Aloe Vera many say it has healing powers while others say it's just hog wash. What is Aloe Vera? Aloe Vera is a semi-tropical plant which looks more like a cactus and a member of lily family which usually grows in the African continent. Excerpt Source taken from http://www.mauritasaloevera.com/
That's what it looks like, but this plant is abundant in most areas that has a tropical setting. In Hawaii this plant is seen in almost every garden or on someone's porch.
It is widely revered in Hawaii as a healing plant. A multi-purpose healing plant.
The Asians and the Hawaiians use it to cure many ailments. I've met a lot of Japanese, Chinese, Filipino and Hawaiians that literally eat the gel to help with ulcers or stomach ailments.
It does taste something awful, but what is good for you that does taste good? They explain that it is best to ingest it to increase the healing process.
Medical proof has yet to show if the Aloe Vera plant really is good for medicanal purposes.
This article will provide actual usage and excerpts from the Mayo Clinic and other sites in an attempt to allow you to make your own judgement.
Excerpt from Mayo Clinic:
Skin burns
Preliminary evidence suggests that aloe may be effective in promoting healing of mild to moderate skin burns. However, the existing studies are small and poor in quality, and therefore no clear conclusion can be drawn. Further study is needed in this area.
Fact: The first thing we do is put aloe on our sunburned skin after we've spent a day at the beach. It is the one advice we tell the tourist who tends to burn and have their fair skin peel. After a day at the beach your skin is usually burning and tight. The aloe when generously salved on the affected area cools as well as moisturizes it. You have to apply the aloe several times to keep your skin from peeling. As soon as the aloe gel is drank into the skin's pores, this is when it has to be reapplied.
If the plant is not readily available, any lotion that has aloe vera will work, but using the live plant will accelerate healing.
Most people in Hawaii do not suffer from the effects of sunburned skinned because we apply aloe vera. If you've ever been to Hawaii this is why you'll see most of the locals with deep tans and even our fair skinned locals have great deep golden bronze tans, they don't peel.
Aloe Vera to treat Burn Victims
Although there are studies with evidence that aloe vera helps accelerate the healing process for burned victims. There are still many Doctors who do not recommend the use of aloe vera. Instead they prescript analgesics or topical antibiotic creams.
Fact 1:
A friend of my Dad's had an accident at work with a blow torch. His hand was terribly burned. His doctor prescribed the typical solution, analgesics and topical antibiotic creams. When asked if he could put aloe vera on his burns, he was admonished by the doctor not to listen to old wives tales. Two months of religiously listening to the doctor, and my Dad's friend didn't see any changes in his burned hand. On his next visit he again asked about applying aloe vera. Again, he was told no. The week before his next appointment, he started applying the aloe vera gel from the plants in his garden. By his next appointment his hand was showing great signs of improvement. His doctor noticed and exclaimed how well the medicine was working. Unfortunately the reply was that it wasn't the prescribed creams that worked, it was the aloe vera.
Fact 2:
My Mom's friend and an old school friend of mine both worked for a laundromat. Both were involved in accidents where their hand got caught under the steaming iron. Of course this didn't happen on the same occasion, but they were both burned in the same region, they hand. The same situation as above, they were told not to use aloe vera. Of course being exposed to others that have used aloe vera, they didn't listen. Their wounds healed a lot faster because of it.
Here are some other facts about the use of Aloe Vera.
Heals Scrapes, Scratches and Wounds
Fact 1:
My youngest daughter was almost 2 years old at the time. She managed to toddle in front of my nephew who was about to bear down on her on a swing. Getting to her was like moving in slow motion. Her face got smashed into the sand that was of course combined with little rocks. At this age I knew she could scar.
The top right of her forehead was terrible gashed, some deep and some were minor, some were embedded with little rocks. The abrasions was about 3 inches in diameter and stopped right above her eyebrow.
I got fresh water from the water fountain and her baby blanket and tried to wash off as much as I could at the park. Took her home and boiled some water, cooled it down and used it to wash off the rest of the debris that was still on her forehead.
I applied aloe vera on her cut. Everytime it seeped into her skin, I applied it again. This went on all night and the next day. By the third day, you could see the skin was healing. My poor little baby was no longer complaining about it. Today there is a very light tiny mark that you can barely see right above her right eyebrow. I'd put a picture of my daughter with this article as proof but she would get really upset. But, she is on MySpace.
Fact 2:
My Mom when this incident occured was about 64. We had an avocado plant in the yard. This is the very large type of avocado we call "butter pear", it's shape like a pear but can get as big as 6 inches long and weigh about 4 or more pounds, for one avocado. Picture this thing falling down on your face at say about 15 mph. Well, my Mom was trying to pick some for her friend, she pulled a little to hard on the long picking thing she was using (I don't know what it's called), and it fell right smack on her glasses. Her glasses hit her left cheeck bone and it gashed it.
The gash was about 1 1/2 but deep. She had a very ugly purple bruise after a few hours. My Mom is the one person I know whose mantra when it comes to cuts, insect bite, etc . . will say "use aloe" and this is for almost ever ailment. She cried of course because, well it's her face. She knew at her age, she would totally scar. She washed off the cut, and kept putting the aloe vera on it.
As with my daughter she too has a very light scar, but you can barely see it unless you get up close and personal.
Fact 3:
My kids liberally apply the aloe on their acned face. It helps to dry it and it heals it. My youngest, where she gets it from I don't know, is the worst sufferer of acne. She hates putting it on her face because it doesn't smell too pretty. We purchased a few hundred dollars worth of over the counter acne medicine for her, but it just wasn't working. So, she finally relented and started applying the aloe. Applying aloe is now part of her nightly skin regiment.
Fact 4
Aloe also helps with insect bites. We do have a lot of mosquitoes in Hawaii, and applying aloe does help to alleviate the itch.
There are many uses for aloe vera, but these are the types of uses my family and most of our local friends use it for. Aloe is the first thing we suggest when someone ask what to do with a burn, an itch, a cold sore, acne, sun burn, or indigestion.
I must admit however, that I have never ingested the aloe vera from the plant. I've drank fruit juices with aloe vera, but refuse to eat the slimy thing myself. Although my Mom says it isn't too bad, I don't think I'll ever ingest it raw. Apply it on my skin, no problem, I will tolerate the slight pungent smell because I know it will do what I need it to do, heal!
The aloe vera plant is a plant that we always have plenty of. It is easy to grow as it multiplies rather fast. So, if you have acne, have an itch, get an oil burn, maybe you might consider using the aloe vera plant to help with your ailment?
