ALOE VERA

I was brought up knowing Aloe Vera was an incredibly healing plant. Though it wasn’t until I suffered a third-degree burn on my stomach, that I truly understood how powerful of a healer it is. 

I was home alone and the pain was incredible! All I could think to do was put some of Mums fresh aloe vera plant straight on it. When Mum came home she quickly ran to the neighbour’s house (who was a nurse) they came over and had a look. She saw how well it was calming my skin and subsiding the pain so told me to just keep applying it, the hospital wouldn’t offer me anything better. So I continued to cut leaves large enough to cover the burn, cut those pieces in half and then taped them on, aloe vera flesh to my skin. As soon as my body soaked all of the moisture from the half leaf I did it all again. It was working so well in fact that I wasn’t going to be left with any sort of mark or scarring. For some reason, this disappointed me at the time, so I stopped applying any more so I could have at least a small scar. Strange, I know. But it was a few days later and the pain had well and truly subsided along with the skin no longer being raw. 

Ever since then, anytime I have a cut or scrape etc, immediately I will put Aloe Vera straight on. It works extremely quickly and depending on the size of the wound it can take a few minutes or a few days to heal up the problem. The Aloe Vera flesh is incredibly soothing and can be put on skin conditions like psoriasis, acne, rashes, sunburn and more. 

The benefits of Aloe Vera cannot be overestimated. It is an incredibly versatile and beneficial plant that has many benefits when used internally and externally. I highly suggest that everyone start growing some at home.

Can you eat it? 

The short answer is yes. But just the gel flesh. The older growth, which is the big thick leaves, is the most potent. You must peel the leaf before using it as there is a yellow sap that irritates the gut. If you have constipation, however, this would certainly stimulate bowel movement, So if you cut away from the tough outer skin then you are left with the gel hunk of clear Aloe Vera. You can also cut a leaf straight off the plant and sit it on a plate until all the yellow sap drains out. 

Why would you eat it? 

It contains a growth stimulant which causes rapid new cell growth, great for repairing damage internally and externally. It is naturally slimy which is incredibly good for coating, soothing and healing. Put it on cuts, scratches, burns etc as well as internally a sore throat, stomach ulcer, the lining of the gut, Irritable Bowel (IBS), and Crohn’s disease. If you consider that the inside of your gastrointestinal tract is just like the inside of your mouth, sort of a bit slimy, it and aloe vera is like that. And that sliminess from the aloe vera plant is what the gastrointestinal tract loves. It coats, soothes and heals the lining. 

A sore throat can be so painful that you can’t even swallow, it feels like razor blades because of the pain. You can cut off a leaf, slice it in half and eat the fleshy centre straight, not the skin. It can be a bit bitter (but remember there is an old saying, “Bitter to the tongue sweet to the stomach and liver”). You can also slice a small section and put it straight on mouth ulcers and leave for a while before throwing away the skin. 

There is also a special type of polysaccharide that is in the aloe vera. Polysaccharide means mini sugar. And this one stimulates cell-to-cell communication which is extremely important. When it is working as it should it will not allow cancer cells to get a hold of the body. Cancer cells take hold of the body when cell-to-cell communication has been compromised and the body doesn’t know there’s a problem cell there (and festering). When cell-to-cell communication is vibrant, then a cancer cell can’t get a hold of the body because the communication system says (quickly) there’s a problem (and pinpoints it and sends white blood cells to deal with it). 

Drinking it?

You can chop up the aloe vera leaf skin and flesh together (so you get the B12 that’s on the leaf skin). Drain out the yellow slime and put those pieces into a jug of water (eg 1 big leaf into 2lt jug of water) let that sit (for about 6 hours) then drink the water. It will have an aloe vera taste (obviously) you can put a bit of mint in or squeeze some juice of lemon. After 24 hours the water should be drunk but you can fill it back up and make use of the same aloe vera for a full 48 hours. 

So cut up the aloe vera, let it sit in water overnight then in the morning have a cup full and a squeeze of lemon to start the morning. Make sure to remove skin if you want to eat and just have clear flesh.

You can also chop it then drain it then slice it then dehydrate it then blend it to a powder then take it with you travelling and add a spoonful to water. 

The Aloe vera does something else too. It has a natural probiotic (B12)  in it, which is an airborne bacteria. Unless the plant has dirt or manure on it. So if you don’t wash it you will be getting B12 from your fresh-picked herbs and leaves. 

To grow aloe vera you can put its pups all around to see where it likes best and then add more to the area and grow a whole lot!