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Home >  Agriculture Technology >> Medicinal Plant Aloe (घृत कुमारी )                   

     

 
   Introduction
  Common Name
  Aloe Species
  Aloe  Plant
  Chemical Constituents
  Cultivation
  Aloe  as Medicinal Herb
  Aloe Side Effects
  Economics
  Modern Research
 Aloe Vera plant
     Aloe Vera

  Introduction
  Aloe is grown largely in South Texas, USA, Mexico, India, South America, Central America, Australia and Africa. It is commonly called Miracle plant, Healing plant, Plant of immortality, Fountain of youth. Aloe species are frequently cultivated as ornamental plants both in gardens and in pots being highly decorative. Some species, in particular Aloe vera are purported to have medicinal properties used in alternative medicines and in home first aid. In homeopathic medicine aloe is used for hemorrhoids.  In India Aloe Vera has been referred to as "kumari’ in Ayurvedic treatments.

    Aloe Vera Plant
      Aloe  plant        

  Common Name:
Hindi -          Ghritkumari (घृत कुमारी) 
English -       Aloe ( Barbedolsaloes)
Latin  -          Aloe Vera ( Aloe barbadensis Mill)
Sanskrit -      Kumari
 Tamil    -      Kattalai
Kannada -     Kathaligidi
Telgu       -    Kalabanda 
Malayalam-   Kattuvala 
Marathi    -    Korafad
Bangla     -    Kumari
Gujarti     -    Kunwar
Arabic     -    Mussavar

      
         

  Aloe Species
  
Aloe vera belongs to the family Liliacae and nearly there are about 150 species in Aloe vera. The common varieties are:  Aloe Barbadensis Miller, Aloe Saponaria, Aloe Chinensis, Aloe Variegata, Aloe Forex, Aloe Lalifolia and Curacao Aloe.  Of these the most popular is Aloe Barbadensis Miller which has most therapeutic value and referred to as ‘True Aloe’. 
  Aloe Plant

  
Aloe is a stem less or very short-stemmed succulent plant growing to 80-100 cm tall, spreading by offsets and root sprouts. The leaves are lanceolate, thick and fleshy, green to gray-green, with a serrated margin. The flowers are produced on a spike up to 90 cm tall, each flower pendulous, with a yellow tubular corolla 2-3 cm long. 
   Its thick leaves contain the water supply for the plant to  survive long periods of drought.  These leaves have a high capacity of retaining the water.  When a leaf is cut, a orange yellow sap drips from the open  end which has a very strong laxative effect. When the green  skin of a leaf is removed a clear mucilaginous substance  appears that contain fibers, water and the ingredients to  retain the water in the leaf. These ingredients give this  "gel" its special qualities as they are known now for many  centuries. Among the uses for this gel are acceleration of  wound healing, use on skin burns, moisturizing dry skin and  it is taken internally for peptic ulcers or gastritis. 
  Chemical Constituents: 
  
Aloe contains two classes of Aloins : (1) nataloins, which yield picric and oxalic acids with nitric acid, and do not give a red coloration with nitric acid; and (2) barbaloins, which yield aloetic acid (C7H2N3O5), chrysammic acid (C7H2N2O6), picric and oxalic acids with nitric acid, being reddened by the acid. This second group may be divided into a-barbaloins, obtained from Barbadoes aloes, and reddened in the cold, and b-barbaloins, obtained from Socotrine and Zanzibar aloes, reddened by ordinary nitric acid only when warmed or by fuming acid in the cold. Nataloin forms bright yellow scales. Barbaloin forms yellow prismatic crystals. Aloes also contain a trace of volatile oil, to which its odour is due. 
 Cultivation
 
Aloe vera is relatively easy to care for in cultivation in frost-free climates. The species requires well-drained sandy potting soil in moderate light. If planted in pot or other containers ensure sufficient drainage with drainage holes. The use of a good quality commercial potting mix to which extra perlite, granite grit, or coarse sand are added is recommended. Alternatively, pre-packaged 'cacti and succulent mixes' may also be used. Potted plants should 
be allowed to completely dry prior to re-watering. During winter, Aloe 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.

 Climate :
Aloe is grown in warm tropical areas and cannot survive freezing temperatures. 
 Soil: Aloe Vera can be cultivated on any soil for 'dry land management', sandy loamy soil is the best suited for it. 
 Propagation:  Aloe Vera is generally propagated by root suckers by carefully digging out without damaging the parent plant and planting it in the main field. It can also be propagated through rhizome cuttings by digging out the rhizomes after the harvest of the crop and making them into 5-6 cm length cuttings with a minimum of 2-3 nodes on them. Then they are rooted in specially prepared sand beds or containers. 
   The plant is ready for transplanting after the appearance of the first sprouts. The process of cultivating Aloe Vera 
involves the following process:
   The ground is to be carefully prepared to keep free from weeds and the soil is ideally kept ideally slightly acidic. 
The soil should be supplied supplement in the form of ammonium nitrate every year. The plants are set spaced out by 31 inches in rows and between the rows. At that rate, about 5,000 plants are set per acre. An 8 - 12 inch aloe pop would take about 18 - 24 months to fully mature. 
   The plants, in a year's time, would bear flowers that are bright yellow in colour. The leaves are 1 to 2 feet long and 
are cut without causing damage to the plant, so that it lasts for several years.   

