Plant Science Today, ISSN 2348-1900 (online) OPEN ACCESS ARTICLE HISTORY Received: 07 May 2022 Accepted: 03 August 2022 Available online Version 1.0 : 19 March 2023 Additional information Peer review: Publisher thanks Sectional Editor and the other anonymous reviewers for their contribution to the peer review of this work. Reprints & permissions information is avail- able at https://horizonepublishing.com/ journals/index.php/PST/open_access_policy Publisher’s Note: Horizon e-Publishing Group remains neutral with regard to jurisdic- tional claims in published maps and institu- tional afiliations. Indexing: Plant Science Today, published by Horizon e-Publishing Group, is covered by Scopus, Web of Science, BIOSIS Previews, Clarivate Analytics, NAAS, UGC Care, etc See https://horizonepublishing.com/journals/ index.php/PST/indexing_abstracting Copyright: © The Author(s). This is an open- access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/ by/4.0/) CITE THIS ARTICLE Mitra A, Singh M, Banga A, Pandey J, Tripathi S S, Singh D. Bioactive compounds and thera- peutic properties of Aloe vera– A review. Plant Science Today (Early Access). https:// doi.org/10.14719/pst.1715 Abstract Aloe vera is a popular herbal medicine and worldwide appreciated for its therapeutic potential. From ancient time, it has been used as a home reme- dy for diferent health issues. Many researchers have shown its therapeutic potential and there are many citations of characterization of bioactive com- pounds from it. A wide range of bioactive compounds have been character- ized from Aloe vera. It has a wide range of antimicrobial, antioxidant, and antidiabetic properties. Aloe vera can also provide support for carbohydrate and lipid metabolism by maintaining the level of cholesterol and sugar in blood and it can also help to maintain body weight. Due to the presence of higher number of bioactive compounds and prolific therapeutic properties, it is widely used in medicine, cosmetics and food sector. In this review, the characterisation of bioactive compounds from Aloe vera along with the ex- traction of its gel and encapsulation is reviewed with a discussion on its me- dicinal properties. Keywords Aloe vera, bioactive compounds, phenolics, flavonoids, therapeutic properties Introduction Aloe vera (L.) Burm.f., which is also known as Aloe barbadensis Mill. is pres- ently included in the Asphodelaceae family or to a broadly circumscribed family Liliaceae. It is an arborescent, perennial, xerophytic, succulent, thick and short-stemmed plant which is green in color and about 12–19 inches (30 –50 cm) in length. Aloe vera reserves water in leaves and it is widely used for the treatment of skin injuries. Apart from this, it also has a large number of beneficial properties. Aloe vera is widely grown in the arid regions of Africa, Asia, Europe and the Americas. In India, it is widely grown in Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Tamil Nadu. The plant has triangu- lar leaves with sharp edges, yellow tubular flowers and fruit. The leaf of Aloe vera can be distinguished into 3 layers: 1) The inside layer contains a gel like substance which consists of 99% water and rest is made of amino acids, glucomannans, vitamins, lipids and sterols. 2) The central layer holding latex, glycosides and anthraquinones. 3) The outer most thick layer having protective function that synthesizes carbohydrates and proteins. REVIEW ARTICLE PLANT SCIENCE TODAY ISSN 2348-1900 (online) Vol x(x): xx–xx https://doi.org/10.14719/pst.1715 HORIZON e-Publishing Group Bioactive compounds and therapeutic properties of Aloe vera – A review Abhirup Mitra 1 , Manali Singh 3 , Akshita Banga 1 , Jyoti Pandey 2 , Sant Sharan Tripathi 1 & Devraj Singh 1* 1 Department of Agriculture, Invertis University, Bareilly (UP), India 2 Department of Forestry, Doon Business School, Dehradun (UK), India 3 Department of Biotechnology, Invertis University, Bareilly (UP), India *Email: drdevraj.s@invertis.org