From fairy tale to research

Ephraim Slor took the plant to professionals who defined it as "ALOE VERA." Ephraim tried to interest the Weizmann Institute and Volcani Institute on the subject, but they underestimated the story.

Ephraim decided to try the plant on other patients. When he visited his sister in the Kibbutz, she told him about a terminal cancer patient. He offered to treat her with Aloe and got encouraging results. When he studied the subject, he discovered that there are more than 350 different species of Aloe and that a small number of which are known to be used in medicine. He began to treat with other species of Aloe and got improved results.

The number of patients that the extract helped was rising and finally in December 1984 Volcani Institute – Department of Medicinal plants and spices – agreed to examine the matter.

Prof. Dan Palavitz (deceased) from the Department wrote a secret memo about the Aloe features known from ancient times, mentioned in the Bible and in ancient Egyptian literature. He summarizes a number of publications on the Aloe and on malignant diseases:

• (1976) Hartwell – in his article about the use of plants against malignant diseases brought about 50 quotations of folk literature. These sources indicate the medicinal features of a variety of Aloe species for curing malignant diseases. Most important of which are: various tumors, stomach cancer, uterine cancer, rectal cancer, throat cancer, tongue cancer, cancerous ulcers and urinary glands cancer. Usage is primarily from the sap of the leaves, as an exudate, compress or powder.

• (1976) Kupchan & Karin –

showed the activity of the material "Aloe – emidin" produced from "Rhamnus frungula", delaying P-338 leukemia in mice. This material is also found in Aloe.

• (1977) Yagi & al – found an unidentified substance isolated from Aloe which delayed activity of Sarcoma in mice.

How the reasearch progressed in: "Prof. Dan Palavitz provides a partial list of Aloe Patients".