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Aloe Vera plant

Aloe barbadensis miller

I have noticed that Aloe Vera (the concentrated form as bought in health food stores), mixed with a little bit of water, sooths and removes intestinal irritation. Aloe vera juice or gel has aloin removed, and is widely promoted as a digestive healer (stomach and intestines). Unprocessed Aloe vera, containing the aloin, has a laxative effect.

Aloe vera has a long history of medical applications, primarily for wounds, burns and other skin problems. As a child my mother taught me to peel a leaf from an Aloe vera plant (we had it growing in our  garden) and bandage it to minor skin cuts. It always worked. Never an infection, and the wound healed fast.

There are over 240 different species of Aloe. The best species to use for nutritional value is Aloe barbadensis miller.

 

 

Other interesting info:

  • Aloe vera contains saponin, which acts as a natural cleanser.

  • It has the ability to penetrate through all layers of tissue. This is arrived from the lignums in Aloe Vera.

  • Works as a local anesthetic to relieve pain both on the surface and deep into the surface including joint and sore muscle pain.

  • It is bactericidal when it is maintained in high concentration for several hours in direct contact with the bacteria.

  • It is viruscidal when in direct contact in high concentration for long periods of time.

  • It is fungicidal under the same conditions.

  • It is a hemostatic agent. Reduces bleeding both topically and below the surface.

  • It is antipruritic, reducing the itching and rashes from stinging plants & insects.

  • It is anti-inflammatory. Its action is similar to that of a steroid, but with no side effects. All clinical studies report extensive anti-inflammatory activity.

  • It provides a wide range of vitamins, minerals, amino acids, Mucopolysaccharides and mucoprotein. Mucopolysaccharides are very important for bodily function. One of the functions is that it protects each cell of the body against the invasion of organisms such as bacteria, fungus and virus. The body slows down the production or completely eliminates this at puberty, therefore we have to obtain the Mucopolysaccharides from our foods. About the only foods that has any substantial amount of Mucopolysaccharides and mucoprotiens are the crustaceans and deep-sea cold water fish.

  • It dilates capillaries, increasing blood supply in the area to which it is applied.

  • Proteolytic enzymes break down and digest dead tissue and dead cells in all areas where applied, hastening the degenerative phase of healing and allowing a more rapid healing.

  • The manner and the place of manufacturing aloe vera products is extremely important! The gel of the Aloe plant, when exposed to oxygen for a prolonged time (about four hours) oxidizes - rendering it worthless. The benefits from aloe vera products are rendered useless unless from harvesting to manufacturing the finished product, the entire process has been completed within four hours. If it takes longer then the product might not have any nutritional value. Purchase aloe vera products manufactured by companies that grow the plant themselves and manufacture at the site and not from those who buy it in bulk.