  YIELD
 
 The crop can be harvested 4 times a year. At the rate of 3  leaves cut from each plant, about 12 leaves are the harvest  per plant per year. On an average, the yield per acre  annually is about 60,000 kg. 
  The leaves cut off close to the plant are placed  immediately, with the cut end downwards, in a V-shaped  wooden trough of about 4 feet long and 12 to 18 inches deep. 
  The wooden trough is set on a sharp incline so that the  juice, which trickles from the leaves very rapidly, flows 
down its sides, and finally escapes by a hole at its lower  end into a vessel placed beneath.  It takes about a quarter of an hour to cut leaves enough to  fill a trough. The troughs are so distributed as to be  easily accessible to the cutters. 
   The leaves are neither infused nor boiled, nor is any use  afterwards made of them except for manure. When the vessels  receiving the juice become filled, the latter is removed to  a cask or reserved for evaporation. This may be done at  once, or it may be delayed for weeks or even months. 
  The evaporation is generally conducted in a copper vessel;  at the bottom of this is a large ladle, into which the 
impurities sink, and are from time to time removed as the  boiling goes on. 
   As soon as the inspissations has reached the proper point,  which is determined solely by the experienced eye of the  workman, the thickened juice is poured into large gourds or  into boxes, and allowed to harden. 

  Aloe as Medicinal Herb

  Aloe vera has been used externally to treat various skin conditions such as cuts, burns and eczema. It is alleged that sap from Aloe vera eases pain and reduces inflammation. It has antiseptic and antibiotic properties which make it highly valuable in treating cuts and abrasions. It has also been commonly used to treat first and second degree 
burns, as well as sunburns and poison oak, poison ivy, and poison sumac infections, and eczema. It can also be used as a hair styling gel and works especially well for curly or fuzzy hair. It is also used for making makeup, moisturisers, soaps, sunscreens, shampoos and lotions. Aloe vera gel is useful for dry skin conditions, especially eczema around the eyes and sensitive facial skin. Aloe vera juice may help some people with ulcerative colitis, an inflammatory bowel disease. 
    Aloe has been marketed as a remedy for coughs, wounds, ulcers, gastritis, diabetes, cancer, headaches, arthritis, immune-system deficiencies, and many other conditions when taken internally. However, the general   internal use is as a laxative. The lower leaf of the plant is used for medicinal purpose. If the lower leaf is sliced open, the gel obtained can be applied on the affected area of the skin. 
   In Pakistan, the plant has been used for centuries as a carminative and digestive aid. The dried gel is mixed with seeds of various herbs and consumed after a meal. Pashtuns in the Hazara region of the North West Frontier Province have been using Aloe Vera for centuries to improve physical endurance, probably due to the high nutrient content of the gel. People in Rajastahn state of India prepare vegetable out of Aloe Vera along with fenugreek seeds. People in Tamil Nadu, another state of India prepare a curry using Aloe Vera which is taken along with Indian bread or rice. Some popular beverages, such as SoBe's Strawberry Daiquirí, contain Aloe Vera. In Mexico smoothies made out of Aloe Vera are fairly common.
  Ayurvedic Medicine: Aloe is used as an important Ayurvedic medicines. It is used in
  Jaundice - A few drops of aloe juice is installed in the nostrils to control jaundice.
  Liver disorders - Aloe juice with turmeric powder should be taken twice a day.
  Difficult urination - Continuous diluted aloe juice should be taken time to time to alleviate this condition.
  In wounds - Boil aloe leaves and take the fleshy part of the inside of the leaves to use as a poultice over wounds.
  As a cosmetic - Aloe is one of the best known moisturizers and used in creams and shampoos.  

  Aloe Side Effects
 
 If Aloe Vira  is not processed properly it turned out to be poisonous. Over dose of Aloe can cause diarrhea and kidney damage. People who are on steroids, pills for irregular heart beat, diuretics, digoxin should not use Aloe. 
People with intestinal disorders, pregnant and nursing mothers and children below 12 years should not use Aloe. On May 9, 2002, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued a final rule banning the use of aloe and cascara sagrada as laxative ingredients in over-the-counter drug products. The juice of the leaves of certain species, e.g. Aloe venenosa, is poisonous.

  Economics
 
Aloe Vera is a medicinal plant and due to its  extensive medicinal, nutraceutical and other uses its enjoy a great demand in the market across the globe. The major markets for Aloe Vera and its extracts are Australia, US and the 
entire Europe. Given the exponentially growing demand for it in the international market, Aloe Vera presents the finest commercial opportunity among the various medicinal plants. India is among the few countries gifted with the unique geographical features essential for cultivation of Aloe Vera and other high potential medicinal plants. 

  Modern Research  
 
Researchers at the University of Miguel Hernández in Alicante, Spain, have developed a gel based on A. vera that prolongs the conservation of fresh produce, such as fresh fruit and legumes. This gel is tasteless, colorless and 
odorless. This natural product is a safe and environmentally friendly alternative to synthetic preservatives such as sulfur dioxide. The study showed that grapes at 1°C coated with this gel could be preserved for 35 days against 7 
days for untreated grapes. According to the researchers, this gel operates through a combination of mechanics , forming a protective layer against the oxygen and moisture of the air and inhibiting, through its various antibiotic and antifungal compounds, the action of micro-organisms that cause foodborne illnesses.
   

 

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