by Bhupinder Singh
Nature has provided humanity a wealth of healing cures but only a few plants stand out and many are waiting, yet to be tapped by humans for their potential life saving qualities. Aloe Vera is one of the oldest known therapeutic herbs, found natively in drier parts of Tropical Africa.
Travelers have taken this plant all over the world now. First mentioned in the Egyptian "Papyrus Ebers" in 1550 B.C., it can now be found all over China, South East Asia, Australia and tropical America. Aloe is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the family Asphodelaceae, containing about 400 species. They are cultivated as ornamental plants, especially in public buildings and gardens, for their stiff, rugged habit. The leaves are generally lance-shaped with a sharp apex and a spiny margin, but vary in color from grey to bright green and are sometimes striped or mottled.
This humble roadside plant can even be a sunburn lotion. Legend has it that Napoleon’s wife Josephine used a milk/ aloe gel lotion for her skin. Cleopatra used it for the same reason. Ancient Egyptians used it for embalming processes. Ancient Greeks used it for Insomnia. In the African Congo region, Slukari hunters rub aloe over their bodies to hide their scent and related species as an antidote to poison-arrow wounds. In ancient Indian medical science – Ayurveda, aloe gel prepared with honey and spices is called “Kumaryasava” and is used for anemia, poor digestion, and liver problems. Greek physician Dioscorides wrote of Aloe for constipation, burns and kidney ailments. Pliny recommended rubbing the leaves on male genital ulcers. Leading author on Herbology, Alma Hutchens claims, "Aloes are one of the most sovereign agents we have among the herbal medicine being cleansing to the morbid matter of the stomach, liver, spleen, kidney and bladder. Does not gripe and is very healing and soothing to all the tissue it obliges."
Uses
New and startling cures are emerging from around the world using this plant which has been growing on the roadside for thousands of years. Aloe contains a number of medicinal substances used as a purgative and produced from various species of aloe, such as A. vera, A. vulgaris, A. socotrina, A. chinensis, and A. perryi. Several kinds of aloes are distinguished in Barbadoes, Socotrine, Hepatic, Indian, and Cape aloes. The first two are those commonly used for medicinal purposes. Aloes is the expressed juice of the leaves of the plant. When the leaves are cut the juice flows out and is collected and evaporated. After the juice has been obtained, the leaves are sometimes boiled, to yield an inferior kind of aloes.
In Vancouver (B. C. Canada), Ayurvedic practitioner Dr. Sukhvinder Singh (web link: http://www.ayurvedaa.com) suggests few First-Aids of Aloe Vera:
Acne:
Apply a paste of turmeric and sandalwood powder to the affected area. You can use about half a teaspoon of each powder and mix it with water or rose water to make a paste.
For internal treatment take a cupful of aloe Vera juice two times a day until the acne clears.
Burns:
Make a paste of fresh aloe Vera gel mixed with a pinch of turmeric powder or apply ghee or coconut oil.
Bad Breath:
Drink half a cup of aloe Vera juice twice a day and eat fennel seeds. Cleanse the mouth with licorice powder until freshness is restored.
Burning Eyes:
Introduce four drops of pure rose water into the affected eye. Fresh aloe Vera gel may also be used. You can also apply castor oil to the soles of the feet.
Hemorrhoids (Bleeding and Non-Bleeding)
Drink one-half cup full of aloe Vera juice 3 times daily. Drink one teaspoon sandal wood paste mixed with milk twice daily. Boil 50 grams onion with 150 ml milk and drink twice daily.
Recent Medical Studies
In treating HIV-infected patients, Dr. Reg McDanial states, "It appears that acemannon neutralizes the AIDS-virus by transforming its protein envelope, thus preventing it from attaching itself to the T4 cells."
Dr. Robert H. Davis, a physiologist at the University Of Pennsylvania College Of Podiatric Medicine, has conducted research on Aloe Vera since the early 1970s. Results of laboratory tests on animals indicate that Aloe Vera can prevent and arrest arthritis, improve wound healing, inhibit pain, block inflammation, restore bone growth, and act as a vehicle for the delivery of nutrients to the body. Dr. Davis says "Aloe Vera contains the greatest number of active substances of any plant I've looked at."
Following are few links on recent medical studies on Aloe Vera. Please consult respective authorities for further information.
A Phase III study on the efficacy of topical Aloe Vera gel on irradiated breast tissue. Queensland Radium Institute, Division of Oncology, Royal Brisbane Hospital, Australia. Pauline_Rose@health.qld.gov.au
The effect of Aloe Vera gel/mild soap versus mild soap alone in preventing skin reactions in patients undergoing radiation therapy. Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Miami, USA.
Herbal therapy: what every facial plastic surgeon must know.
Closing
Drinks made from aloe pulp are popular in Asia, especially in Korea, as commercial beverages, and as a tea additive. You can search for them in your local superstore’s Asian food section or local oriental shop. So rev up your immune system with aloe drink, its not just healing but is a good replacement for aerated drinks like coke.
Photo credits:
"Forest & Kim Starr (USGS)"
