18 Aug Excellent benefits of Aloe Vera
Did you know that Aloe Vera is a medicinal plant, that has been used for thousands of years for its health benefits?
By Nina Boons
In Panama we come across the Aloe Vera plant very often. It is easy to grow and the plant loves the tropical climate. When we speak about Aloe Vera in this blog we usually refer to Aloe Vera Barbadensis Miller. It is one out of 300 succulents Aloe plants and the most remarkable one.
Young Aloe Vera plants still have white spots.
A bit of history and trivia fun facts:
The name Aloe is believed to be derived from Arabic “Alloeh”, meaning shining bitter substance.
“Vera” means true in Latin.
While even the Maya and native Americans utilized Aloe Vera, Christopher Columbus is said to have introduced this plant to the new world.
However it was not until centuries later, on the Carribean Island of Barbados, that botanist and explorer Philip Miller, (re)discovered and officially named the plant Aloe Barbadensis Miller.
Throughout ancient times Aloe Vera has earned many names, from being the “plant of immortality & eternity” to the “fountain of youth”. It is also to be said, that Aloe Vera was the secret of the beauty of Cleopatra and Nefrete.
This sacred plant was reserved for royalty and often found near temples, thus also being known as “the magical plant”, “doctor in a pot” or the “wand of heaven”. Marco Polo, Ghandi and Colombus were empowered by Aloe Vera during their endeavours. Emperor Nero was said to have started a war just to gain some additional Aloe fields.
Aloe Vera Plant
Back to the future:
We all know how great Aloe Vera works when applied to sunburned skin and minor cuts. And many cosmetic products have added the plants gel into their products. But did you know that the juice of the plant has also found to be very beneficial when eating or drinking it? More and more products with Aloe Vera added as a nutritional ingredient are introduced and can be found in health food stores, online and through direct sellers here in Panama.
Will Aloe Vera soon to be hailed the next “superfood”?
When looking into biochemistry and ingredients it just might be.
In order to explain the unique synergy of this powerful plant, we only focus on the pure inner leaf gel of the plant. The second the product is altered such as boiling into a concentrate, pulverizing, shock freezing, turning it into tea etc. the synergy and benefits of the components change greatly.
Depending on your source of information the list of ingredients vary from 150 to 300 active components.
In a nutshell Aloe Vera contains:
Amino Acids, which are the building blocks of proteins. It contains 19 out of 20 amino acids, 7 out of the 8 essential ones.
Acemannan , one magical ingredient you might not have heard of before. Science is still cracking down on this special polysaccharide. It is a compound known as “wound hormone” due to its antiviral, immunostimulant, antineoplastic properties. And the good gut bacteria love to dock onto it and just thrive.
Aloe Vera is also full of minerals and traces of micronutrients and phytonutrients such as:
Magnesium, Manganese, Selenium, Chromium, Calcium, Iron, Copper, Zinc, Potassium, Sodium , Folic Acid, Choline. 12 vital Vitamins can be found amongst them A, C, Beta Carotine and most of the B Vitamin family, only missing Vitamin D.
In addition there are Sterols such as Oleic, Palmitic, Linolenic and Stearic Acid that can lower cholesterol and are known to be anti inflammatory.
With its unique blend of enzymes, fatty acids, saponins and lignins Aloe Vera is literally nurturing the body cells from the inside out.
As the nutrition is, you guessed it, plant based it is much easier for the body to absorb the ingredients. It’s called bio-availabilty.
It sounds better than the standard multivitamin tablet to me.
No surprise the health and wellness sector has set their eyes on the product. Aloe Vera has some stunning natural characteristics that make it a “Multipurpose All Star” for ailments, cleansing and purifying. in addition it is anti-inflammatory, anti-fungal, antibacterial and antiseptic.
If you have Aloe Vera in your backyard, great. Each plant is mature and ready for harvesting between 3 to 6 years of age. It will produces roughly 1 leaf ready for harvest every 3 months, proper care provided. As it is an excellent air purifier you should also pay attention to where your plant grows.
If this seems all too complicated feel free to contact me for product information on pure inner leaf gel, bottled up for your consumption! Salud!
Available this Tuesday at the Picasso Market, stop by and see Nina.
*If you have food allergies or take medication, please consult with your doctor about taking Aloe Vera products.