aloe vera

Common names use aloe with a region of its distribution, such as Chinese aloe, Cape aloe or Barbados aloe.{{cite journal |vauthors = Liao Z, Chen M, Tan F, Sun X, Tang K |year = 2004 |title=Microprogagation of endangered Chinese aloe |journal = Plant Cell, Tissue and Organ Culture |volume = 76 |issue = 1 |pages = 83–86 |doi=10.1023/a:1025868515705 |s2cid = 41623664}}

The species has several synonyms: Aloe barbadensis Mill., Aloe indica Royle, Aloe perfoliata L. var. vera and Aloe vulgaris Lam.{{cite web |url=http://www.ville-ge.ch/musinfo/bd/cjb/africa/details.php?langue=an&id=155971 |title=Aloe vera, African flowering plants database |publisher=Conservatoire et Jardin botaniques de la Ville de Genève |access-date=19 November 2017 }}{{cite web |url=http://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/tax_search.pl?Aloe%20vera |title=Taxon: Aloe vera (L.) Burm. f. |publisher=Germplasm Resources Information Network, United States Department of Agriculture. |access-date=16 July 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924131123/http://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/tax_search.pl?Aloe%20vera |archive-date=24 September 2015 |url-status=dead |df=dmy-all}} Some literature identifies the white-spotted form of Aloe vera as Aloe vera var. chinensis;{{cite journal |vauthors = Wang H, Li F, Wang T, Li J, Li J, Yang X, Li J |title = [Determination of aloin content in callus of Aloe vera var. chinensis] |language = zh |journal = Zhong Yao Cai |volume = 27 |issue = 9 |pages = 627–8 |year = 2004 |pmid = 15704580 }}{{cite journal |vauthors = Gao W, Xiao P |title = [Peroxidase and soluble protein in the leaves of Aloe vera L. var. chinensis (Haw.)Berger] |language = zh |journal = Zhongguo Zhong Yao Za Zhi |volume = 22 |issue=11 |pages = 653–4, 702 |year = 1997 |pmid = 11243179}} and the spotted form of Aloe vera may be conspecific with A. massawana.{{cite web |url= http://huntingtonbotanical.org/Desert/Cholla/feb06/feb06.htm |title= The Definitive Aloe vera, vera? |author= Lyons G |publisher= Huntington Botanic Gardens |access-date= 11 July 2008 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080725090154/http://www.huntingtonbotanical.org/Desert/Cholla/feb06/feb06.htm |archive-date= 25 July 2008 |url-status= dead |df= dmy-all}} The species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in 1753 as Aloe perfoliata var. vera,Linnaeus, C. (1753). Species plantarum, exhibentes plantas rite cognitas, ad genera relatas, cum differentiis specificis, nominibus trivialibus, synonymis selectis, locis natalibus, secundum systema sexuale digestas. Vol. 2 pp. [i], 561–1200, [1–30, index], [i, err.]. Holmiae [Stockholm]: Impensis Laurentii Salvii. and was described again in 1768 by Nicolaas Laurens Burman as Aloe vera in Flora Indica on 6 April and by Philip Miller as Aloe barbadensis some ten days after Burman in the Gardener's Dictionary.{{cite journal |vauthors = Newton LE |year = 1979 |title = In defense of the name Aloe vera |journal = The Cactus and Succulent Journal of Great Britain |volume = 41 |pages = 29–30 }}

Techniques based on DNA comparison suggest Aloe vera is relatively closely related to Aloe perryi, a species endemic to Yemen.{{cite journal |vauthors = Darokar MP, Rai R, Gupta AK, Shasany AK, Rajkumar S, Sunderasan V, Khanuja SP |year = 2003 |title = Molecular assessment of germplasm diversity in Aloe spp. using RAPD and AFLP analysis |journal = J. Med. Arom. Plant Sci. |volume = 25 |issue = 2 |pages = 354–361 }} Similar techniques, using chloroplast DNA sequence comparison and inter simple sequence repeat profiling have also suggested it is closely related to Aloe forbesii, Aloe inermis, Aloe scobinifolia, Aloe sinkatana, and Aloe striata.{{cite journal |vauthors = Treutlein J, Smith GF, van Wyk BE, Wink W |year = 2003 |title = Phylogenetic relationships in Asphodelaceae (Alooideae) inferred from chloroplast DNA sequences (rbcl, matK) and from genomic finger-printing (ISSR) |journal = Taxon |volume = 52 |issue = 2 |pages = 193–207 |doi=10.2307/3647389 |jstor = 3647389 }} With the exception of the South African species A. striata, these Aloe species are native to Socotra (Yemen), Somalia, and Sudan. The lack of obvious natural populations of the species has led some authors to suggest Aloe vera may be of hybrid origin.Jones WD, Sacamano C. (2000) Landscape Plants for Dry Regions: More Than 600 Species from Around the World. California Bill's Automotive Publishers. USA.

