194 MliDICINAL PLANTSi 



liquor is strong and black. At this period the liquor is thrown 

 through a strainer into a deep vat, narrow at bottom, to cool, and 

 to deposit its faeculent parts. Next day the clear liquor is drawn 

 off by a cock, and again committed to the large iron vessel. At 

 first it is boiled briskly, but towards the end the evaporation is 

 slow, and requires constantly stirring to prevent burning. When 

 it becomes of the consistence of honey, it is poured into gourds 

 or calabashes for sale. The socotorine aloes may be prepared as 

 above." 



The aloe socotorina or socotorine aloes is so named, from being 

 formerly brought from the island Socotria or Zocotria at the mouth 

 of the Red Sea : it comes wrapt up in skins and is of a bright sur- 

 face, and in some degree pellucid ; in the lump of a yellowish red 

 colour with a purplish cast ; when reduced into powder, of a golden 

 colour. It is hard and friable in the winter, somewhat pliable in 

 the summer, and softens between the fingers. Its bitter taste is 

 accompanied with an aromatic flavour, but not sufficient to prevent 

 its being disagreeable : the smell is not very unpleasant, and some- 

 what resembles that of myrrh. The aloe hepatica and barba 

 densis, the Hepatic, Barbadoes, or common aloes, is chiefly 

 brought from Barbadoes ; the best sort in large gourd shells, an 

 inferior kind in pots, and a still worse in casks ; is darker coloured 

 than the foregoing, and not so clear or bright. It is generally 

 drier and more compact, though sometimes, especially the cask sort, 

 quite soft and clammy. Its smell is much stronger and more disa* 

 greeable : the taste intensely bitter and nauseous, with little or 

 nothing of the aromatic flavour of the socotorine. 



Another kind of aloes obtained from the aloe guineensis 

 caballina, which is also kept in the shops, and called aloe 

 caballina, or horse aloes. This is easily distinguished from 

 both the foregoing, by its strong rank smell : in other respects it 

 agrees pretty much with the hepatic, and is now not unfrequently 

 sold in its place. Sometimes it is prepared so pure and bright as 

 scarcely to be distinguishable by the eye, even from the socotorine, 

 but its offensive smell readily betrays it ; and if this also should be 

 dissipated by art, its wanting the aromatic flavour of the finer aloes 

 will be a sufficient criterion. This aloe is not admitted into the 

 Materia Medica, and is employed chiefly by farriers. 



All the kinds of aloes consists of a resin united to a gummy mat- 



