The oldest medicinal plant ever

Within living memory aloe vera (including the best known specie aloe vera barbadensis miller) is the most applied medicinal plant worldwide. The first written records about the use of aloe vera were found on over 6,000 years old clay tablets found in Mesopotamia.

Today, aloe vera is one of the most studied plants worldwide. Actually, there is hardly any plant that can display such a great variety of scientifically-proven active pharmaceutical ingredients (about 200) whose unique combinations and concentrations generate a broad spectrum of activity. So, it’s not surprising that aloe vera has been playing a major role in the cosmetics, food and many other industries for years.

Still a promising ingredient

Aloe vera is commonly used in many cosmetic products and the rise of natural and organic beauty may constitute a new opportunity for this plant. In order to shine a light on various aspects of this still very promising ingredient, the Federal Association of German Industrial and Commercial Companies (Bundesverband deutscher Industrie- und Handelsunternehmen - BDIH), in collaboration with LR Health & Beauty Systems GmbH and supported by the International Aloe Vera Science Council (IASC), has organized a one-day symposium dedicated to aloe vera.

The Aloe Vera Symposium took place on the 16th February 2010, on the occasion of the Nuremberg fair (Congress Centre Nuremberg). Speakers covered a broad spectrum of issues, from the perspective of medical and natural sciences, quality assurance, legal affairs, marketing, analytics, natural cosmetics and food chemistry without forgetting the ethnopharmacological, ethnomedicinal and ritual use of aloe vera.

Devon Powell, The Aloe Vera Symposium, 2010

In an overview of the aloe vera market, Devon Powell (Executive Director, The International Aloe Science Council, Inc. - IASC) demonstrated the potential for growth of the plant. Considering trends and prospects he questioned the audience about a possible golden age of aloe vera.

Several speakers detailed the properties of aloe vera, including its ability to enhance the bioavailability of Vitamin C, E and B12. Michael Peuser (author of the aloe vera bestseller Kapillaren bestimmen unser Schicksal / Capillaries determine our fate) even spoke about empirical experiences: from healing cancer to moisturizing. Dr. Christian Rätsch (ethnopharmacologist) highlighted myths, legends and lore surrounding aloe vera, and RA Harald Dittmar (Managing Director, BDIH) proposed a review of possible and impossible health claims.

The event has made clear that there is no equivalent option to aloe vera currently available on the market. Up to now the wide-ranging and scientifically-proven application sprectrum of aloe vera remains unmatched! Aloe vera is used in the health, food and cosmetic industries and also present the advantage to be well known. Launching a credible alternative in the current legal and regulatory context would be a hard challenge.

After six millennia aloe vera is still a modern-age plant.

The Aloe Vera Symposium, 2010