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Aloe Aloe vera

Benefits | Preparation | Medicinal Uses | Side Effects | Plant | Folklore | Aloe Remedies
buyBuy Bulk Aloe From Mountain Rose Herbs

Aloe catus plant
Aloe catus plant
Common Names
Aloe ,
Botanical Name
Aloe vera
Family
LILIACEAE Lily Family
Aloe Medicinal Properties & Benefits
Common Uses: Abrasions/Cuts * Acne * Burns/SunBurn * Constipation * Facial and Skin care * Insect Bites/Rashes * Pet care *
Properties: Analgesic* Emollient* Anti-inflammatory* Antibacterial* Antifungal* AntiViral* Abortifacient*
Parts Used: Juice of the inner leaf
Constituents:amino acids, anthraquinones, enzymes, hormones, ligin, minerals

The leaf juices of the aloe plant have important medicinal uses, making aloe one of the most respected medicinal plants found in many gels, creams and lotions. Do not confuse aloe gel with aloe juice (drug aloes) , which acts as a strong laxative. Modern researchers have identified several reasons why aloe gel spurs wound healing: It has antibacterial, antifungal and antiviral compounds that help prevent wound infections. It also has immune-stimulating and anti-inflammatory compounds, and it stimulates collagen synthesis and skin regeneration. Aloe gel contains vitamins C and E, plus the mineral zinc. Aloe vera gel is soothing, anti-inflammatory, and antibacterial - helps heal wounds of all kinds.

Related Species Aloe barbadensis
Side Effects:

Aloe is GRAS for external application, and can be applied liberally on the skin, unless you have adverse reaction (such as reddening or rash).

The use and benefits of aloe bitters, and aloe juice is controversial. Overuse of aloe juices taken internally can cause abdominal pains, and diarrhea. Aloe bitters and aloe juice should not be taken internally during pregnancy or menstruation, or in cases of rectal bleeding, although aloe gel may be used externally under these conditions. The laxative compounds in aloe are passed into mother's milk, so nursing mothers should avoid internal use of aloe.

Long-term internal use (more than two weeks) of aloe is not recommended. The FDA banned the use of aloe as a laxative ingredient in over-the-counter drug products in 2002, but it is widely used outside the United States.

How to Use: Aloe
Preparation Methods :Use fresh pressed juice or buy only the pure gel and use topically as needed. The freshest aloe is of course, from your own plant. Leaves up to one foot long may be removed from the plant without causing damage. The best time of day for cutting aloe leaves is mid afternoon, when the plant has moved a maximum amount of sap into the leaves.

remedyRemedies using : Aloe

Aloe for :Wound healing
Wound healing Aloe is soothing, anti-inflammatory, and antibacterial - helps heal wounds of all kinds. Buy only the pure gel and use topically as needed

Linda B. White, M.D., The Herbal Drugstore (2003)

Aloe for :Flea bites, feline leukemia
Flea bites, feline leukemia Aloe brings cooling relief to fleabites, reducing itching and scratching, minor burns and rashes. A chemical compound found in Aloe, Acemannan, is approved for use in animals for cancers, feline leukemia virus (FeLV).

Gregory L. Tilford, Herbs for Pets (2001)

Aloe for :Skin care
Skin care Aloe is soothing, anti-inflammatory, and antibacterial - healing to dry, irritated skin Aloe also takes the sting out of bites and hydrates the skin.
Aloe gel for :Burns
Burns Fresh aloe gel soothes pain, cools the skin, and stimulates blood flow to burned skin. It also encourages healing to occur between tissue cells.

James Duke, The Green Pharmacy Herbal Handbook (2000)

Aloe vera gel for :Acne
Acne Applying a thin layer of aloe vera gel will help ease discomfort caused by painful skin irritations and acne.
Aloes for :Laxative
Laxative Aloes, or drug aloe, made from the juice of the dried inner leaves, is a very strong laxative

James Duke, The Green Pharmacy Herbal Handbook (2000)


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Certified Organic Aloe Vera Gel
Certified organically grown, clear and consistent Aloe gel.
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Contains: Saponified oils of olive and coconut, aloe vera, certified organic alfalfa extract, vegetable gum, vegetable glycerin, and pure essential oils.

Certified Organic Ayate Washcloth
A gentle exfoliating cloth that stimulates the skin to a smooth invigorating freshness without the harsh feel sometimes associated with natural fiber washcloths. Ayate cloth is from 100% dried Agave fiber, grown, harvested and woven in Mexico.
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referencesAloe Medicinal Uses & Benefits
Abrasions/Cuts * Acne * Burns/SunBurn * Constipation * Facial and Skin care * Insect Bites/Rashes * Pet care *
Plant Description

Franz Eugen Kohler 1887
Franz Eugen Kohler 1887

Aloe looks like a cactus, but is actually a member of the lily family. A tender tropical, native to Africa, you can grow aloe as a houseplant, in fact is it wise to do so. Not only does an aloe plant provide quick relief from a burn or scald, the potted plants have been shown to remove formaldehyde from tainted indoor air. Commercial aloe skin care products (containing stabilized aloe) rarely, if ever, pack the therapeutic punch of fresh aloe.. avoid them.

Folklore, Myths and Legends
History and Traditions
history Aloes was employed by the ancients and was known to the Greeks as a production of the island of Socotra as early as the fourth century B.C. The drug was used by Dioscorides, Celsus and Pliny, as well as by the later Greek and Arabian physicians, though it is not mentioned either by Hippocrates or Theophrastus. (Grieve, Maude
Astrology:
folklore It is a martial plant, hot in the second degree, and dry in the third; of a very bitter taste; the juice being refined and clarified from its dross, is of a clear and blackish clean brown colour: it opens the belly, and purges cold, phlegmatic, and choleric humours which overburden and hurt the stomach: it is the basis in almost all pills and comforts, cleanses and dries up all superfluous humours. Nicholas Culpeper
folkloreAloes was employed by the ancients and was known to the Greeks as early as the forth century B.C. Uses by Dioscorides, Celsus and Pliny. It is said one of the reasons Alexander the Great invaded the Scocotra Islands was to provide Cleopatra with Aloe.
Quick Tips
The thick juice from a broken leaf of Aloe may be rubbed on the skin as a beauty treatment to nourish the skin and diminish wrinkles. Wash the face with hot water and vinegar, then rub on the Aloe and allow to remain on skin all night.
As soon as you suffer a burn, break or cut off an outer leaf of an Aloe plant, split it open with your fingernails, and squeeze the leaf gel onto the burn
Use pure aloe vera gel to quell the sting of herpes lesions.

Common Misspellings: aloevera, aleo vera

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