What is Aloe Vera good for? All the SECRETS you didn't know!

Aloe Vera is part of the ointment gels or powders, which is used for the treatment of our skin and hair. Besides, aloe vera is anti-inflammatory, digestive, regenerating, astringent, drying, and epithelializing. That means that it reduces the excess of sebum in our skin.

It also helps repair when there is damage to the skin layers, such as the epidermis and dermis, whether by physical or chemical burns, rubbing, mechanical irritation, etc.

Its 99% water composition gives the benefits of aloe vera. Within this water, there is a content of:

• Trace elements.
• Enzymes.
• Amino acids.
• Proteins.
• Phenols.
• Vitamins and minerals.

These elements give this plant unique and exclusive properties for medicinal use. We can also use its juice to take it in the form of liquid and improve digestive problems. Some people say that it cures constipation.

Benefits and properties of aloe vera

It has several benefits; the first is the power it has over the skin:

• Aloe has a regenerating power.
• It eliminates skin irritation.
• It is a natural anti-inflammatory.

By applying the gel to our skin, we can relieve problems such as wounds or burns, not only by fire but also by the sun.  Aloe vera is good for skin spots, and some dermatologists claim that it has some power over psoriasis.

The use of aloe vera is even approved by the FDA, which monitors the use of substances for medicinal purposes.

If we want much healthier skin, we can even use this aloe vera gel by mixing it with a carrot shake on our skin. As we know, the carrot has provitamin-A that nourishes our skin extraordinarily well.

Relieves burns or scars

One of the main properties or functions of aloe vera is to heal burns. It is used to treat burns caused by hot water or fire and burns caused by excessive sun exposure and other types of burns or skin irritations.

Its regenerative power on burns is precisely due to many of these amino acids and vitamin proteins. These will help regenerate the damaged tissue.

Many studies have demonstrated its effectiveness. That is why countries like the USA or Russia use this plant in their burn units.

Just apply the gel on the burn or scar, and you will see how it calms and relieves much faster benefit.

It is a natural sunscreen

Did you know that aloe vera is an excellent natural sunscreen? That's right, apply the aloe vera gel a few minutes before exposing yourself to the sun, and you'll see how it protects you from ultraviolet rays. Helps fight acne

It is excellent for fighting acne because of its anti-inflammatory properties. It is ideal for fighting those pesky pimples.

To use it, combine it with your cream and with your natural cleaning soap. Combine these two, and you will see how the pimples will diminish, and not only that, but also the fat that is present in your skin will reduce.

Helps to reduce cellulite

Aloe helps against orange peel skin because it tightens our skin and fights those fat deposits that form cellulite thanks to its dermatological properties. All you have to do is apply this aloe vera gel to the areas where you have cellulite.

I must tell you that aloe vera alone can help us with this problem, but that to be effective, you must combine it with the intake of at least two liters of water daily and a healthy diet.

Protects your hair

It is very beneficial for your hair because aloe vera is a natural blocker. It is used a lot in irons, pincers, and all these types of instruments with heat.

Applying aloe vera to your hair protects it from heat and restores it naturally.

Helps to eliminate dandruff

It is a remedy used ancestrally against dandruff. It helps to eliminate dandruff naturally. To achieve this, you must apply the aloe vera gel on your scalp.

You will see how these dandruff flakes come off quickly. Then, if you wash it, you will notice your hair is clean and without annoying dandruff.

Inhibits gastric juices

Aloe is excellent for gastric diseases because it inhibits gastric juices that are very acidic. Gastric juices are responsible for breaking down food when it reaches the stomach.

• Aloe creates a protective barrier so that those juices don't hurt us when we have gastritis, ulcers, or any gastrointestinal disease.
• Aloe vera also helps to refresh us; if we suffer from chronic gastritis or an ulcer, it is like a protective layer.

A good option is to combine it with papaya, a fruit with many anti-inflammatory properties that will enhance its effects. A convenient way to consume aloe vera is in gelatin. Instead of using cold water, you put the aloe in.

There is no exact time to consume it as it will have the same effects in the morning and afternoon. I recommend its intake in the morning because we have not yet entered the hustle and bustle of everyday life.

