Wiseman’s Chinese Medical Database

lú huì / 芦荟 / 蘆薈 / aloe

Latin pharmacognostic name: Aloe

Alternate English names:

Alternate Chinese names: 讷会 nà huì; 卢会 lú huì

Origin: Plant

Use: medicinal

Category: Draining-precipitant agents / Offensive precipitant agents

Properties: Bitter; cold.

Channel entry: liver, large intestine channels.

Indications:

• Drains and precipitates: Heat bind constipation.
• Clears the liver: Liver channel repletion fire.
• Kills worms: Child gān accumulation.
• Additional uses: The worm-killing effect of lú huì is used in the treatment of skin conditions such as lichen and sores. For this, it is applied externally.

Dosage & Method:

Oral: 1–2g per dose in pills and powders. Also used externally.

Warning:

Contraindicated in pregnancy and in spleen-stomach vacuity with reduced food intake and sloppy stool.

Notes:

This product is the concentrated latex from medicinal aloe, which is completely different than the Aloe vera gel used widely in the West.

Product Description:

Aloe is the dried concentrated juice of aloe leaves. 透明芦荟, made from Aloe ferox, is a dark reddish-brown or black mass, occasionally coated with a yellow powder. Its broken edges are smooth as glass. 肝色芦荟, made from Aloe barbadensis, is a non-translucent black mass, whose fractures appear like wax.

Quality:

Strong flavor and absence of impurities are signs of good quality.

Product Area:

Aloe ferox: Southern Africa. Aloe barbadensis: Guǎngdōng, Guǎngxī, Fújiàn, Sìchuān.

Etymology:

The name lú huì 芦荟 is explained (by the homophones 卢会) as meaning ""black concentrate"" and hence describes the form of this agent.