How many varieties of aloe are there in total, and which one has the highest medicinal value?
Aloe is a relatively common plant for us, easy to keep alive, with very tenacious vitality, and very easy to grow. Keeping a pot of it at home can also purify the air. Aloe has long had the reputation of being a "beauty holy product," can hydrate and moisturize, and is used to relieve the pain of burns and scalds, treat mosquito and insect bites, athlete's foot, swelling and toxicity, and more. In fact, the aloe we commonly see also has many varieties, and they have certain medicinal value, so how many varieties of aloe are there in total? Which variety has the highest medicinal value?
1. Curaçao aloe
Curaçao aloe originated in the Curaçao Islands and Barbados in the West Indies of the Americas, so some people also call it Barbados aloe. In China it is called emerald-leaf aloe, and in Japan it is called "aloe vera." The crude drug obtained by drying its leaf juice is called "old aloe," a red paste that is opaque reddish-brown or dark brown, so it is also called "liver-colored aloe." It is included in pharmacopoeias and is mainly used to extract raw aloe juice.
2. Chinese aloe
Chinese aloe is a variety of Curaçao aloe, also known as striped aloe. In China's Yuanjiang area of Yunnan, southern Fujian, and the coastal areas of Guangdong, it is cultivated over a certain area. Its leaves are more slender than those of Curaçao aloe, and the leaf juice also has beauty and medicinal value. The tender leaves can be eaten as a raw material for aloe salad. Because it contains fewer anthraquinone substances, it is an ideal edible aloe species.
3. Tree aloe
Also known as wood-sword aloe or Japanese aloe, it originated in South Africa. Its leaf juice is extremely bitter, and the plant stands upright in a tree-like form. It was regarded as a folk medicinal herb very early on, and the widely popular civilian aloe refers to this tree aloe. Tree aloe is the best health product for beautifying the face, detoxifying, improving immunity, and delaying aging. This aloe is not highly ornamental, but it has medicinal value and beauty value. It contains anti-cancer components and can treat diabetes and other conditions.
4. Cape aloe
Cape aloe, also called Cape of Good Hope aloe or blue crocodile aloe. It is mainly produced in the Cape Province of the Republic of South Africa. When used medicinally, its quality is generally considered slightly inferior to old aloe, but it is listed in the pharmacopoeias of various countries and is a traditional medicinal plant.
5. Soap aloe
Also known as soap aloe or mosaic aloe. The leaf juice of soap aloe is like soapy water, very slippery; the leaves are thin, with extremely many patterns and spots on them. Soap aloe has also not been included in pharmacopoeias, but it has been proven to be very effective in external use for treating rheumatism, and the fresh leaf juice also has a certain skin-care effect.
6. Shangnong large-leaf aloe
Shangnong large-leaf aloe is a variant selected from Curaçao aloe by the Plant Genetics and Breeding Research Office of the Department of Plant Science at Shanghai Agricultural College, and is more suitable for protected cultivation. It has great development and utilization value, grows quickly, and is also suitable for home cultivation.
7. Pearl aloe
Also known as Lingjin whisker aloe, whisker aloe, German pineapple, and also called wood rasp lotus or wood rasp aloe. It is mainly for ornamental use, placed on a sunny coffee table or desk. Although pearl aloe leaves are small, the polysaccharide-rich sticky gel juice contained in the leaves is very abundant, making it an excellent product for natural beauty and skin care, with very good effects. It is also effective in treating mouth sores, stomatitis, and oral ulcers.
The above is an introduction to common aloe varieties. Of course, there are more than just the above varieties of aloe, but in fact each variety has a certain medicinal value, and the medicinal value of different varieties is not necessarily the same, so which variety has the highest medicinal value still depends on the specific effects and the actual situation.