Agave americana Linn.
Family Agavaceae.
Habitat Native to America; grown in gardens for ornamentation.
English Century Plant, American Aloe.
Ayurvedic Kaantala (related sp.).
Siddha/Tamil Alagai.
Folk Ban-Kevaraa.
Action Leaf juice—used for
warts, cancerous ulcers and putrid tumours. Leaves are also used as a resolvant in syphilis and scrofula.
The leaves contain ten steroidal saponins (six of these are spirostanolic and four furostanolic), also hecogenin (0.20%) and piscidic acid. The seeds contain steroid sapogenins including hecogenin. The plant exhibits significant antibacterial activity.
