Aloe Vera-A Review

Aloe vera is a perennial, drought-resisting, succulent plant belonging to the Liliaceae family which, historically has been used for a variety of medicinal purposes. It has a vast traditional role in indigenous system of medicine like ayurveda, siddha, unani and homoeopathy. As a result of its use as folk medicine, it is claimed that aloe vera has wound and burn healing properties, antifungal activity, hypoglycemic or antidiabetic effects anti-inflammatory, anticancer, immunomodulatory and gastroprotective properties. Aloe vera is used in a variety of commercial products because of these therapeutic properties. The known biological activities of A. vera were briefly discussed and also further highlighted recently discovered effects and applications of the leaf gel. The present review is therefore, an effort to give a detailed survey of the literature on its traditional, phytochemical and pharmacological properties, Industrial processing technique and Industrial uses. With technological developments in the field of analytical chemistry it has become easier to isolate and characterise the chemical components of the leaf gel and it is expected that more information in this regard will become available in the future at a faster rate. More applications are discovered as research from different viewpoints is conducted on this versatile plant to provide a better understanding of its composition and effects. Further research needs to be done to unravel the myth surrounding the biological activity and the exploitation of aloe constituents.