Biological research advancement in Aloe

Abstract

Aloe, a genus belonging to Aloaceae family, is distributed throughout the world and has rich medical ingredients. At present, Aloe has been widely applied in many aspects for human being. In this paper, we introduced briefly its basal biological characteristics, including germplasm resources, growth habit, active ingredients and biological functions, and discussed deeply its research development in cytology and molecular biology. This knowledge stated here is beneficial for understanding and exploring its potential medical and edible values more sufficiently. Key words: Aloe, medical plant, cytology, molecular biology.