Aloe vera – Doctor in a Flowerpot?

Thomas Scheuber – Aloe vera – Doctor in a Flowerpot?, Festival Science on Stage 2026, Klaipeda, Lithuania

The gel from the leaves of the aloe vera plant has been prized for centuries for its wide-ranging health benefits. Even the ancient Egyptians used its valuable, health-promoting ingredients for wound healing and skincare. Aloe vera products are very much in vogue today. Their applications range from cosmetic items such as skin creams and shampoos, through pharmaceutical products such as wound ointments and gel preparations, to so-called functional foods (‘nutraceuticals’). However, of the purported positive effects, only a few (dermatological ones) have so far been confirmed in clinical trials.

In the project ‘Aloe vera – Doctor in a Flower Pot’, various aspects of the plant and its constituents are investigated using simple and cost-effective experiments. The pupils also examine products from their own everyday lives, with aloe vera serving as a model organism for various biological questions. Some experiments allow for creative extensions (open inquiry) by the young people. The level of difficulty of the experiments can be adapted to lower and upper secondary school levels.