Aloe vera has traditionally been used as a treatment for various skin diseases and trauma, and its use for these purposes can be traced back thousands of years. A number of different Aloe species have been used medicinally including Aloe ferox Miller and Aloe perryi Baker. However the most popular and commercially widespread is Aloe vera. The popularity of Aloe vera has resulted in large industrial scale production of the content of its leaf for cosmetic and curative purposes. While there is a widespread belief amongst the population as a whole as to the beneficial effects of Aloe vera leaf, the results from scientific investigations are more controversial. Aloe vera leaf contains two main curative components. Firstly there is a gel, and secondly a dried extract of the leaf. It is important to distinguish between the two as they may have quite different chemistry. A failure to distinguish between the gel and the dried leaf extract may explain some of the inconsistent results in scientific studies.
Most of the products available commercially are based on the Aloe vera gel. In both China and India, Aloe vera leaf gel is widely used for its cathartic, stomachic, emmenagogic and anthelmintic properties. In Mexico, Aloe vera is a popular burns remedy and Aloe vera use is also reported to be popular in other parts of Central America. In areas where the use of Aloe vera is traditional, it is often grown as a pot plant and the gel taken directly from a cut leaf when required. More recently the use of Aloe vera has spread to the Western nations where it can easily be found in high street shops and supermarkets. The most common use for Aloe vera could be argued to be its use as a treatment for external burns. Sunburn for example is said to respond particularly well to coverage by the leaf gel. Treatments with commercially available gel or the more traditional use of a cut leaf rubbed to the affected area do appear to be effective in this regard. More serious burns may also respond but the effects likely diminish with severity.
Other uses for Aloe vera leaf gel include treatment of various other sorts of burns (including radiation burns), eczema, ulcers, amputation areas, lesions, rashes and cuts. Animal experiments investigating the effects of Aloe vera as a topic treatment for skin damage have shown promising results, but the animals tested tend to show a great variety in their response to the treatment. Studies on humans have also been performed and these too have been inconsistent. However some studies have reported positive effects for Aloe vera leaf gel as a treatment for various skin disorders and wounds in humans. The inconsistent study results may relate more to poor study design rather than a lack of effect from the product. More recent chemical analysis and molecular studies have confirmed that Aloe vera leaf gel does possess chemicals that could explain the wound curative effects and molecular mechanisms for these effects have been suggested. Therefore evidence does support a role for Aloe vera in the treatment of certain skin disorders.
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