Aloe Verain the Treatment of Radiation Ulcers of Mucous Membranes

IN 1935, Collins and Collins (1) published a favorable report on the treatment of roentgen dermatitis with the fresh whole leaf of Aloe vera. Later that year Collins (2) added a report on the use of an ointment of Aloe vera (Alvagel) as a therapeutic agent for roentgen and radium burns. The following year Wright (5) gave a paper on the use of Aloe vera in the treatment of roentgen ulcers and telangiectasis. He concluded that (5): “From the cases reported it would seem that x-ray ulceration, even of several years' duration, will respond to the use of Aloe vera. The permanence of the results can be determined only by watching cases thus treated over a period of time. Little can be expected in the treatment of telangiectasis as a result of irradiation beyond the smoothing and softening of the affected skin.” Probably the most recent and authoritative information, worth quoting at length to bring it to the attention of radiologists, comes from MacKee, who says (3): “During the past two or three years excellent results have been obtained with the jelly obtained from the leaf of a plant called Aloe vera. The plant grows in Florida. The leaf is green in color and long and wide—somewhat like a sword. The shell of the leaf is thick and tough, but when fresh can be cut easily with a knife. On one side of the leaf the shell is flat; on the other side it is convex. There is a thick layer of jelly-like substance between the shells. The leaf should be kept in a cool, moist environment. It is customary to cut a piece of the leaf to the size and shape of the lesion. The convex shell layer is removed. The jelly is placed in contact with the floor of the ulcer and held in place with a bandage. Dressings are changed once or twice daily. The treatment seems to be inefficacious for roentgen or radium sequelæ—atrophy, telangiectasia, sclerosis, and keratosis. It appears most effective in the case of indolent roentgen and radium ulcers. Often the pain disappears within a day or two and healing takes place in a few weeks or a few months—more often the latter. The writer can vouch for the good results in a fairly large percentage of indolent ulcers. Good results have been obtained also in ulcers that occur early in third-degree reactions. “To obtain satisfactory results it seems necessary to use the fresh leaf. Preparations on the market which contain the Aloe vera jelly have been thus far unsatisfactory. It is thought that the good results are due to vitamin D.” Our own personal experience in man has been limited to five cases. All five have experienced definite relief from pain and discomfort, as mentioned by MacKee. One case of severe roentgen dermatitis of the face, treated two years ago with the fresh leaf, can be recorded as an excellent result.