It helps to combat headache

It fights headaches because it has anesthetic properties. If you suffer from a headache, all you have to do is place the aloe vera gel on your temple, and you will see how this annoying headache will largely disappear. Also, this technique will act as a natural de-stressor.

Bronchial processes

Aloe vera is widely used in bronchial processes. The aloe vera gel can be used as a natural syrup and mixed with a teaspoon of honey to make it more digestible.

It has potent anti-inflammatory and antibacterial power that can be very useful in the bronchial processes.

Makeup remover

Aloe Vera has the power to remove makeup from the skin and, at the same time, remove the irritation it causes to our skin. You have to moisten absorbent cotton with this gel, and it gently removes makeup from the skin. Then wash it off with cold water to reduce swelling.

How can I eat aloe vera? How to cook aloe vera to make it edible

Aloe vera, can you eat it? This plant comes from Africa and is widely cultivated in South America. Besides its beneficial properties for the skin and hair, we will learn how to cook it.

To make Aloe Vera edible, you have to cut off the plant's stalk by extracting the pulp. Then boil the pulp in water with a little sugar. In this way, the alum, one of its natural bitter compounds, is removed in a completely natural way. We can also remove it with water and salt.

You have to take the anthraquinones out of the plant because if you want to consume the gel or the aloe with the aloin, it will loosen up our stomach. Besides, we must eliminate the smell of this (that some call it iodine)

If we want to remove this component, we have to place the aloe vertically, or when cutting, it put it in water with a little salt. From there, a chemical reaction takes place.

The water molecule is h2o, and the salt molecule is NaCl sodium chloride. That causes two chemical reactions:

• When we place the aloin in a little salt and water at a temperature of 40 50 degrees, there is a molecular reaction between sodium chloride and h2o forming hydrochloric acid. A molecule of h2o is released, the h molecule is mixed, and with this chlorine, this acid forms.
• On the other hand, Na, sodium, mixes with h, the other free molecule, producing sodium hydroxide.

These two counteract each other and make the aloe vera's anthraquinones precipitate from the aloe into the water.

Recipes with Aloe Vera 

Risotto with mushrooms and Aloe Vera

To make a risotto dish with mushrooms and aloe vera:

• We put the pan on the fire.
• Add a little oil to brown some garlic.
• Sauté in the mushrooms.
• Add the previously boiled white rice.
• Add the cream.
• We sauté and let it thicken.
• We add a little bit of salt.
• As the last step, we have extracted the inner gelatine from the aloe vera plant, we blend it in the blender and add it to the dish.

Ice cubes

Ice cubes are a convenient way to consume aloe vera to mix it with fruit and water and make ice cubes.

You can use all kinds of fruits, such as apples, strawberries, pineapple, watermelon, or papayas. We can use this trick for children who do not like fruit because it is delicious and colorful, also, for the adults at some party that they have to put color to the drinks.

Aloe Vera Juice

The process of extracting the aloe vera juice is straightforward:

• We take the leaf and remove the back and side, where the spikes are. 
• We peel it and put it in a bowl with water.
• Finally, we can take this to a blender. To the resulting juice, we add natural lemon juice. The lemon serves as a preservative and stabilizer.

It is advisable to leave it to rest half an hour 45 minutes. Usually, the aloe vera is a little bitter, and there is a straightforward solution that is to mix with some juice that we like.

Aloe Vera in tempura

• We take the stalk of aloe vera is cut is cleaned of thorns and skin.
• When we have the pulp, we scald it or boil it.
• As a result, we have our aloe vera plant pulp in a transparent and crystalline form.
• Then we cut it up, put it in tempura, and fry it well.

As you can see, it is easy to prepare these rich and nutritious dishes.

When applied to the skin, aloe vera helps heal wounds and is magnificent for the epidermis, but inside, it also brings us benefits.

• Aloe vera favors the dilation of our blood capillaries.
• It reduces or favors the reduction of blood pressure.
• It eliminates a lot of constipation and even helps in weight reduction treatments.
• Ingested acts as an anti-inflammatory in specific intestinal and stomach processes such as heartburn, which is very common in the population
• Aloe has powerful laxative properties, so we recommend you not to consume it in high quantities. 

