Aloe Vera: Ancient Healer

Aloe Vera may be the most healing plant on the planet.

Originally published 2007

Acknowledgment: Much of the material in this article comes from https://hubpages.com. The presentation has been cleaned up, and material has been added from other sources. But this article would not exist in its present form without the information gathered there.

Introducing Aloe Vera

Aloe Vera may be the most healing plant on the planet. Use aloe vera gel (or sap straight from the plant) for healing cuts and burns externally. Use aloe vera juice for internal healing — something that is highly recommended for those recovering from gluten intolerance. (See What’s Wrong with Wheat?)

The juice doesn’t taste all that great, at first. To take it, pour an ounce or two into a shot glass and toss it past your tongue to the back of your throat. But your body has a habit of coming to like things that are good for it. So you may very well find that you develop a taste for it.

The remainder of this article summarizes information gleaned from the web.

Aloe’s Healing Properties

There are 200 varieties of aloe. Aloe Barbadensis Miller plant has the most medicinal properties:

• Nutrients: Aloe Vera contains over 75 known active ingredients including a wide range of vitamins including A, B, C, and E, as well as antioxidants, minerals, essential amino acids, sugars, digestive enzymes, anti-inflammatory enzymes, plant sterols, lignin, saponins, anthraquinones and more.
  • It contains 18 of the 23 amino acids, that the body needs to form cells and tissue.
  • It contains minerals like calcium, phosphorus, copper, iron, manganese, magnesium, potassium, and sodium; essential elements for metabolism and cellular operation.
  • It also contains enzymes necessary in breaking down carbohydrates, fats and proteins in the stomach and intestine.
• Antihistamine: Aloe contains magnesium lactate, a natural antihistamine. Histamines are made by the immune system in response to irritants. Magnesium lactate acts in a manner similar to steroids like cortisone, but without the harmful side effects.) That makes aloe helpful for skin abrasions, burns, and allergies.
• Anti-Microbial and Anti-Viral: So it provides immune support for the skin when applied externally, as well as for the digestive tract when taken internally. (Something like 70% of the bodies immune system is devoted to fighting off foreign invaders in the digestive tract, so that is no small thing.)
• Keratolic Action: Aloe contains enzymes that proteolitic enzymes that destroy dead tissue cells, cleansing the wounds and allowing new cells to replace them.
• Cell Regeneration: Aloe possesses a hormone that accelerates the growth of new cells, as it eliminates the old ones. It also has high levels of calcium, potassium, zinc, Vitamin C, and Vitamin E. These minerals promote the formation of net fibers that trap the red corpuscles of the blood, which speeds the healing process. (And calcium is .a great catalyst in all healing.)

Aloe’s Healing Effects

Taken externally:

• Aloe has 2 components: lignin (cellulose) and polysaccharide (carbohydrates), which penetrate the three layers of skin (epidermis, dermis, and hypodermis). Together, they clean out bacteria and oil deposits that block your pores.
• The enzymes, stimulate the reproduction of new cells, replacing the dead skin cells.

Note:
When the pores are blocked, whether from bacteria, oil deposits, or dead skind cells, the sweat glands can’t function properly. Infection then begins to form in the skin.

Taken internally:

• Aloe increases bile and aids digestion, improves circulation, detoxifies the body, and heals it from the inside.
• It promotes healing of the intestinal wall, and stimulates the large intestines, producing a “purging” effect in about 15 hours.
• Aloe appears to slow down the emptying of the stomach and to inhibit the release of excess hydrochloric acid and the enzyme pepsin.
• Because of it’s effect on digestion, it often has very good results on skin diseases, which tend to result from a “leaky gut” that absorbs incompletely-digested proteins.
• An ounce or two before each meal will help to repair damaged tissue in the gut and stimulate all of the digestive glands to function properly. Improves the stomach, kidneys, gallbladder and liver.
• Helps to prevent acid reflux. (Take an ounce or two with breakfast, and another one or two when symptoms occur.)
• A ounce or two a day is recommended to maintain health.

Note:
The first time you take it, you might experience a mild case of diarrhea, due to its cleansing action as it removes bacteria and food stuck in the folds of the intestines or in the diverticulum.

Irritable Bowel Syndrome (I.B.S.)

Gluten, a protein in grains is the biggest offender in I.B.S., and the probable cause. Milk is the second biggest irritant for many — and it stems directly from gluten sensitivity. (See What’s Wrong with Wheat?)

The wide range of health conditions that can develop from I.B.S. includes:

• Allergies
• Anemia
• Chrones
• Depression
• Diverticulitis
• Multiple Sclerosis (M.S.)
• Obesity
• Rheumatoid arthritis
• Schizophrenia
• Skin problems

Avoiding gluten and dairy products is key to treating I.B.S. Aloe is very important, as it can help to heal the intestinal damage.

A milk-free, soy-free acidophilus, grown on carrots and peas (such as that made by Nature’s Way) is also helpful to promote the growth of friendly bacteria in the intestines and colon.

Resources

Articles:

• What’s Wrong with Wheat?

Web resources:

• https://healthyliving-wellness.blogspot.com/2007/03/aloe-vera.html
  A good general introduction to the subject.
• https://www.aloelife.com/AloeVeraPages/AloeDigestive.html
  This one focuses on Irritable Bowel Syndrome, its treatment, and prevention.
• https://hubpages.com/hub/Healing_Power_of_Aloe_Vera
  This one has by far the most detailed and specific information. Much of this article is based on it.

Books:

• Aloe Vera, Nature’s Soothing Healer
  A good survey of aloe’s uses and the science behind it. (Unfortunately, there is not as much science as one would wish. But that is hardly the book’s fault.)
• Aloe Vera Handbook: The Ancient Egyptian Medicine Plant
  A 20-page pamphlet that makes a lot of promises, but doesn’t back them up very well. It also includes a list of research papers at the back. Presumably, the studies back up the claims, but whether they do or don’t isn’t made clear. Still, it’s worth the $1 price stamped on the front of the pamphlet.
• Aloe Vera the New Millennium: The Future of Wellness in the 21st Century
  Has a very positive review at Amazon — but only one of them.
• Aloe Vera: Nature’s Legendary Healer
  Worth a look. Claims to review the science and “separate truth from legend”. The question is, does it live up to its promise?
• Aloe Vera (Woodland Health Series)
  Another 32-page pamphlet brought to you by the folks who have racks of them in health food stores. I usually find them to be worth reading.

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