In these studies, hydrogels for wound dressing were made from a mixture of Aloe vera, poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) and poly(N-vinylpyrrolidone) (PVP) by freeze-thaw, gamma-ray irradiation, or a two-step process of freeze-thaw and gamma-ray irradiation. Physical properties, such as gelation, water absorptivity, gel strength and degree of water evaporation were examined to evaluate the applicability of these hydrogels to wound dressing. The PVA:PVP ratio was 6:4, and the dry weight of Aloe vera was in the range of 0.4-1.2 wt%. The solid concentration of PVA/PVP/ Aloe vera solution was 15 wt%. NExtures of PVA/PVP/Aloe vera were exposed to gamma irradiation doses of 25, 35 and 50 kGy to evaluate the effect of irradiation dose on the physical properties of the hydrogels. Gel content and gel strength increased as the concentration of Aloe vera in PVA/ PVP/Aloe vera decreased and as irradiation dose increased and freeze-thaw was repeated. Swelling degree was inversely proportional to gel content and gel strength. (C) 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.