Aloe Vera - Health Benefits, lotion, skin care
For centuries, aloe vera has been used for a variety of health needs, for everything from healing burns, cuts, and scrapes, and other skin care attributes, to treating ulcers, arthritis, and constipation.
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There are over 400 kinds of the aloe vera plant throughout the world. Although it looks like a cactus, it is actually a member of the lily family. Originally from Africa, aloe vera now grows all over the world.
Popularized by the Egyptians, aloe vera plants were spread to Greece, Persia, and India. The Greeks considered it a cure-all plant, and included it in many of their early medicines.
Because of its healing properties, there are many aloe vera products on the market. An aloe vera product can be made from the pulp, sometimes called aloe vera juice or aloe vera gel , sometimes interchangeably. This makes it very confusing, but they are pretty much the same thing. The major difference is their application.
Most American consumers know aloe vera products for skin care, especially for burns, sunburns, and moisturizers, among other things. However, aloe vera juice is marketed for internal consumption for the treatment of arthritis, constipation, colon cleansing, coughs, ulcers, and cancer, and numerous other applications.
There is some skepticism as to whether or not aloe can do all that the manufacturers of aloe products claim it can. While it has been clinically proven to stimulate bowel movements, this is the only claim that has been scientifically substantiated.
Results from other clinical studies have been inconclusive or contradictory. This doesn't mean that aloe vera isn't good for healing. There are hundreds of years of folkloric and anecdotal evidence that it does work, and science hasn't caught up yet. However, it does mean that companies that claim their aloe product has been scientifically proven to treat cancer, for example, should be looked at with a healthy amount of doubt.
The case for aloe vera does have some strong points. Although aloe vera pulp is 99% water, the remaining one percent contains many things that are scientifically proven to benefit health. This includes amino acids, essential fatty acids, vitamin C, vitamin E , and zinc to name a few. All of these things are known to speed healing and help treat illnesses.
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