin is only fully effective in the presence of normal bile secretions and alkaline chime. Resin is the strongest of all anthraquinone laxatives; should be reserved for chronic intestinal qi stagnation, acting as a catalyst to break habitual colonic and uterine inertia.  Aloe resin is hot and irritant by nature, but can clear heat through its purgative effect.

 

Ellingwood:  discusses the resin; the agent is emmonagogue and abortive and should not be given during pregnancy; given in simple jaundice with lack of tone; in constipation depending upon weakness of the intestinal tract where there is deficient peristaltic action, where the tongue is coated, the breath foul and the abdomen full and tumid; if administered to a nursing mother it will produce a cathartic effect upon the infant.

 

Fyfe:  In small doses it exerts a direct influence upon the waste and nutrition of the nervous system.  In cases of feeble innervation, especially in persons of gross habit, it will be one of our best agents; it is cathartic, emmonagogue, anthelmintic and stomachic; indications-hemorrhoids from partial congestion; profuse menstruation in females of relaxed fiber; watery diarrhea from weakness; it must be a small dose.  Aloin-purgative principle of aloe-indication- constipation caused by atonic conditions of the large intestine