File:Aloe Vera.jpg

File:Acta Eruditorum - IV botanica, 1688 – BEIC 13396043.jpg, 1688]]

Aloe vera is a stemless or very short-stemmed plant growing to {{convert|60-100|cm|in|abbr=off}} tall, spreading by offsets.

The leaves are thick and fleshy, green to grey-green, with some varieties showing white flecks on their upper and lower stem surfaces.Yates A. (2002) Yates Garden Guide. Harper Collins Australia The margin of the leaf is serrated and has small white teeth.

Aloe vera leaves contain phytochemicals under study for possible bioactivity, such as lignans, phytosterols, polyphenols, acetylated mannans, polymannans, anthraquinones C-glycosides, anthrones, and other anthraquinones, such as emodin and various lectins.{{cite journal |vauthors = King GK, Yates KM, Greenlee PG, Pierce KR, Ford CR, McAnalley BH, Tizard IR |title = The effect of Acemannan Immunostimulant in combination with surgery and radiation therapy on spontaneous canine and feline fibrosarcomas |journal = J Am Anim Hosp Assoc |volume = 31 |issue = 5 |pages = 439–447 |year = 1995 |pmid = 8542364 |doi = 10.5326/15473317-31-5-439 }}{{cite journal |vauthors = Eshun K, He Q |title = Aloe vera: a valuable ingredient for the food, pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries—a review |journal = Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition |volume = 44 |issue = 2 |pages = 91–96 |year = 2004 |pmid = 15116756 |doi = 10.1080/10408690490424694 |s2cid = 21241302 }}

The flowers are produced in summer on a spike up to {{convert|90|cm|in|abbr=on}} tall, each flower being pendulous, with a yellow tubular corolla {{convert|2-3|cm|in|frac=4|abbr=on}} long.{{cite book |date= 2001 |title=Botanica's Pocket Gardening Encyclopedia for Australian Gardeners |publisher= Random House Publishers |isbn=9781740514347}} Random House Australia/

Like other Aloe species, Aloe vera forms arbuscular mycorrhiza, a root symbiosis that allows the plant better access to mineral nutrients from the soil.{{cite journal |author1 = Gong M. |author2=Wang F. |author3=Chen Y |title = [Study on application of arbuscular-mycorrhizas in growing seedings of Aloe vera] |language = zh |journal=Zhong Yao Cai |volume = 25 |issue = 1 |pages = 1–3 |year = 2002 |pmid = 12583231 }}

Aloe vera is considered to be native only to the south-east{{Cite web |title=World Checklist of Selected Plant Families: Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew |url=http://wcsp.science.kew.org/namedetail.do?name_id=298116 |access-date=2020-12-07 |website=wcsp.science.kew.org |archive-date=1 November 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221101093147/https://wcsp.science.kew.org/namedetail.do?name_id=298116 |url-status=dead }} Arabian Peninsula in the Hajar Mountains in north-eastern Oman and eastern U.A.E.{{cite web |title=Aloe vera |work=World Checklist of Selected Plant Families |publisher=Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew |url=http://wcsp.science.kew.org/namedetail.do?name_id=298116 |access-date=19 November 2017 |archive-date=1 November 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221101093147/https://wcsp.science.kew.org/namedetail.do?name_id=298116 |url-status=dead }} However, it has been widely cultivated around the world, and has become naturalized in North Africa, as well as Sudan and neighboring countries, along with the Canary Islands, Cape Verde, and Madeira Islands. It has also naturalized in the Algarve region of Portugal,{{Cite web |url=https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/38807075.pdf |title=Exotic naturalized flora of continental Portugal – A reassessment |date=2006 |access-date=16 July 2020 |author= Domingues de Almeida, J & Freitas |publisher=core.ac.uk}}{{Cite journal |journal=Bradleya |title=Aloe arborescens Mill. and Aloe Vera spreading in Portugal |date=2009 |author= Gideon F Smith, Estrela Figueiredo |publisher=bioone |doi=10.25223/brad.n27.2009.a4 |hdl=2263/14380 |s2cid=82872880 |hdl-access=free }} and in wild areas across Spain, especially in the region of Murcia.{{cite web |url=http://caermurcia.com/jornada-tecnica-de-cultivo-ecologico-de-aloe-vera-en-murcia/ |title=Aloe Vera Cultivation in Murcia |date=9 April 2015}}

