Aloe Vera
Ancient Egyptians dubbed Aloe Vera the “plant of immortality.” It has been used for thousands of years and, while it’s great for healing sunburned skin, there are so many more uses you should know about.
Aloe Vera is a fantastic example of a treatment that works. Those spiky, succulent desert plants have long been used as a remedy for burns, injuries and constipation. The powerful healing properties of Aloe Vera were first discovered by the ancient Egyptians. They not only used the plant as a medicine, but also as the elixir of life for skin care and embalming. They included Aloe Vera among the gifts buried with the pharaohs. They grew Aloe Vera in abundance and it is believed that the stories surrounding Cleopatra’s infinite beauty are due to the extensive use of this medicinal plant.
Aloe Vera, when taken internally can soothe and repair intestinal tissue that is damaged. Stomach ulcers can be soothed and repaired with aloe. Other internal ailments that aloe can help cure are IBS, constipation, indigestion, stomach ulcers, intestinal ulcers, ulcerative colitis, gingevitis, kidney stones, diabetes and cancer. Aloe Vera holds a large amount of different vitamins, especially the antioxidant vitamins C, E, B12 and beta carotene (the precursor of vitamin A). Other vitamins include Vitamin A, B1 (thiamine), B2 (riboflavin), B3 (niacin, niacinamide), B6 (pyridoxine), folacin, folic acid and choline. Aloe Vera also contains the following minerals – magnesium, zinc, copper, chromium, calcium, sodium, iron, manganese and potassium, aluminum, chloride, cobalt, selenium, silicon, tin and zinc. It is also full of fatty acids, Antiseptics, Analgesics, Anti-inflammatories, Enzymes and Mono/Polysaccharides. Aloe Vera contains the most amino acids which are the building blocks of protein. The human body needs 22 amino acids; Aloe Vera gel provides 20 of the 22. What is awesome is that it provides 7 of the 8 amino acids, which cannot be produced by the body itself and therefore have to be consumed with food.
Try this Aloe Vera Juice – Tropical Escape with Aloe
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon of Aloe Vera gel (extracted from the leaf or purchased from a health food store)
1 carrot
1 apple (preferably green)
1-2 cups of pineapple
Optional: a few tablespoons of coconut milk (coconut milk will increase your juice’s bacteria-fighting potential)
Aloe Vera is also used for many skin conditions. It is commonly used for sunburn but also wounds, burns, cold sores, rashes, diaper rash, blemishes, bug bites, scabies, dry skin, dandruff, psoriasis, herpes and eczema.
For severe acne you need to use the entire flesh of the aloe not just the gel. It is recommended that you place a slab of aloe, with the exposed side down, on the affected area and leave for at least one hour up to overnight. This technique works best for treating most skin conditions with aloe.
