Aloe Vera is possibly one of the most popular and most used herbs in the natural healing world. Even though most people mistake the plant as being a member of the cactus family, due to its serrated leaves, it is in fact part of the lily families succulent Aloes, hence the plant also being called the “Lily of the Desert”. Known as the ‘plant of immortality’, it’s use can be traced back to the early Egyptians where it was depicted in stone carvings and also offered as a funeral gift to pharaohs.
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Aloe Vera Leaf Uses
The clear gel from the inside the plant leaf is traditionally used in the treatment of burns, cold sores, frostbite, psoriasis and wounds by rubbing directly onto the affected area of skin.
The outer leaf pulp can be made into a juice or dried and taken orally as a laxative. Aloe Vera is used in several commercial products in various forms, including drinks, concentrates, capsules, powders and as a flavoring.
Not so well-known in the long list of uses is its ability to relieve itching from chicken pox, poison ivy, and poison oak. It is said that drinking aloe vera juice for several days can also expel pin worms.
Cooling Gel for Burns
Most people already know that aloe-v is wonderful for pain, particularly the kind you get from burns. Whether those burns are caused by cooking or by the sun, aloe is often used to take away the pain. In addition, it is also known as a contact healer as it stimulates healing on the affected area as well.
Not only can aloe can be used by nursing mothers to soothe sore nipples, it can also be used as eye drops as well. Used in this way, it is claimed to help improve the eyes circulation and sight.
Natural Skin Care
Aloe vera is wonderful for many kinds of skin problems as well. Since it helps remove dead skin and promotes the growth of healthy living cells, it not only helps wounds and burns heal faster but it can help your skin improve in general too.
Because it has such great results for both skin and hair care, it is common to find aloe in many types of beauty and cosmetic products. One of the reasons it is so useful as a healing herb though, is because it can penetrate all three layers of your skin. This can create wonderful results when used with other all natural ingredients that will not harm your body.
Aloe Vera Based Products
One important downside of buying aloe-v based products is the fact that they are quite often mixed with other harmful coloring and additives. As aloe-v has the ability to penetrate the skin, it will also carry these other toxins with it which can ultimately have the opposite effect on your body.
If you have ever used aloe vera based suntan lotions, you may well have found that these quite often sting when applied to the body. This is due to the fact that they often contain alcohol and perfumes which when applied to sunburn will cause a stinging pain instead of the soothing sensation expected. Because of these added ‘extras’, not only does the pain not go away, the healing action is either very slow or just does not happen at all.
100% Natural Aloe Vera
On the other hand, the use of 100% pure aloe-v gel will, in most cases, relieve the pain as soon as you apply it and the healing process will happen much more quickly as well.
So the moral of the story is to be sure to read product labels and understand what you might be putting into or onto your body when buying aloe vera products. The best advice is to stick with 100% natural and pure product if at all possible. Most health food stores carry genuine 100% pure aloe vera gels.