Bacteriostatic Property of Aloe Vera

Freeze-dried juice obtained from Aloe vera and heated for 15 minutes at 80 degrees inhibited several test microorganisms. Species of Aloe have had a long history as drug plants. This was pointed out by Morton (1) in a recent comprehensive review of Aloe from the standpoint of folk use and commercial exploitation. Fly and Kiem (2) recently carried out an investigation to ascertain whether Aloe vera exhibits antimicrobial activity. They reported that macerates of the central gelatinous portion, of the green vascular portion, and of the complete leaf of A. vera did not exhibit, within the limits of their experiment, antimicrobial effect against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli. Since it has been established definitely in this laboratory that the fresh juice of A. Vera L. Contains a principle(s) which is inhibitory to certain microorganisms, the results are reported in this note.