Aloes
 蘆薈


 al·oe n.; pl. Aloes
 1. pl. The wood of the agalloch. [Obs.]
 2. Bot. [capitalized] A genus of succulent plants, some classed as trees, others as shrubs, but the greater number having the habit and appearance of evergreen herbaceous plants; from some of which are prepared articles for medicine and the arts.  They are natives of warm countries.
 3. pl. Med. The inspissated juice of several species of aloe, used as a purgative. [Plural in form but syntactically singular.]
 American aloe, Century aloe, the agave. See Agave.

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 aloes
      n : a purgative made from the leaves of aloe [syn: bitter aloes]


 Aloes
    (Heb. 'ahalim), a fragrant wood (Num. 24:6; Ps. 45:8; Prov.
    7:17; Cant. 4:14), the Aquilaria agallochum of botanists, or, as
    some suppose, the costly gum or perfume extracted from the wood.
    It is found in China, Siam, and Northern India, and grows to the
    height sometimes of 120 feet. This species is of great rarity
    even in India. There is another and more common species, called
    by Indians aghil, whence Europeans have given it the name of
    Lignum aquile, or eagle-wood. Aloewood was used by the Egyptians
    for embalming dead bodies. Nicodemus brought it (pounded
    aloe-wood) to embalm the body of Christ (John 19:39); but
    whether this was the same as that mentioned elsewhere is
    uncertain.

      The bitter aloes of the apothecary is the dried juice of the
    leaves Aloe vulgaris.