History

It is found throughout India.

Habitat

A coarse-looking perennial plant with a short stem, found in a semi- wild state. The leaves are long, erect and crowded in a basal rosette. They contain a sticky juice, are glaucous-green and smooth except for the spiny teeth on the margins; the flowers are yellow, in dense racemes terminating the long scapes.

Principal Constituents

The leaves contain barbaloin, chrysophanol glycoside and the aglycone, aloe-emodin.

Indications

The leaf juice forms the main source of the drug. Aloes have long been in use for a host of diseases, particularly those connected with the digestive system; they have also been used for wounds, burns, dermatitis, cutaneous leishmaniasis and other skin troubles. It is used in eye troubles, spleen and liver ailments.