Aloe Vera is a plant almost everyone knows. It is by far my most favorite longevity superfood! It is an amazingly medicinal plant, which enhances beauty, longevity and overall health.
I have been using aloe vera longer than any other super food. My family has always had a plant growing in the window at home and it is still a plant I always have growing. This is a generous plant that just keeps giving. Soothing burns, it heals skin literally before your eyes.
As a member of the lily family, aloe vera is one of the most nutritious vegetables on earth. I have read that the Egyptians discovered aloe vera and that Cleopatra attributed her great beauty to the daily use of Aloe Vera.
The Essenes are said to have inherited aloe from the Egyptians as they apparently cultivated aloe vera plants near the Dead Sea. The Essences ate raw and living foods and consumed aloe as their primary superfood. Many of them were reported to have lived to be one hundred and twenty-five years of age during a time when the average life span was thirty-nine years old!
Aloe vera is a cellular regenerator and has anti–bacterial and anti–fungal properties.
Topically, aloe can be used to treat: acne, abrasions, arthritis, varicose veins, athlete’s foot, blemishes, brown spots, eczema, hemorrhoids, insect bites and stings, poison ivy and oak, psoriasis, rashes, scarring, skin allergies, skin cancer, stretch marks, and sunburn.
Aloe vera gel contains vitamin, A, C and E and is abundant in sulfur, calcium, magnesium, zinc, selenium and chromium. Aloe vera is also rich in antioxidants, fiber, amino acids (protein), enzymes, sterols, lignins and most notably, polysaccharides.
Polysaccharides are long carbohydrate molecules and the polysaccharides contained in aloe vera have a beneficial lubricating effect on the brain, nervous system, joints, and skin. They are long-burning carbohydrates and help to provide steady energy over time which I need as a single Mom and high preforming individual. They also have immune-modulating effects and help increase the ability of the immune system to fight back chronic viral, nanobacterial, and fungal infections. Beauty aside, this is miraculous.
These polysaccharides are also effective at killing yeast (candida) and dissolving mucous in the intestines, thereby helping to increase nutrient absorption and heal the intestine from food or environmental allergies or intolerances. Incredible! Aloe vera, on this level, is healing, beautifying as it strengthens the body from the inside out.
Internally, aloe vera is an effective laxative and acts to destroy harmful bacteria and parasites in the intestines. Aloe helps to heal ulcers and settles an upset stomach.
Aloe is also known to regulate fluids in the body, reduce pain and inflammation. In a research study, lab rats were found to live 10% longer with the ingestion of aloe vera with no adverse side effects. Studies have also demonstrated that aloe vera reduces radiation sickness in animals as well as the ability to inhibit arthritis, edema, and inflammation.
Research also suggests that it is these very polysaccharides soothe the digestive track and aid in resolving all sorts of digestive difficulties such as colitis, ulcers, and irritable bowel syndrome.
Aloe vera has been shown to help loose weight. I have found to be an important part of my weight loss and fitness program, as aloe helps to burn fat as well as promote lean muscle mass.
Aloe also acts as a prebiotic, which means that it increases the effectiveness of probiotics such as acidophilus, bifidus, L. salivarius, L. plantarum, etc. as it facilitates these to be more efficient in the digestive tract.
Conclusive research with both animals and humans, has confirmed aloe vera’s ability to heal and even prevent skin damage.
This healing plant is super easy to grow and can be used in smoothies and as a facial mask. Upon rising, I drink aloe vera juice just about every day.