Aloe Vera has long been a popular houseplant. It is a succulent plant, a member of the lily and onion family. Aloe Vera has been found described in writings in many different cultures and as far back as the Greek, Egyptians, and Roman eras.

References have also been found in writings from the Indian and Chinese early cultures. I remember my Mother grabbing a piece off her aloe Vera plant and applying its gel to a burn or minor wound. The aloe Vera gel comes from the inner portion of the leaves. For pharmaceutical use as a laxative, the aloe juice is taken from the tubules just beneath the outer skin of the leaves. It is a bitter yellow and dried to become aloe granules that are dark brown in color. This is from being exposed to the sun.

Aloe gel has been used for topical treatment for minor wounds and burns and skin irritations for centuries. Made into a beverage and taken internally, it has been used to help many other conditions. Some of them are constipation, ulcers, diabetes, headaches, arthritis, and coughs. Taking aloe internally does have side effects, which can include pain, electrolyte imbalances, and diarrhea.

There have been scientific studies made to determine whether aloe gel can influence wound healing if taken internally. There is not enough evidence to determine if it does promote healing from the inside out, but enough testing has been done to know that it does if applied externally help with treating the above mentioned conditions. It has been determined that it can also help with treating minor vaginal irritations.

Some key points to remember about aloe Vera are:

Internal use of aloe gel has not been successfully proven to be effective against any disease.

Aloe latex, another derivative of the aloe Vera plant has been approved by the FDA in use in over the counter laxatives.

Aloe skin care products have not been scientifically proven to be effective as per their claims.

Aloe Vera's Other Names

Aloe Vera has been given wonderful names such as the Burn Plant, Medicine Plant, Plant of Life and Wand of Heaven plant. Cleopatra was said to have used aloe-vera in their regular daily beauty routines. Aloe supplies were said to have been used by Alexander the Great to treat his wounded soldiers.

Aloe Vera is best used when used fresh from the plant. It does not store well but can be bought as a preserved product. Aloe is also quite easy to grow. Aloe Vera can be used topically as well as taken internally, although as mentioned there is no concrete scientific proof of healing form the inside out. It has been used for mouth sores,
what we call stomach sores, or cold sores.

Aloe Vera has been especially helpful of patients with severe and various skin diseases. It acts as a rejuvenating action. It acts as a moisturizer and hydrates the skin. After being absorbed into the skin, it stimulates the fibroblasts cells and causes them to regenerate themselves faster. It is the cells that that produce the collagen and elastin so the skin will get smoother and look younger.

Image by Biology Big Brother, Creative Commons License.