What is aloe vera?
Aloe vera is a medicinal plant that’s been used to treat various health conditions for thousands of years. It’s usually safe to use also vera directly from the plant or you can buy it in gel form.
Aloe vera creams, gels, and ointments contain the clear gel found in aloe vera leaves. These products can be applied topically to treat various skin conditions. Aloe is sold in capsule or liquid form to take internally to promote health and well-being
This is a list of the benefits of aloe vera:
· Contains healthful plant compounds. ...
· Antioxidant and antibacterial properties. ...
· Accelerates the healing of burns. ...
· Reduces dental plaque. ...
· Helps treat canker sores. ...
· Reduces constipation. ...
· May improve skin and prevent wrinkles. ...
· Lowers blood sugar levels.
· Stops itchy skin
· Historically, one of the primary uses of Aloe Vera has been to reduce redness and inflammation both internally and externally
Benefits of Aloe Vera for Hair
· Relieves Scalp Itching
· Reduces Scalp Redness & Inflammation
· Adds Strength & Lustre To Hair
· pH Balancing
· Promotes Hair Growth
· Heals Scalps Affected By Psoriasis & Seborrhoea
· Easily Penetrates Hair & Scalp
· Anti- Fungal Properties Alleviates Dandruff
· Helps Hair Retain Water & Moisture
There are plenty of ways you can use aloe vera, both topically and internally.
· Heals burns. Due to its soothing, moisturizing, and cooling properties, aloe vera is often used to treat burns. ...
· Improves digestive health. ...
· Promotes oral health. ...
· Clears acne. ...
· Relieves anal fissures.
Aloe Vera Treatments to make at Home
1. Aloe vera for dry skin - Take some aloe vera, a pinch of turmeric, a teaspoon ofhoney, a teaspoon of milk and a few drops of rose water. Blend this mix till you get a paste. Apply it and leave in for about 20 minutes or so.
2. Aloe vera scrub - Grab half a cup of fresh aloe vera gel, a cup of sugar and two tablespoons of lemon juice. The sugar will help exfoliate and scrub off dead skin, the aloe vera will deep clean the skin and the lemon will help fade out scars and tan. Stir the three ingredients together and use it to scrub both face and body.
3. Aloe vera for acne - Take some aloe vera gel, blended walnuts with a flour like consistency and honey. Aloe vera's healing properties coupled with the anti-oxidantsfrom honey will leave you with smooth and clear skin.
4. Aloe vera for sensitive skin - Grab some aloe vera gel, cucumber juice, yogurt and rose oil and blend them to a paste. Apply and leave for around 20 minutes, then rinse it off.
Aloe Vera however, is also a great plant to improve your indoor air quality. It is easy to grow (and hard to kill for those of you who do not possess a green thumb) and it helps to keep your home free from benzene which is commonly found in paint and certain chemical cleaners.
Growing your Aloe Vera plant, indoor or out
Light
In the garden, you want your Aloe vera to get 2 or 3 hours of sun a day.
Indoors, it needs as much light as possible, like a south of west exposure. This is not a low light plant & if it’s not getting the light it needs, the leaves will droop downwards. Just be sure to keep it away from hot glass (like a west exposure) because it’ll burn. It can be near that window but not in it.
Watering
No matter where you have it growing, you want your Aloe vera to almost completely dry out before watering it again. Water it thoroughly & make sure all that water drains out – you don’t want it to be sitting in any water. In the summer I water mine every 7-14 days, depending on the weather.
Indoors, once a month should do it. In the winter, it might need it even less, maybe once every 2 months. Remember, those fleshy leaves & roots are full of water & they can easily rot out.
Soil
Following hot on the heels of watering (or over watering!), it’s very important to make sure that that its planted in a way that drains well.
How to harvest the plant
It’s relatively simple to harvest an aloe plant for gel and juice. You’ll need a mature plant that’s at least a few years old. This ensures a higher concentration of the active ingredients.
You’ll also want to wait a few weeks before cutting leaves from the same plant. You may want to have a few plants on rotation if you plan to harvest aloe often.
To harvest your aloe plant for gel and juice:
Remove 3-4 leaves at a time, choosing thick leaves from the outer sections of the plant.Ensure the leaves are healthy and free of any mold or damage.
Cut them close to the stem. Most of the beneficial nutrients are found at the base of the leaves.
Avoid the roots.
Wash and dry the leaves.
Trim the prickly edges with a knife.
Using a knife or your fingers, separate the interior gel from the outside of the leaf. The interior gel is the part of the aloe that you’ll use.
Allow the yellow sap to drain from the leaf.
This is the aloe vera latex.
If you plan to use the latex, you can catch this in a container. If you’re not planning to use the latex, you can dispose of it.
Cut the aloe gel into slices or cubes.
If you want smooth aloe gel, after separating the aloe from the exterior part of the leaf, you can put the aloe into a blender and then strain the substance to remove the pulp.
Don't forget, it's also attractive too.........................
