Aloe vera-Kumari

Scientific name: Aloe vera 

Name in different languages:-

English: Indian aloe

Sanskrit: Kumari, Ghrtakumari

Hindi: Kumari, Gritkumari

Malayalam: Kattarvazha കറ്റാർവാഴ, Kumari കുമാരി

Tamil: Sirukattali

Plant description

Aloe vera, commonly known as Kumari or Kattarvazha is a stemless, perennial, Acaulescent herbs, with the short stem and shallow root system. Leaves radical, 30-60 cm long, fleshy, in rosettes, sessile, glaucous-green, often crowded with horny prickles on margins, narrowed from base to apex, surface pale green color with irregular white blotches, inside of the leaf contain  a white jelly-like substance. Inflorescence 90-135 cm long, simple or few branched, racemes terminal, up to 40 cm long. The flowers are yellow or orange, about 2.5 cm long, produced on a spike up to 90 cm tall. Fruits loculicidal capsules, 1.5x1.0 cm, cylindrical or ellipsoid-oblong.

Dried pulp of leaves(Eliyo) - 'Angady' medicine is  available in the  market named 'Chenninayakam-ചെന്നിനായകം' which can be used instead of fresh leaves, which is  a bitter taste, black in color when dried. this is medically important in Ayurvedic treatments.

Useful plant parts:

Whole Plant, Leaf, Leaf juice, Elio-dried gum

Shape-Tapered	Margin-Spiny	Venation-Parallel

Medicinal uses of Aloe vera-Kumari:

To treat skin disorders, to treat dandruff, arthritis, scalp, diabetics, high cholesterol, Wounds, cuts, liver, kidney bladder disorders.

Chemical content:

Mucopolicaride, Barbaloin, beta-barbaloin, capalo-resino-tannol combined with p-coumaric acid.

Medicinal Properties:

Anti-aging, Anti-Inflammatory, Anthelmintic, purgative, carminative, hair tonic, hepatoprotective, diuretic, ophthalmic, uterine tonic, antidermatitic

How to prepare medicines

Dandruff - Apply jelly of aloe vera leaves on the head and keep it for half an hour and washed out, repeat this for three days.

Wounds - Juice of leaves are mixed with turmeric powder and applied on wounds.

Leucorrhea - to treat white discharge of women- take leaf juice with cow milk or goat milk.

Ayurveda properties

Kumari is used as an ingredient in the Ayurvedic medicines like:-