New Secrets About ALOE!

Ahh . . . the cooling effects of an aloe vera gel on a painful red sunburn.  Ahh . . . the icy, almost-cucumber taste of aloe vera juice.  Ahh . . . aloe vera’s helpful dilution of the semen used in artificial fertilization of sheep.  Baa-aa-aa! Pliny the Elder wrote about it, Cleopatra anointed herself with it, the modern day plantation owners in Curacao make wine from it and vitaminalmanac.com perpetuates it.  Its health benefits are legendary, its uses are seemingly infinite.  What kind of amazing plant is this, you ask?  Why, aloe vera, of course! Aloe vera, that succulent savior that came from Arabia.  All hail the marvelous and (some say) miraculous aloe vera!

  Everyone loves a day at the beach. But fun in the summer sun can sometimes result in sunburn.  Ouch!  A cooling spread of aloe vera gel will ease that pain.  Aloe vera gel has also been reported to ease the pain of minor burns, x-ray burns, and radiation burns.  The term “liquid lunch” takes on new meaning when considering the many liquid nutritional choices available in today’s marketplace – aloe vera juice being one of those choices.  As one of the only vegetarian sources of naturally occurring B12, aloe vera juice has been touted to boost the body’s immunity, and may help control diabetes and ease intestinal distress.  Yum!  Known as the “Wand of the Heavens” by the Native Americans, aloe vera has a rich cultural history.  The Greeks, Romans, Egyptians, and Arabians all used aloe medicinally or cosmetically; the Egyptians called the aloe the “plant of immortality”, and Cleopatra was a devotee of its anti-aging properties.  And the wine! The tiny island of Curacao is rich with natural aloe vera plants, and one aloe vera plantation offers tours and aloe vera wine tastings. Yay!

Ahh . . . aloe vera.  Aloe vera has been has been consistently helpful to humans for most of our history on earth, and is no stranger to our lives today.  The possibilities for its use seem endless. Will you apply aloe vera gel to a sunburn this summer?  Or enjoy a cool glass of aloe vera wine on the shores of Curacao? Will Angelina Jolie as Cleopatra in the “Cleopatra” movie use aloe vera in her beauty regimen? Cooling, soothing, intoxicating – whether on screen, in your medicine cabinet, or in a slender wineglass, aloe vera is truly ahh-mazing!