Aloe Vera

2024 Author: Jasmine Walkman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 08:29

Aloe vera / Aloe vera / is a tropical plant of the Asfodelovi family. It is common in areas with drier climates. It occurs in the wild, but can also be grown as a garden and houseplant. It is typical for some countries in Europe, Asia, Africa, North and South America. Many liken aloe vera to a cactus, but botanists say such comparisons are incorrect.

What makes aloe vera look like a cactus are the large, succulent leaves. They are elongated, pointed with a sword shape. They are equipped with small spikes. They contain a liquid that is extremely healing. The leaves reach up to seventy centimeters in height. The adult plant has more than twelve leaves, and the weight of each of them can reach an average of 1.5 kilograms. Aloe vera blooms in different colors, which in different species vary in color and size.

A story on aloe vera

The plant aloe vera has been known to mankind for many centuries. There is evidence that its healing properties have been used for more than four thousand years. The plant was well known to many ancient cultures. Greek and Roman healers often used it when they had to deal with an illness.

The same goes for the ancient Chinese and Indians. Apart from being a medicine, aloe vera has also been used as a cosmetic product. According to legend, the Egyptian rulers Nefertiti and Cleopatra often used the plant in various lipsticks to maintain their perfect beauty.

They were sure that the juice of the herb made their skin soft, radiant and smooth. All this was confirmed when in 1862 George Ebbones came across an Egyptian papyrus containing herbal recipes, including those with aloe vera.

Due to its many useful properties over the centuries, the herb has received many names. It was called the Light of Nature, the Miracle Plant, the Silent Healer, the Plant of Immortality and others.

Composition of aloe vera

Aloe vera leaves are rich in a gel-like substance, which is a source of many important vitamins, minerals, amino acids, proteins and other valuable substances. The plant contains vitamin A, vitamin B1, vitamin B2, vitamin B3, vitamin B6, vitamin B9, vitamin B12, vitamin C and vitamin E. The herb is also a source of aloin, acemanone, aglycones, aloin, dihydroxyanthracene and others.

Collection of aloe vera

The leaves of aloe vera can be used as a medicine after the third or fourth year of the plant. Every six to eight weeks, three to four leaves can be harvested from one plant specimen. The leaves are cut and washed, after which they can be prepared for further use.

Benefits of aloe vera

Aloe vera is among the most useful plants that could find a place in our home. The gel contained in the leaves of the plant have a flawless action against a wide range of diseases. It can be applied both externally and internally.

Numerous studies show that aloe vera has anti-inflammatory, cleansing, analgesic, antifungal and tonic effects. That is why the gel from the plant is used for liver problems, diabetes, Hashimoto's disease, tumors, sensitive stomach, eye problems.

The juice is also used for warts, psoriasis, acne, skin irritations, herpes, bites, stings, dandruff, blackheads, burns. It has a beneficial effect on cystitis, cysts and ovarian adhesions.

Experience shows that the herb has a positive effect also in asthma, arthritis, high blood pressure. According to doctors, regular use of aloe vera juice maintains good body tone and protects against various viral infections. Its consumption is recommended especially during the winter months, when our body is most vulnerable.

As this remarkable plant has proven its benefits many times over the centuries, today it is widely used in the production of various medicines and cosmetics.

In the retail chain you can now find a variety of food supplements, fruit-flavored juices, teas and tinctures containing valuable ingredients of aloe vera. There are also masks, shampoos, conditioners, serums that make hair soft, healthy, shiny. Creams and lotions with aloe vera nourish the skin and make it perfectly smooth and radiant.

Folk medicine with aloe vera

In the folk medicine of different countries there are a number of recipes with aloe vera. For example, Russian healers have a recipe with this herb, which helps with flu, headaches, asthma, high blood pressure, diseases of the colon, gout, heart and kidney problems, tuberculosis.

To prepare the drug with aloe vera, you must have a plant that is 3-4 years old. A leaf part weighing three hundred grams must be taken from it. The fresh herb is washed, crushed and mixed with 250 grams of chicory, 400 grams of honey, 700 grams of homemade red wine and 500 milliliters of pure ethyl alcohol. All products are placed in a glass container, which must be tightly closed and placed in a dark and cool place.

The mixture needs to stand for five days. The resulting liquid is filtered and from the first five days take one teaspoon three times a day / 60 minutes before meals /. For the next two days, take one teaspoon once a day before meals. This mixture can be used for a maximum of two months.

We have already mentioned that fresh aloe vera gel removes skin imperfections, including blemishes, acne and irritation. It is enough to get freshly squeezed liquid from the leaves of the plant and to water a tampon with it. With its help, spread the juice on your face. For even greater effect, you can add a drop of almond oil and tea tree oil.

Aloe vera can also be used to make ear drops. For this purpose, a piece about two centimeters high is cut from a developed leaf of a 3-4 year old plant. Two drops should be obtained from it, which are then warmed slightly. They are used to soak a small cotton ball, which is placed in the affected ear.

Harm from aloe vera

Although aloe vera is a plant with numerous medicinal benefits, we do not recommend starting treatment with the herb without first consulting a doctor. The reason is that the juice from it can sometimes have an adverse effect.

The internally accepted herb is famous for its cleansing effect. It in turn can be accompanied by colic, bloating and stomach pain. That is why the drug is not suitable for pregnant women and nursing mothers.

Also note that when taking the herb in large quantities, it can cause miscarriage or aggravate inflammatory processes in the genitourinary system.