The Miracle of Aloe Vera
For many years I have found Aloe Vera to be useful for an enormous number of problems. I use it regularly on my skin for its soothing and healing properties, and internally to calm an acid stomach or to line a sore throat, or to damp down a tummy ache.In our house we call it 'Nature's Miracle Plant', despite the fact that science has been unable, or unwilling, to authenticate its many traditional uses. But I don't mind that.
I just like growing them anyway and promote the use of Aloe Vera every chance I get. In fact, I grow so many that I regularly sell my excess, because it's important that everyone gets the chance to grow their own and enjoy the many benefits that come from its use.
The qualities of Aloe Vera have been documented and written about for centuries. In this website, I will try to bring you as much information as I can find about aloe, and as much as I have learned over the years, in the hope that it will help you to decide if it is right for you.
This is with a view to providing you accurate and interesting information and evidence that will enable you to make confident choices when looking to give aloe a try. Our products and order page have lots of options for you to acquire plants, vacuum packed leaves, frozen gel and liquid gel.
How should I use my aloe leaves and gel?
Always use a very sharp knife or razor blade to slice your aloe plant or leaf. This ensures a clean cut every time and there are no ragged ends to become infected, or which may weaken the plant. A clean cut allows the gel to set at the cut, and for the plant to seal over the end of the wound, ready for next time.
You can cut off a whole leaf, or you can take slices. In the event of a small cut, sting or bite, very thin slices of leaf will get you sufficient gel to cover a small area of skin, ensuring the longevity of your plant. If you do cut off too much or a whole leaf at a time, you can store it in the fridge, wrapped in clingfilm.
Aloe Vera: The natural healing solution from nature
Most modern medication, especially the new stuff, is really expensive and comes, potentially, with a list of side effects as long as your arm. Just read the information leaflet and you'll see what I mean. So, for the sake of our health and that of our families, many of us are looking for natural alternatives that give the hope of accelerated healing.
Aloe has been called 'nature's first-aid kit'
The list of conditions that aloe is said to be good for is pretty extensive. This is when your aloe plant will come into it's own, and is the reason I always have an Aloe plant close by. You will always have a source of fresh, clean, living gel close by, ready to use at a moments notice. That's the beauty of growing your own, and the point to bear in mind is that the gel is 'alive' and at it's most beneficial.
How Wounds Heal
Tissue regeneration is a fundamental response to tissue injury, cell death and disease. Our bodies achieve this primarily from the formation of the connective tissue matrix known as Collagen. Aloe vera increases the collagen content of granulation tissue and the degree of cross linking, which is the way new tissue bonds to each other. Aloe also stimulates the fibroblasts, a type of biological cell, that synthesizes (or combines) the extracellular matrix and collagen. Fibroblasts are the most common cells of connective tissue and play a critical role in wound healing.
Aloe vera infiltrates the tissues and increases the transport of repair chemicals and the activity of biological factors such as angiogenesis. Angiogenesis is the process by which new blood vessels grow from the existing vasculature by the process of sprouting and splitting. This is to provide oxygen and metabolites to the new and repairing tissue.
As well as all the repair chemicals that are delivered in the blood, Aloe can provide nutrients, repair chemicals of its own, enzymes, acids and salts, moisture, antibiotics and oxygen, as well as increase the epithelial migration, speedier maturation of collagen and a reduction in inflammation of the repair site.
All this ensures a speedier recovery, a more thorough recovery and less chance of complications further down the line. Always make sure you have some Aloe gel handy in your medicine chest, even if only for a backup.
