ALOE VERA PLANT
On other pages I’ve mentioned that the aloe vera plant looks like a cactus. Because of this, it is often mistaken for a member of the cactus family – a mistake I too made, back in the beginning! But it is, of course, actually a cousin (well, a relative anyway!) of lilies and onions … A succulent plant, it has thick fleshy leaves concealing an inner gel that has been used for centuries to maintain health and enhance beauty. Nobody knows quite why aloe is as beneficial as it is, but its benefits may well be down to the balance of nutrients as much as to the nutrients themselves.
It contains over 75 substances that help to meet the body’s needs in maintaining health and vitality. The family of aloe plants includes 200+ varieties, but it is Aloe Barbadensis Miller (the true Aloe Vera) that has been of most use to man. Have you ever tried growing an aloe vera plant – and breaking leaves off when the inner gel is needed to soothe a burn, bite or other wound of some kind? Plenty of people do this – especially in warmer climes – but rather than mutilate a poor plant I prefer my gel to come in a tub or tube! Here are two examples:
Mind you, I’m very selective and only use Forever Living’s aloe – which the Food & Drug Laboratories of New York have declared to be ‘essentially identical’ to the raw gel, just like scooping it straight from the leaf! This is thanks to Forever’s own patented natural stabilisation process, which has effectively unlocked the secrets of this miraculous plant. Clever Forever!! Barbadensis Miller Aloe Vera plants:
(Just click on any picture to go straight to My On-Line Aloe Store.)
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