A STUDY ON THE ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL POTENTIAL OF ALOE VERA L.

A STUDY ON THE ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL POTENTIAL OF ALOE VERA L.

Ishan Mishra *, Himanshu Soni, Jitendra Soni and Ranjan Kumar Singh

School of Pharmacy, Raffles University, Neemrana, Alwar, Rajasthan, India.

ABSTRACT: Aloe vera Linn. (Ghritokumari locally) has recently gained popularity due to its health benefits. The current ethnopharmacological review was carried out to assess the medicinal effects of A. vera using scientific data. It belongs to the Liliaceae family and is a perennial plant with 30-60cm long juicy leaves that grow across Bangladesh. Too far, more than 75 active compounds have been found in the inner gel of leaves, including aloes in, aloe emodin, acemannan, aloeride, methylchromones, flavonoids, saponin, amino acids, vitamins, and minerals. It contains anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antibacterial, anticancer, anti-diabetic, immune-boosting, and hypoglycemic effects. This is beneficial as a daily supplement against stroke, heart attacks, leukemia, anemia, hypertension, AIDS, radiation burns, digestive issues, and other conditions. This research also discusses its taxonomy, distribution, morphology, and monograph.

Keywords: Aloe vera Linn., Pharmacology, Phytochemicals, Therapeutic Uses

INTRODUCTION: Herbal remedies have played an important role from antiquity to the present. Every ethnic group has a traditional healthcare system that is culturally structured. In rural areas, health care appears to be the first line of defense. The World Health Organization (WHO) has previously recognized the value of traditional health care in tribal populations. These medications have fewer negative effects, and humans may simply obtain the herbs from nature. It has been a source of medicinal agents for thousands of years and an impressive number of modern drugs have been formulated. Therapeutically, interesting and important drugs have been developed from plant sources that are being used in traditional systems of medicine.

The use of plants as a therapeutic material due to their chemical substances of medicinal value has been very common all over the world since ancient periods ^1-2. The development of antibiotic resistance in pathogens has become a problematic issue due to the indiscriminate use of contemporary antibiotics ^3-4. Much research has been conducted on some plants, vegetables, and fruits because they contain high levels of antioxidants such as vitamins, carotenoids, polyphenolic chemicals, and flavonoids, which limit free radical damage and reduce the risk of chronic illnesses ⁵. As a result, the demand for novel safe and effective antimicrobial medicines with broad-spectrum action derived from natural sources grows by the day ⁶.

Aloe vera L. (Ghritokumari locally), a member of the Xanthorrhoeaceae family, is a very important perennial medicinal plant found across Bangladesh. It is a stemless, drought-resistant succulent from the lily family. It is a xerophyte that may thrive in arid areas under rainfed circumstances. It is native to hot climates and has been used medicinally for over 5000 years by Egyptian, Indian, Chinese, and European cultures for a variety of ailments, including dermatitis and cancer. The solid material of A. vera leaves contains over 75 biologically active compounds, including vitamins, minerals, enzymes, polysaccharides, phenolic compounds, and organic acids ^{7, 2} and has been claimed to have anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, immune-boosting, anticancer, anti-aging, sunburn relief, and antidiabetic properties ⁸. A. vera gel has been shown in many trials to have anti-tumor action in terms of decreased tumor burden, tumor shrinkage, tumor necrosis, and longer survival rates. A. vera gel has been demonstrated to have chemo-preventative and antigenotoxic effects on benzo(α) pyrene-DNA adducts ^{7, 2}. One potential mode of action for Aloe polysaccharide's anticancer properties is immune response stimulation ^{9, 2}. The majority of the research papers, journals, and review papers were consulted and assembled. The present study summarises relevant information on the ethnopharmacological characteristics of A. vera that has been collected throughout time. It may be valuable for health practitioners, scientists, and academics working in the fields of pharmacology and therapeutics to produce evidence-based alternative medicine to treat various ailments in humans and animals Plant shown in Fig. 1.

FIG. 1:  ALOE VERA PLANT

Monograph:

Growth Habit: It thrives in bright sunlight and enjoys low water levels. It is suitable for loamy sand, sandy clay, sandy clay loam, and sandy loam soils. Bangladeshi ethnicity native.

