Aloe vera, we all know it, and most of us have used it. But when we think of aloe vera, we think of our skin, and how it can help for things like sunburns and other cuts and scrapes, even as face masks.
Did you know that aloe vera is super beneficial for us on the inside as well? It stores for months, and if you cut it, it literally heals itself, so what does that say about it's ability to help aid in our quest to heal ourselves? It's a smart plant, literally, as it can tell the difference between normal cells - which it can stimulate, and the bad cells - those attacked by viruses, cancer, leukemia, and the like and it stops it from spreading.
It is antiviral, antibacterial, great for candida, parasites, fibromyalgia, allergies, arthritis and even skin conditions like eczema and psoriasis. A great healer, as it brings the immune system back to being strong and healthy again. It's a great way to cleanse your body of toxins in one fell swoop.
Aloe vera is great for you! It is a superfood, one that you can place into your daily routine with ease. You can use it for cooking and harvest it from the plant. You can use it on your skin as a face mask, foot mask or hair mask (my favorites). And you can use it in medicinal ways, like to cleanse the body of toxins.
It helps every part of the body cleanse itself, and is great for the digestive system as it cleans out the bowels really well, reducing bloating and discomfort, and even helps ease discomfort from irritable bowel syndrome.
It also has the ability to help reduce cholesterol and triglycerides, and help metabolize fats. It's widely used for diabetes, infections of the bladder, and much more. Aloe has a great deal of natural steroids, antibiotics, amino acids and minerals that are great for us.
You'll love this wonder plant - aloe vera is truly a bit of a miracle when it comes to food and its medicinal uses. Add some to smoothies to take it internally, extract the pulp from the inside of the plant and use as a face mask, or even use it as a natural soap! Easy and simple ways to use this plant for it's many health benefits.
So, what is aloe vera? What does it look like? Where does it come from? And how can we find it in our homes, but more importantly, how can we use this wonder food in our everyday lives?
Aloe vera is actually a succulent plant, just don't tell most people that - they might think you're crazy. The main difference between aloe and other plants is its ability to store water. It has a hard, fleshy stem and the rest of it is made up of water to store in between the leaves, which are like a fleshy gel.
It grows in places like the desert, (yes the desert), Africa, the Middle East, and India - basically in hot climates where it doesn't need much water or if ever any at all. It's a hot climate plant that's literally able to go weeks without any water at all due to its ability to store up moisture, similar to cactus plants.
It grows like a succulent, with a hard, thick stem and fleshy leaves. The flowers bloom in clusters on the tips of the branches. And it's a green plant, with leaves that are smooth and flat, with the top part of them growing wider than the bottom as they grow larger.
The leaves look like blades at first, but when you cut them open, you'll find that they are more like sheets of gel. So it's not like your typical leafy green plant - it doesn't have flowers or seeds to harvest from it either. The stem is strong and tough and carries nutrients up to the leaves from its roots.
The aloe plant has been around for many years, and many people believe that it came from the biblical story of the burning bush - where God appeared to Moses. It's mentioned in the Bible as a 'burning bush'. Well, it's more likely that this plant is what was burning, or at least the leaves were.
The Egyptians used them to stuff mummies, and ancient Arabic physicians used it for medicinal purposes. But today it is used widely all over the world by all types of people - from conceiving babies to helping with diabetes to clearing up acne, fighting cancer and a whole lot more.
Morale of the story, get some Aloe!
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