Side effects of aloe vera consumption

Why aloe vera gel turns red? We have to take great care to use aloe vera properly. When cut and exposing its gel in the air environment, this excellent plant has a sap with aloin compounds. When exposed to the air, this aloin takes on a reddish-yellow tone, people typically tend to call it iodine, but it is not.

It is essential to be careful with the aloe vera compounds. They are substances that, when exposed to air, turn reddish. These substances are glycosides that have a mighty laxative power.

It is essential to soak this aloe from one day to the next to remove all these compounds. This aloin could cause diarrhea due to its laxative power, or if you have gastric ulcers, it could irritate your stomach.

Where is Aloe Vera grown?

The cultivation of Aloe Vera is widespread in places with dry and hot weather such as Mexico, southern Spain, Kenya, Tanzania, etc. The cultivation in this climate allows the farmers to harvest twice a year: in spring and autumn, when the leaf is fuller, and the water yield and quality of the Aloe Vera is superior.

How to grow Aloe Vera?

How does aloe vera grow? This plant is native to Africa and comes to America after the 16 century. The aloe vera was very coveted in ancient times, mostly by warriors, for its medicinal properties, especially in wound healing.

There are more than 200 varieties, so I speak of aloe Nobilis, not to mention all the types.

In general, the literature speaks of the aloe vera plant having a temperature limit to develop, from 0 degrees onwards. It is a very adaptable plant that grows very well in hot areas, subtropical, tropical, and warm places.

This plant also has a considerable capacity for adaptation. We have reports demonstrating that it holds up to 7 degrees below zero; that is why some botanists say 200 and even 400 varieties spread worldwide.

For the cultivation of aloe vera, we recommend a distance of 30 to 40 centimeters between plants. I recommend that if you are going to make a production for industrial use, space should be more significant because the roots expand a lot. If the plants are too close together, they will roll up and get damaged, so it is advisable to have a little more than 50 centimeters between plants.

How to reproduce Aloe Vera plant?

There are three techniques for reproducing aloe vera or aloe vera: the first would be by making leaf cuttings. Another way would be by making stem cuttings, and the last technique, which would be the slowest of all but also works, is by obtaining seeds and doing sowing.

Making leaf cuttings

• We have to extract the leaf cuttings from the lower leaves of the plant, trying to get them out from the base. 
• We must wait until the point of incision or cutting of the leaf is completely dry. If this put it in, the ground would rot.
• Once the base is well closed and dry, we put it in a substrate as porous as possible, such as volcanic gravel with sand and a little bit of peat.
• We put the cuttings of different leaves into the substrate to take root, and new plants can grow.

Making stem cuttings

• We can do this technique if we have aloe plants that tend to develop a lot of stems.
• We have to make an incision to cut the stem, and we will make the cutting. 
• We let the cut dry entirely so that the base generates a dry crust. 
• Once this happens, we put it in as light soil as possible so that the roots start to develop, and the aloe thrives. 

Making a planting

The aloe develops cone-shaped flowers. From these flowers, it generates a series of pods, and inside these pods are the seeds. If we give

a few taps on, these pods will come out as little black dots. These tiny dots that have fallen are the seeds to be harvested. 

If we do not have aloe vera pods, we can easily buy them on the internet or in seed sachets.

• We throw these seeds directly on the sand. We press lightly to sink them into this soil.
• We must keep it with a little moisture by watering very occasionally, and little by little small aloes will come out.

Conclusion

There are many medicinal plants, but none is as famous as the aloe vera. This plant has its origin in Africa and has several properties. It has more than two hundred substances with vitamin properties.

It has vitamins, amino acids, and polysaccharides. The Aloe plant is used to cure various diseases and skincare treatments.

It has other internal benefits such as curing arthritis, helps protect the gastric mucosa. It is also used for skin treatments, beauty products, and hygiene products, and it is a powerful healing agent.

Farmers cultivate it in many countries for years, and people know about its benefits and use it for hair, heal wounds, or heal them faster.

Finally, I have to tell you that Aloe vera is also known as the silver doctor or miracle plant. It will continue to be a good alternative for the cure of various diseases.