Aloe Varieties and differences
There are over 360 varieties of Aloe. The best known are Aloe Ferox Mill, Aloe Vera, Aloe Arborescence. The Chinensis variety is also less common but very beneficial. How to take care of the Aloe plant
Considered a plant belonging to the Liliaceae family, today it is classified as a separate family: “le Aloaceae”, it is made up of about 360 varieties, distinguished by type and place of origin, of which only 4-5 have medicinal or therapeutic properties.
In the European Pharmacopoeia two species are included only:
- CAPE ALOE: aloe ferox Mill.
- ALOE from Barbados: aloe Barbadensis Mill or Aloe Vera L.
There are other species used such as the ALOE Arborescens, the ALOE Perri Backer known as Aloe Socotrina.
The plant needs 4 years to reach full maturity and be used as a medicinal plant. Once ripened, only the outer leaves are used to prepare the various forms used. In the area of the cut there is an almost instantaneous healing.
The plant must be kept at a temperature not lower than 7-10 ° C.
Aloe vera
Its leaves are very rich in gel compared to the external cuticle and there is a predominance among all the substances of a mucopolysaccharide, ahemannan, involved in the main processes of immunomodulation, healing and anti-inflammatory reactions.
It is the most known and most used in the world.
This is due to its ability to have a high yield, to be endowed with a remarkable robustness and easily transformable.
The plant needs 4 years to reach full maturity.
Aloe arborescens
It has less fleshy and thinner and filiform leaves with a thicker external cuticle, which makes it more resistant and provides a greater concentration of anthraquinone substances, responsible for the purgative, cytoprotective and anticancer effects. The internal gel is proportionally inferior to the other species. Its therapeutic properties are superior to the other species but with a clearly superior price, for which its use is not necessarily justifiable except for a real therapeutic need.
Aloe ferox
The leaves have a consistency halfway between the two other varieties. The gel is rich in vitamins and mineral salts among which iron stands out. The production of mucopolysaccharides is good but the presence of anthraquinones is limited so its use is preferable associated with other varieties. It has a remarkable invigorating effect especially in anemias.
Aloe chinensis
Very precious and not very widespread variety. Its use is very limited by its high cost. The leaves have little gel and a lot of peel, for which anthraquinone compounds predominate compared to mucopolysaccharides, but it contains a substantial quantity of minerals and vitamins. This high concentration of Magnesium, Calcium and Potassium make it an important remedy in Chinese medicine.
How to take care of the Aloe plant
- The plant must be watered in winter but never in summer when it is left to dry.
- When the leaves are reddish it means that it is suffering from too much insolation.
- In the winter pick up at home. It needs acid soil.
- He is a poison eater from the environment.
