Importance and chemical composition
- Aloe species, perennial succulent belonging to the family Liliaceae and has long been employed in medicinal preparation and for flavouring liquors and a source of the drug ‘aloe’.
- Out of 275 species, three are commercially important species.
- They are: A. barbadensis, A. ferox and other species (A. Africana and A. spicata).
- Two of the major products derived from the leaves are the yellow bitter juice consisting of aloin and the gel consisting of polysaccharides.
- Apart from these products, several other products like dehydrated aloe powder, concentrates are also prepared.
- The Aloe contains cathartic anthrax-glycosides as its active principle ranging from 4.5 to 25 per cent of aloin.
- These are extensively used as active ingredients in laxative and anti-obesity preparation, as moisturizer, emollient or wound healer in various cosmetic and pharmaceutical formulations.
|
Last modified: Tuesday, 3 April 2012, 9:09 AM
Participants