The species was introduced to China and various parts of southern Europe in the 17th century.Farooqi, A. A. and Sreeramu, B. S. (2001) Cultivation of Medicinal and Aromatic Crops. Orient Longman, India. {{ISBN|8173712514}}. p. 25. It is widely naturalized elsewhere, occurring in arid, temperate, and tropical regions of temperate continents.{{Cite web |url=http://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:530017-1 |title=Aloe vera |date=2016 |access-date=10 August 2016 |publisher=Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew}} The current distribution may be the result of cultivation.[http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&taxon_id=200027555 "Aloe vera (Linnaeus) Burman f., Fl. Indica. 83. 1768."] in Flora of North America Vol. 26, p. 411

File:Aloe vera A.jpg]]

File:Aloevera-mite.jpg

Aloe vera has been widely grown as an ornamental plant. The species is popular with modern gardeners as a topical medicinal plant and for its interesting flowers, form, and succulence. This succulence enables the species to survive in areas of low natural rainfall, making it ideal for rockeries and other low water-use gardens. The species is hardy in zones 8–11, and is intolerant of heavy frost and snow.{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/plants/plant_finder/plant_pages/7686.shtml |title=BBC Gardening, Aloe vera |publisher=British Broadcasting Corporation |access-date=11 July 2008}} The species is relatively resistant to most insect pests, though spider mites, mealy bugs, scale insects, and aphid species may cause a decline in plant health.{{cite web |url=http://www.doacs.state.fl.us/pi/enpp/ento/a-myersi.html |title=Pest Alert: Aloe vera aphid Aloephagus myersi Essi. |publisher=Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services |access-date=11 July 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080612155315/http://www.doacs.state.fl.us/pi/enpp/ento/a-myersi.html |archive-date=12 June 2008 |url-status=dead |df=dmy-all}}{{cite web |url=http://www.mobot.org/gardeninghelp/PlantFinder/plant.asp?code=B628 |title=Kemper Center for Home Gardening: Aloe vera |publisher=Missouri Botanic Gardens, USA |access-date=11 July 2008 |archive-date=27 May 2005 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050527084103/http://www.mobot.org/gardeninghelp/PlantFinder/plant.asp?code=B628 |url-status=dead }} This plant has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.{{cite web |url=https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/981/Aloe-vera/Details |title=RHS Plant Selector Aloe vera AGM / RHS Gardening |publisher=Apps.rhs.org.uk |access-date=9 April 2020}}

In pots, the species requires well-drained, sandy potting soil, and bright, sunny conditions. Aloe plants can turn red from sunburn under too much direct sun, though gradual acclimation may help.{{cite book |last1=Peerless |first1=Veronica |title=How Not to Kill Your Houseplant |date=2017 |publisher=DK Penguin Random House |pages=38–39}} The use of a good-quality commercial propagation mix or packaged "cacti and succulent mix" is recommended, as they allow good drainage.{{cite web |url=http://www.abc.net.au/gardening/stories/s2280641.htm |title=Fact Sheet: Aloes |author=Coleby-Williams, J |date=21 June 2008 |publisher=Gardening Australia, Australian Broadcasting Corporation |access-date=8 July 2008 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080706224700/http://www.abc.net.au/gardening/stories/s2280641.htm |archive-date= 6 July 2008 |url-status= live}} Terra cotta pots are preferable as they are porous. Potted plants should be allowed to completely dry before rewatering. When potted, aloes can become crowded with "pups" growing from the sides of the "mother plant". Plants that have become crowded can be divided and repotted to allow room for further growth, or the pups can be left with the mother plant. During winter, Aloe vera may become dormant, during which little moisture is required. In areas that receive frost or snow, the species is best kept indoors or in heated glasshouses. Houseplants requiring similar care include haworthia and agave.

