aloe vera is one of the endemic plants in southern iran , which has been mentioned in the textbooks of persian medicine since 2500 years ago . the aim of this study was to compare the effectiveness and cost of aloe vera gel with conventional treatments in patients with chronic ulcers . this comparative study was conducted on 60 patients with chronic ulcers ( more than 3 weeks ) in al - zahra hospital ( isfahan , iran ) in 2015 . the participants were divided into two groups of 30 patients per group . in one group , we used conventional treatment plus aloe vera gel and in the other group , only the conventional treatment was used . in the aloe vera group , the patients were followed - up a week after the treatment and then monthly for 3 months . the male : female ratio was 1:1 in each group . the mean age of the aloe vera and control groups were 62.311.2 and 63.19.6 , respectively . after three months follow - up , wound healing occurred in 28 ( 93.3% ) patients in the aloe vera group and 14 ( 46.7% ) patients in the control group ( p<0.05 ) . the overall mean time of wound healing was 31.2511.2 and 63.220.4 in the aloe vera and control groups , respectively ( p<0.05 ) . the mean hospitalization time was 35.26.4 and 67.48.9 in the aloe vera and control groups , respectively ( p<0.05 ) . the average cost of aloe vera gel and conventional treatment per patient was $ 2 and $ 10 daily , respectively ( p<0.05 ) . aloe vera gel is a beneficial treatment and cost effective for patients with chronic ulcers . the use of aloe vera gel in chronic ulcer is recommended in developing countries to lessen the financial burden .