Witnessed by: TCM · Ayurveda · Western · Unani
Aloe vera, of the Asphodelaceae (formerly Liliaceae) family. Stemless succulent rosette of thick, spine-edged leaves; native range: Arabian Peninsula and NE Africa; now pantropical in cultivation. Globally recognized as kumari / ghrita-kumari / kanya in Sanskrit, gwarpatha / ghikuvar in Hindi, lu hui (芦荟) in Chinese, sibr / sabbar (صبر) — the drug musabbar in Arabic, and Barbados aloe; true aloe in English. The part used is leaf — the clear inner gel and, separately, the bitter yellow marginal latex (dried into the drug 'aloes'). Grey-green fleshy leaves; the inner gel cool, slippery and near-tasteless, the marginal juice intensely bitter and staining, drying to a dark resinous mass.
In this cross-tradition database, we analyze how this substance operates across world medicine systems — tracking its traditional tastes, temperatures, tissue affinities, post-digestive effects, and planetary correspondences across Ayurveda, Unani, and Western herbalism.
ALOE
IDENTITY
Name
- Common
- aloe vera
- Scientific name
- Aloe vera (L.) Burm.f.
- Family
- Asphodelaceae (formerly Liliaceae)
Form
- Part used
- leaf — the clear inner gel and, separately, the bitter yellow marginal latex (dried into the drug 'aloes')
PROPERTIES
Nature
Taste
how the plant declares itself on the tongue
- TCM
- bitter
- Ayurveda
- dominant: bitter (tikta) · also: sweet (madhura) in the gel · astringent
- Western
- bitter (intense, the latex)
- Unani
- bitter
Temperature
- TCM
- cold
- Ayurveda
- cooling (shita)
- Western
- warm (stimulating, purgative latex)
- Unani
- hot & dry (musabbar)
Affinity
where in the body it travels
Organs / channels
- TCM
- Liver · Stomach · Large Intestine
- Western
- liver · intestines · skin (topically)
PRACTICE
Virtue
Actions
- TCM
- drains Liver fire, moves the stool, clears heat, kills worms, and treats childhood nutritional impairment (gan) with heat
- Ayurveda
- bhedana (purgative), pitta-rechaka, rakta-shodhaka (blood-cleanser), emmenagogue and rasayana; the gel ropana (wound-healing)
- Western
- gel: emollient, demulcent, vulnerary; latex: stimulant cathartic, bitter, emmenagogue
- Unani
- mus-hil (purgative), jali (detergent), mundamil (wound-healer), emmenagogue; a base of many pill-masses
Cautions
Contraindications: for the LATEX: pregnancy (uterine stimulant and purge), lactation, menorrhagia, haemorrhoids, kidney disease and children; the gel is far gentler
Toxicity: the anthraquinone latex is a drastic purgative — griping, fluid and electrolyte loss and reddened urine; chronic use damages the bowel, and aloe-emodin has been flagged in safety reviews
Interactions
- Western
- cardiac glycosides: laxative potassium loss potentiates glycoside toxicity · diuretics: additive potassium depletion · antidiabetic agents: gel may add to glucose lowering
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