For the many years I’ve been introduced to Aloe Vera, I’ve never been disappointed with its healing abilities and many health benefits. It works for me as it does for the many other millions of people who use it. what I like most about Aloe Vera is that because it’s natural, I can use as much of it as I like. At the same time, I can’t but continue to marvel at this Miracle Plant, at what it’s capable of doing on and in the human body with its many health benefits. You don’t need to look too hard to be overwhelmed with the wealth of information on studies and researches that have been carried out worldwide on the healing benefits of Aloe Vera. John P. Heggers, Ph.d., of the University of Texas Medical School puts it rightly when he said that “The beneficial healing effects of Aloe …. are so miraculous as to seem more like myth than facts”. Thank God we are living in the age when things can be proven as scientists have dissected the Aloe Vera plant and can tell us for sure what’s in it.
To fully understand Aloe Vera’s ability to perform all the miracles that have been attributed to it, I’d like to first share what the plant is made up of. For this information, I refer to Dr. Peter Atherton’s report on his study of the Aloe Vera plant I guess because I’ve had the opportunity to hear him give this lecture.
According to Dr. Atherton, the Aloe Vera gel contains at least 75 known ingredients which can be divided into the following groups:
Vitamins – It contains a wide range but the most important ones are the antioxidant Vitamins C , E and Beta-Carotene, the precursor of Vitamin A. It is also one of the few plants in the world to contain Vitamin B12.
Minerals – These include magnesium, manganese, zinc, copper, chromium, calcium, sodium, potassium and iron.
Amino acids – The human body requires 22 amino acids, the building blocks of protein. Aloe Vera gel provides 20 of them. More importantly, it provides seven of the eight essential amino acids that cannot be manufactured by the body and which therefore have to be consumed as food.
Sugars – These include both monosaccharides such as glucose and fructose, and the important long chain polysaccharides which act on the immune system to boost its effects.
Enzymes - Some of the most important enzymes in Aloe Vera are: Peroxidase, Aliiase, Catalase, Lipase, Cellulase, Carboxypeptidase, Amylase and Alkaline Phosphatase. Enzymes help to break down food and assist in digestion. Some enzymes help break down fats while others break down starches and sugars. Carboxypepitdase is involved in the anti-inflammatory process.
Plant Sterols -Sterols are important powerful anti-inflammatory agents. The ones found in Aloe Vera are: Cholesterol, Sitosterol, Campesterol and Lupeol. These sterols contain antiseptic and analgesic properties. They also have pain killing properties similar to aspirin.
Saponins – These are soapy substances that exert a powerful anti-microbial effect against fungi, bacteria, viruses and yeasts such as candida or ‘thrush’.
Lignin – This woody substance bestows on Aloe Vera its penetrative ability to reach deep into the skin.
Anthraquinones – The most important ones are aloin and emodin, but altogether they are strong painkillers, and are acknowledged to possess anti-bacterial and anti-viral abilities.
Salicylic Acid – This asprin-like compound is anti-inflammatory and topically helps to break down dead tissue.
Ok. I suppose this list is good but I wanted to know more, or at least be reminded of the things I already know, like what those minerals do again, and how anthraquinones work; so I set out to do my own search. The amount of information is truly overwhelming but looking at only some of Aloe’s ingredients, we may begin to understand why The Aloe Vera plant is known as Nature’s Best Gift to Man, The Silent Healer, The Burn Plant, The Plant of Immortality among other names.
In part two of this write-up, I’d discuss a bit of what I found out. Listed at the end of the article is a list of references for further reading.
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Hola,
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Kicker
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