IloveIndia

Fitness IloveIndia

Aloe Vera

Botanical Name(s): Aloe Barbadensis, Aloe Indica, Aloe Barbados, Aloe Vera
Kingdom: Plantae
Division: Magnoliophyta
Class: Liliopsida
Order: Asparagales
Family: Aloaceae
Tribe: Abreae
Genus: Aloe L.
Species: Aloe vera
Popular Name(s): Aloe, Indian Alces, Kumari, Ghirita, Gawarpaltra, Barbados Aloe, Curacao Aloe, Lu Hui
Parts Used: Flowers, Roots
Habitat: South and South Western India

Description
Aloe Vera is a stem-less or very short-stemmed plant, growing approximately 80-100 cm tall, spreading by offsets and root sprouts. The leaves are lanceolate, thick and fleshy, green to grey-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. The tissue in the center of the aloe leaf contains a gel which yields aloe gel or aloe vera gel.

Plant Chemicals
The Aloe Vera plant is essentially a cactus plant, which is composed of mainly water and 75 different ingredients. These include vitamins, minerals, enzymes, sugars, anthraquinones and many more. Carboxy-peptidase is an important enzyme, which produces an anti-inflammatory effect, after rendering bradykinins inactive. Found in the sap are phenolic compounds, such as lsobarbaloin, Anthrone-C-glycosides and Barbaloin-lO. Various essential amino acids and antioxidant vitamins A, C and F are derived from this plant. Sallcylic acid, calcium, zinc, manganese, magnesium are some of the compounds present in the aloe vera plant as well.

Uses & Benefits of Aloe Vera
Caution