There is large-scale agricultural production of Aloe vera in Australia,{{cite news |url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2005/12/06/1524745.htm |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120716111516/http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2005/12/06/1524745.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=16 July 2012 |title=Aloe vera producer signs $3m China deal |newspaper=ABC News |publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation |date=6 December 2005}} Cuba, the Dominican Republic, China, Mexico,{{cite web |url=http://www.dominicantoday.com/dr/economy/2006/7/7/15337/Korea-interested-in-Dominican-aloe-vera |title=Korea interested in Dominican 'aloe vera' |publisher=DominicanToday.com—The Dominican Republic News Source in English |date=7 July 2006 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081206062244/http://www.dominicantoday.com/dr/economy/2006/7/7/15337/Korea-interested-in-Dominican-aloe-vera |archive-date=6 December 2008 }} India,{{cite web |url=http://www.wildsingapore.com/news/20051112/051211-1.htm |title=India experiments with farming medicinal plants |publisher=channelnewsasia.com |author=Varma, Vaibhav |date=11 December 2005}} Jamaica,{{cite web |url=http://www.jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20080117/eyes/eyes1.html |title=Harnessing the potential of our aloe |publisher=Jamaica Gleaner, jamaica-gleaner.com |access-date=19 July 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080324210301/http://www.jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20080117/eyes/eyes1.html |archive-date=24 March 2008 }} Kenya, Tanzania, South Africa,{{cite web |url=http://allafrica.com/stories/200708020872.html |title=Kenya: Imported Gel Hurts Aloe Vera Market |publisher=allafrica.com |author=Mburu, Solomon |date=2 August 2007}} Spain,{{cite web |date=23 August 2015 |title=Córdoba is the Spanish province with more aloe vera crops (translated from Spanish) |url=http://sevilla.abc.es/andalucia/cordoba/20150824/sevi-aloe-vera-cordoba-201508232056.html |publisher=ABC-Córdoba}} and the United States,{{cite web |url=http://www.resourceinvestor.com/pebble.asp?relid=38588 |title=US Farms, Inc. – A Different Kind of Natural Resource Company |publisher=resourceinvestor.com |access-date=19 July 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080917125506/http://www.resourceinvestor.com/pebble.asp?relid=38588 |archive-date=17 September 2008 }} with much of the output going toward the cosmetics industry.

Two substances from Aloe vera – a clear gel and its yellow latex – are used to manufacture commercial products. Aloe gel typically is used to make topical medications for skin conditions, such as burns, wounds, frostbite, rashes, psoriasis, cold sores, and dry skin. Aloe latex is used individually or manufactured as a product with other ingredients to be ingested for relief of constipation. Aloe latex may be obtained in a dried form called resin or as "aloe dried juice".{{cite web |url=https://www.ema.europa.eu/en/documents/herbal-report/final-assessment-report-aloe-barbadensis-mill-aloe-various-species-mainly-aloe-ferox-mill-its_en.pdf |title=Assessment report on Aloe barbadensis Mill. and on Aloe (various species, mainly Aloe ferox Mill. and its hybrids), folii succus siccatus |publisher=European Medicines Agency|date=22 November 2016|access-date=29 January 2021}}

There is conflicting evidence regarding whether Aloe vera is effective as a treatment for wounds or burns. There is some evidence that topical use of aloe products might relieve symptoms of certain skin disorders, such as psoriasis, acne, or rashes, but topical application may cause an allergic reaction in some people.

Aloe vera gel is used commercially as an ingredient in yogurts, beverages, and some desserts, but at high or prolonged doses, ingesting aloe latex or whole leaf extract can be toxic.{{cite journal |author = Cosmetic Ingredient Review Expert Panel |title = Final Report on the Safety Assessment of Aloe Andongensis Extract, Aloe Andongensis Leaf Juice, Aloe Arborescens Leaf Extract, Aloe Arborescens Leaf Juice, Aloe Arborescens Leaf Protoplasts, Aloe Barbadensis Flower Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Polysaccharides, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Water, Aloe Ferox Leaf Extract, Aloe Ferox Leaf Juice, and Aloe Ferox Leaf Juice Extract |url = http://gov.personalcarecouncil.org/ctfa-static/online/lists/cir-pdfs/pr274.pdf |journal = Int. J. Toxicol. |volume = 26 |issue = Suppl 2 |pages = 1–50 |year = 2007 |pmid = 17613130 |doi = 10.1080/10915810701351186 |s2cid = 86018076 |access-date = 24 May 2016 |archive-date = 15 December 2017 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20171215084026/http://gov.personalcarecouncil.org/ctfa-static/online/lists/cir-pdfs/pr274.pdf |url-status = dead }} Use of topical aloe vera in small amounts is likely to be safe.

Aloe vera may be prepared as a lotion, gel, soap or cosmetics product for use on skin as a topical medication. For people with allergies to Aloe vera, skin reactions may include contact dermatitis with mild redness and itching, difficulty with breathing, or swelling of the face, lips, tongue, or throat.

