Out, Out, Darned Ouch!

Here's a riddle:

This plant belongs to the lily family, looks like a cactus and grows like gangbusters in a sunny window. It takes the sting out of burns and frostbite.

Can you name it?

If you said aloe vera, then you know your folk-medicine cures. People have been using the plant for healing since the time of the pyramids. One source says it's the most widely used herbal folk remedy in America.

Snap a stalk of the aloe plant and a thin, clear, colorless gel oozes out. If you then rub the juice on a burn or frostbitten area, you've made a very scientific decision: Studies in both people and animals show the gel halts further skin damage and speeds healing.

Despite the plant's widespread use, its power is limited. For example, some European herbalists recommend a bitter yellow liquid derived from special cells in the plant for constipation -- but the liquid may cause severe cramping and diarrhea.

In addition, a study related to caesarean delivery and minor surgery revealed that aloe vera actually delayed healing in those cases by an average of 30 days.

No, aloe vera isn't a miracle drug. Dabbed on ouchy burns, though, it works just fine.

"Out, Out, Darned Ouch!" was adapted from a commentary originally produced for Medicine Chest, a radio program produced by the Higuchi Biosciences Center and the Drug Information Center at the University of Kansas. Medicine Chest airs weekly on eight Kansas radio stations.