Alo`e

Panini `awa`awa is the older Hawaiian name for this plant. The first word, panini, refers to its cactus-like appearance, and `awa`awa to the sour, acid taste of its sap. Today the plant is more commonly called Alo`e, or Aloe vera. It is native to Africa but can grow in many climates. Commonly, Alo`e blooms in the summer.

Alo`e is a short-stemmed plant with thick, sword-shaped leaves crowded together to form a rosette. The leaves vary in coloration and marking from solid light green to light green with white spots. The margins also vary, being either smooth or having soft spines. The leaf interior contains a clear, viscous sap.

When the Alo`e is mature (about 4 years old), it begins to flower. A cluster of narrow, tubular orange or yellow flowers borne at the end of a tall stem arises from the center of the rosette, or at the top of the elongated stem.

Traditional Cultural and Medicinal Usages

• Leaves are used for treating rashes and burns, as a carrier for other plant medicines either as a juice or gel
• Flowers are used as a tea to detoxify the body, ailments of the lungs