Morphology: It is a member of the Liliaceae family. It is a cactus-like upright plant that grows to a height of 0.8m/2.6ft and a spread of 0.8m/2.6ft, with fleshy, tapering, spiky, marginated leaves filled with a clear viscous gel ¹⁰.

Distribution: The species is found in the southern part of the Arabian Peninsula, North Africa (Morocco, Mauritania, and Egypt), Sudan and neighbouring nations, and the Canary, Cape Verde, and Madeira Islands.

The species was introduced to China and other regions of southern Europe in the 17th century ¹¹. The plant is widely naturalised in temperate and tropical locations such as Australia, Barbados, Belize, Nigeria, Paraguay, India, and the United States ^{12, 2}.

Taxonomy of A. vera: The botanical categorization of A. vera is as follows:

Phytochemistry: A. vera (L.) includes several phytochemicals that are helpful to human health. The chemical components of A. vera are listed in Table 1.

Folk Remedies and Traditional Uses: For over 5000 years, A. vera has been used to treat a variety of ailments. The conventional applications are listed in Table 2.

Pharmacology: Following the folk and traditional applications of A. vera, scientific research is being conducted to validate its ability to heal and treat many ailments. Some of the documented pharmacological actions of A. vera are listed in Table 3 and 4.

Adverse Effects: Numerous side effects have been reported; however they are often modest and reversible ⁵⁷. According to animal research, oral use of A. vera may cause colonic cancer ⁵⁸, while topical use may accelerate UV light-induced skin cancer ⁵⁹.

TABLE 1: CHEMICAL CONSTITUENTS OF A. VERA LEAF

Pharmacology: Following the folk and traditional applications of A. vera, scientific research is being conducted to validate its ability to heal and treat many ailments. Some of the documented pharmacological actions of A. vera are listed in Table 3 and 4.

Adverse Effects: Numerous side effects have been reported, however they are often modest and reversible ⁵⁷. According to animal research, oral use of A. vera may cause colonic cancer ⁵⁸, while topical use may accelerate UV light-induced skin cancer ⁵⁹.

TABLE 2:

TABLE 3: PHARMACOLOGICAL ACTIVITIES OF A. VERA

TABLE 4: ANTIMICROBIAL ACTIVITIES OF A. VERA

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: Plants have been utilized for medicinal purposes since the beginning of humanity. These medicines held a separate role in life from the early time to the present day and supplied knowledge on the use of plants or plant products as medicine ⁷⁸. Medicinal plants have been used to treat a variety of disorders for centuries due to their phytochemical contents ⁷⁹.

It is critical to have accurate documentation of medicinal plants and understand their potential for improving health and cleanliness through an environmentally friendly approach. As a result, a thorough and systematic ethno medicinal study is necessary for plant identification, categorization, and recording, which may provide a valuable avenue for promoting traditional herbal medical knowledge. According to the literature, A. vera is an extremely essential plant due to its numerous medical characteristics as well as medicinally important compounds such as amino acid, anthraquinone, enzyme, hormone, sterol, and vitamin.

The plant has a wide range of pharmacological effects, including antioxidant, antibacterial, immune-boosting, anticancer, hypoglycemic, hypolipidemic, wound healing, cardiovascular, and anti-diabetic properties. Many traditional applications are also documented such burn injury, eczema, cosmetic, inflammatory, fever which are being explored till now and additional study has to be done. Thus, it is highly promising as a versatile medicinal agent; nevertheless, further experiments are required to isolate and clarify the bioactive compounds utilizing current equipment like as HPLC, HPTLC, and NMR, as well as to expand clinical trials on the route to developing innovative medications.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT: The corresponding author would like to thank the School of Pharmacy at Raffles University in Neemrana, Rajasthan, India for carrying out this review study.

CONFLICT OF INTEREST: Nil

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    Mishra I, Soni H, Soni J and Singh RK: A study on the ethnopharmacological potential of Aloe vera L.. Int J Pharmacognosy 2024; 11(11): 577-83. doi link: http://dx.doi.org/10.13040/IJPSR.0975-8232.IJP.11(11).577-83.

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