Aloe Vera is a nutritious plant species, revered for centuries for its medicinal properties. It is an almost stemless, succulent plant that can grow to be 100 cm long. Its thick leaves are edged with white teethand if you cut open a leaf, you’ll find it’s full of a clear, gel-like substance, referred to as aloe gel. As well as being an effective herbal medicine, Aloe Vera is commonly used for cosmetic purposes.
Benefits of Aloe Vera
Aloe Vera benefits us, inside and out. Here’s how:
- Boosts Immune System– Chock-full with immune-boosting polysaccharides, it fights inflammations and helps keep your immune system in check.
- Digestion Health– Aloe Vera’s soothing properties help relieve and heal symptoms of IBS.
- Hair Growth– Applied directly to the scalp, vitamins and enzymes of Aloe Vera stimulate hair growth.
- Hydrated, Clear Skin– Applied topically to the skin, its soothing properties relieve and heal burns, acne, and dry, cracking skin. It’s known to enhance collagen in the skin and the hyaluronic acid has restoring properties.
- Increases Vitamins and Mineral Intake– Aloe Vera is packed with essential vitamins and minerals our bodies need to stay healthy and nourished.
- Helps in Detoxification– Aloe Vera is a gelatinous plant food. When ingested, its gel moves through the intestinal tract and absorbs toxins which get eliminated through the colon.
- Alkalizes the Body– Diseases cannot survive in an alkaline environment. For optimal health the body must maintain an alkaline balance, consuming 80% alkaline forming foods and 20% acidic. Aloe Vera is an alkaline forming food.
- Cardiovascular Health– According to a conducted research, Aloe Vera gel injected into the blood, significantly multiplies the diffusion capabilities and oxygen transportation of red blood cells. The juice regulates blood pressure, improves circulation, and makes the blood less sticky.
- Antibiotic, Disinfectant, Anti-septic, Anti-microbial, Anti-bacterial, Germicidal, Anti-fungal & Anti-viral-The active ingredients in Aloe Vera are lupeol, phenol, sulphur, salicylic acid, urea nitrogen, and cinnamic acid, which all work together to provide antimicrobial activity that eliminate internal and external infections and fight bacteria.
- Lowers Blood Sugar and Cholesterol– Aloe Vera has a positive effect on blood sugar and lowers cholesterol, which also means that it is effective in treating diabetes.
Other Benefits of Aloe Vera:
- Effective laxative
- Soothes a baby’s skin
- Help heal herpes symptoms
- Soothe and heals sunburns
- Fight Athlete’s Foot
- Eye make-up remover
- Soothe Psoriasis
- Shrink warts
- Effective as a general moisturizer
- Eliminates Eczema
- Reverse the signs of aging and wrinkles
How to Harvest and Use Aloe Vera
To preserve the potency of Aloe Vera, you can choose to only cut off a piece of the leaf as you need it, or you can make a large batch to use as you like. If you choose to make a large batch, you do it by cutting off a leaf from the stem, rinsing it under water, and cutting through the center to get to the middle where the gel is.
With a spoon, scoop out all the gel, put it through a blender to process, and finally put it in an airtight concealer. Store this in the fridge, until needed. Add 1-2 teaspoons of the gel into smoothies and food to give an extra boost of health to your meals. For skin and hair care, rub the gel topically to wherever is needed and let it dry.
It’s best to cut a fresh piece each time you need it–it’s more potent that way! For those who don’t have Aloe Vera at home, you can get the juice or capsules to buy online or at health food stores.
No Comment