Active Ingredient Aloe (aloe Vera)

a plant genus of the family aloeaceae, order liliales (or asphodelaceae, asparagales in apg system) which is used medicinally. it contains anthraquinone glycosides such as aloin-emodin or aloe-emodin (emodin).

Source:

medlineplus herbs and supplements: aloe (aloe vera)

Medical Condition	Uses based on scientific evidence	Grade*
burn of unspecified site unspecified degree	early evidence suggests that aloe may aid healing of mild to moderate skin burns. further study is needed in this area.	c
chronic ulcer of unspecified site	early studies suggest aloe may help heal skin ulcers. high-quality studies comparing aloe alone with placebo are needed.	c
dermatitis due to other radiation	reports in the 1930s of topical aloe's beneficial effects on skin after radiation exposure lead to widespread use in skin products. currently, aloe gel is sometimes recommended for skin irritation caused by prolonged exposure to radiation, although scientific evidence suggests a lack of benefit in this area.	d
diabetes mellitus without mention of complication	study results are mixed. more research is needed to explore the effectiveness and safety of aloe in diabetics.	c
genital herpes	limited evidence from human studies suggests that extract from aloe vera in a hydrophilic cream may be an effective treatment of genital herpes in men (better than aloe gel or placebo). additional research is needed in this area before a strong recommendation can be made.	b
human immunodeficiency virus (hiv) disease	without further human trials, the evidence cannot be considered convincing either in favor or against this use of aloe.	c
keratoderma acquired	traditionally, aloe has been used as a moisturizer. early low-quality studies suggest aloe may effectively reduce skin dryness. higher quality studies are needed in this area.	c
lichen planus	limited study suggests that aloe may be a helpful, safe treatment for lichen planus, which is a chronic inflammatory disease that affects the lining of the mouth. additional study is needed.	c
neoplasms	there is early evidence that oral aloe may reduce the risk of developing lung cancer. further study is needed in this area to clarify if it is aloe itself or other factors that may cause this benefit.	c
oral aphthae	there is weak evidence that treatment of recurrent aphthous ulcers of the mouth with aloe gel may reduce pain and increase the amount of time between the appearance of new ulcers. further study is needed before a firm recommendation can be made.	c
other constipation	dried latex from the inner lining of aloe leaves has been used traditionally as a laxative taken by mouth. although few studies have been conducted to assess this effect of aloe in humans, the laxative properties of aloe components such as aloin are well supported by scientific evidence. a combination herbal remedy containing aloe was found to be an effective laxative, although it is not clear if this effect was due to aloe or to other ingredients in the product. further study is needed to	b
other psoriasis and similar disorders	early evidence suggests that an extract from aloe in a hydrophilic cream may be an effective treatment of psoriasis vulgaris. additional research is needed in this area before a strong recommendation can be made.	b
other seborrheic dermatitis	early study of aloe lotion suggests effectiveness for treating seborrheic dermatitis when applied to the skin. further study is needed in this area before a strong recommendation can be made.	b
other ulcerative colitis	there is limited but promising research of the use of oral aloe vera in ulcerative colitis (uc), compared to placebo. it is not clear how aloe vera compares to other treatments used for uc.	c
posttraumatic wound infection not elsewhere classified	study results of aloe on wound healing are mixed with some studies reporting positive results and others showing no benefit or potential worsening of the condition. further study is needed, since wound healing is a popular use of topical aloe.	c
pressure ulcer	early well-designed studies in humans found no benefit of topical acemannan hydrogel (a component of aloe gel) in the treatment of pressure ulcers.	d
stomatitis and mucositis, unspecified	there is early evidence that oral aloe vera does not prevent or improve mucositis (mouth sores) associated with radiation therapy.	d

*Key to grades
A: Strong scientific evidence for this use;
B: Good scientific evidence for this use;
C: Unclear scientific evidence for this use;
D: Fair scientific evidence against this use;
F: Strong scientific evidence against this use.