Aloin, a compound found in the semi-liquid latex of some Aloe species, was a common ingredient in over-the-counter (OTC) laxative products in the United States until 2002 when the Food and Drug Administration banned it because manufacturers failed to provide the necessary safety data.{{cite journal |title = Status of certain additional over-the-counter drug category II and III active ingredients. Final rule |journal = Fed Regist |volume = 67 |issue = 90 |pages = 31125–7 |year = 2002 |pmid = 12001972 |last1 = Food Drug Administration |first1 = HHS }} Aloe vera has potential toxicity, with side effects occurring at some dose levels both when ingested and when applied topically. Although toxicity may be less when aloin is removed by processing, Aloe vera ingested in high amounts may induce side effects, such as abdominal pain, diarrhea or hepatitis.{{cite journal |vauthors = Bottenberg MM, Wall GC, Harvey RL, Habib S |title = Oral aloe vera-induced hepatitis |journal = Ann Pharmacother |volume = 41 |issue = 10 |pages = 1740–3 |year = 2007 |pmid = 17726067 |doi = 10.1345/aph.1K132 |s2cid = 25553593 }} Chronic ingestion of aloe (dose of 1 gram per day) may cause adverse effects, including hematuria, weight loss, and cardiac or kidney disorders.

Aloe vera juice is marketed to support the health of the digestive system, but there is neither scientific evidence nor regulatory approval for this claim.{{cite web|url=https://www.mayoclinic.org/drugs-supplements-aloe/art-20362267 |title=Aloe (Aloe vera) |publisher=Mayo Clinic |date=17 September 2017 |access-date=21 January 2020}} The extracts and quantities typically used for such purposes are associated with toxicity in a dose-dependent way.

Aloe vera is used in traditional medicine as a skin treatment. Early records of its use appear from the fourth millennium BCE. It is also written of in the Juliana Anicia Codex of 512 CE.Reynolds, Tom (Ed.) (2004) Aloes: The genus Aloe (Medicinal and Aromatic Plants - Industrial Profiles. CRC Press. {{ISBN|978-0415306720}}{{rp|9}}

Aloe vera is used on facial tissues where it is promoted as a moisturizer and anti-irritant to reduce chafing of the nose. Cosmetic companies commonly add sap or other derivatives from Aloe vera to products such as makeup, tissues, moisturizers, soaps, sunscreens, incense, shaving cream, or shampoos. A review of academic literature notes that its inclusion in many hygiene products is due to its "moisturizing emollient effect".

Orally ingested non-decolorized aloe vera leaf extract was listed by the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment among "chemicals known to the state to cause cancer or reproductive toxicity",{{cite web |url=http://www.oehha.ca.gov/prop65/CRNR_notices/list_changes/120415listAloeGoldenseal.html |title=Chemicals Listed Effective December 4, 2015, as Known to the State of California to Cause Cancer: Aloe Vera, Non-Decolorized Whole Leaf Extract, and Goldenseal Root Powder |publisher=California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment |date=4 December 2015 |access-date=21 February 2020}} possibly resulting from the anthraquinones.

Since 2016, aloe vera whole leaf extract is classified as a possible human carcinogen (group 2B) by the International Agency for Research on Cancer.{{cite web |title=IARC Monographs on the Identification of Carcinogenic Hazards to Humans |url=https://monographs.iarc.who.int/list-of-classifications/ |publisher=World Health Organization |access-date=27 April 2023}}

Use of aloe vera on the skin is generally not associated with significant side effects. Oral ingestion of aloe vera is potentially toxic, and may cause abdominal cramps and diarrhea which in turn can decrease the absorption of drugs.

Ingested aloe products may have adverse interactions with prescription drugs, such as those used to treat blood clots, diabetes, heart disease and potassium-lowering agents (such as Digoxin), and diuretics, among others.

File:Aloe vera leaf showing the gel (1).JPG|Leaf and inner gel

File:Aloe vera gel.jpg|Gel used for desserts

File:Es Lidah Buaya.JPG|Es lidah buaya, an Indonesian Aloe vera iced drink

File:Gelaloevera.JPG|Juice

File:Cut Aloe Vera Leaf.jpg|Cut leaf

File:Aloe vera cut leaf drawing1.jpg|Diagram of leaf: 1 Cuticle, 2 Chloroplast parenchym, 3 Inner tissue,  4 Vascular bundles

File:Aloe Vera Buds.jpg|Buds

File:Aloe Vera flower.jpg|Flower buds

File:Aloe vera flower 2.jpg|Flowers

File:AloeBluhendD2.JPG|Plants of different sizes

File:A potted aloe vera plant.jpg|A potted plant

File:Aloe plant bud.jpg|Basal shoots (root sprouts)

{{Reflist}}

• {{cite web |title=Taxon: Aloe vera (L.) Burm. f. |url=https://npgsweb.ars-grin.gov/gringlobal/taxonomydetail.aspx?id=311403 |website=U.S. National Plant Germplasm System |access-date=8 March 2020}}

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vera

Category:Drought-tolerant plants

Category:Flora of the Arabian Peninsula

Category:Garden plants of Africa