Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
May,  1903. 
Commercial  Aloes. 
203 
"  (3)  Barbadoes  or  Hepatic  Aloes. — From  the  West  Indies. 
"  (4)  Fetid,  Caballine  or  Horse  Aloes. — An  inferior  and  grossly- 
adulterated  variety  of  the  drug." 
This  same  classification,  or  rather  these  same  trade  names,  have 
come  down  to  us  with  but  slight  changes.  The  first  three  are  used 
extensively  even  at  the  present  time  and,  as  we  shall  see  later,  more 
often  as  a  matter  of  convenience,  or  as  a  designation  for  a  certain 
physical  quality  than  as  an  indication  of  the  geographical  source  or 
origin  of  the  drug. 
Pereira,  in  his  Materia  Medica,6  states  that  he  had  met  with  eight 
varieties  of  aloes  in  trade  at  that  time. 
Of  Socotrine  aloes  he  says :  "  This  was  formerly  brought  by  way 
of  Smyrna  and  is  still  called  '  Turkey  aloes.'  It  is  now  imported 
almost  exclusively  from  Bombay."  Pereira  also  notes  that  this  kind 
of  aloes  varied  considerably  in  consistence  and  color,  and  that  it 
usually  came  in  skins,  which  he  supposed  were  skins  of  gazelles. 
Genuine  Hepatic  Aloes. — This  Pereira  describes  as  liver-colored 
Socotrine  aloes.  This  also  came  to  the  London  markets  by  way  of 
Bombay,  and  was  often  called  Bombay  or  East-Indian  aloes. 
Barbadoes  Aloes. — Aloes  in  gourds  weighing  from  60  to  70 
pounds.  It  was  usually  of  a  dull  opaque  liver-color,  and  was  not 
infrequently  called  hepatic  aloes. 
Cape  aloes,  Pereira  says,  "  comes  in  chests  or  skins  ;  it  has  a  shin- 
ing resinous  appearance." 
Fetid,  horse  or  caballine  aloes  was  thought  by  Pereira  to  be  an 
impure  or  cheap  grade  of  aloes,  without  any  specific  origin. 
Mocha  aloes  was  said  to  be  another  species  of  cheap  aloes  often 
adulterated  with  sand,  strings,  etc. 
Indian  Aloes. — Of  this  Pereira  says  there  were  several  kinds. 
That  from  Northern  India  was  black  and  brittle,  somewhat  resem- 
bling Barbadoes  aloes. 
Guzerat  aloes  resembled  the  above,  but  was  not  so  brittle. 
Salem  aloes  was  dark,  but  more  gummy. 
Trichinopoli  aloes  resembled  Cape  aloes  in  brittleness,  odor  and 
color,  but  was  more  opaque. 
Curacao  Aloes — Pereira  says :  "  While  not  commercial  in  London, 
is  used  to  some  extent  in  Holland.  It  is  said  to  resemble  Cape 
aloes  more  than  that  from  Barbadoes."  The  United  States  Dispen- 
satory9 of  about  the  same  period  describes  but  four  varieties  of  the 
drug.    These  were  Cape,  Socotrine,  Hepatic  and  Barbadoes  aloes. 
