Katrazhai is Aloe vera, the courtyard succulent whose inner leaf is a clear gel and whose skin leaks a yellow latex. Hindi gheekumari and Sanskrit ghṛtakumārī are the same plant when the seller means this Aloe. Aloe barbadensis is a synonym, not a second species. The gel and the latex are different articles, and most bottles on a shelf mix the story.
- Botanical name
- Aloe vera (L.) Burm.f.
- Family
- Asphodelaceae
- Tamil
- Katrazhai
- Hindi
- Gheekumari
- Sanskrit
- Ghṛtakumārī
- Parts used
- Leaf gel, Yellow latex under the skin
- Habit
- Stemless succulent with a gel-filled leaf
- Last updated
- 2026-10-24
How to recognise Katrazhai
Burman published the combination Aloe vera. The family is Asphodelaceae (older books say Liliaceae). It is a stemless or short-stemmed succulent with thick, toothed, grey-green leaves in a rosette and a tall spike of yellow tubular flowers when it bothers to bloom.
Slice a leaf: the inner parenchyma is the clear gel; just under the green skin is a yellow exudate (latex, aloin-containing). Those two layers are the whole modern argument. A “whole leaf” drink and a washed inner-gel fillet are not the same object.
Tamil katrazhai / kathalai and Hindi gheekumari are the courtyard names. Other Aloe species (A. ferox, A. arborescens) enter cosmetic trade. A pot that only says “aloe” in a nursery may still be this species if the leaf is the familiar thick courtyard type.
Aloe barbadensis Mill. is the synonym on older cosmetic INCI lists. Use Aloe vera and mention the synonym so a label reader is not lost.
Kew accepts Aloe vera. A pot by a kitchen door in Tirunelveli and a monocrop in Mexico can be the same plant with different water bills.
Flowering is irregular in pots. A non-flowering rosette is still this species if the leaf and the two-layer cut match.
Traditional use of Katrazhai
Ayurveda and Siddha
Ghṛtakumārī / katrazhai is a cooling, bitter leaf in those lists. Traditional skin and digestion headings are historical. They are not a dermatology claim.
Ayurvedic and Siddha headings
Household
Gel on a small burn or on hair is courtyard practice across the tropics. Household use is the most common exposure and still needs a washed fillet, not a yellow whole-leaf swallow.
Pantropical household practice
Modern notes on Katrazhai
Cosmetic chemistry knows the gel as a water-holding pulp. Food-safety bodies treat the latex (aloin) as the problem in drinks. Those are two regulatory facts, not a wellness slogan.
The practical modern issue is whole-leaf juices that do not declare latex, and gels thickened with something that is not Aloe.
Katrazhai safety
Washed inner gel on intact skin is the ordinary courtyard exposure. Latex and whole-leaf drinks are a laxative chemistry and a reason regulators argue.
Do not swallow yellow sap. Do not put leaf on deep or infected wounds as if it were a dressing from a clinic.
Pregnant people and children should not be put on aloe drinks. The latex is the usual concern.
Ecology and sourcing
It is a cultivated succulent. Nobody needs a wild-collection story for katrazhai.
Related plants
Questions about Katrazhai
Is Aloe barbadensis a different plant?
No. Aloe barbadensis is a synonym still used on cosmetic lists. The accepted name used here is Aloe vera.
Are the gel and the yellow sap the same?
No. The clear inner pulp is the gel. The yellow exudate under the skin is latex. They are different preparations with different cautions.
Sources
- Aloe vera (L.) Burm.f. — Plants of the World Online, Kew (search) (accessed 2026)
- Wikidata item Q80079 (Aloe vera)
Educational page about a plant. It is not medical advice, not a diagnosis, and not an offer to sell. Traditional use is historical. If you need care, ask a licensed clinician. Questions: hello@meevamed.com.