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Mahatma Gandhi on Aloe Vera
What aloe Vera can do for you
Common
Concerns
Aloe Vera Species
Internal
Uses of Aloe Vera
Composition of Aloe Vera
Products
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Mahatma Gandhi
on Aloe Vera
What were the secret forces which
sustained me during my fasts?
Well, it was my unshakable
faith in God, my simple & frugal lifestyle &
the aloe .....
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Detoxify
Nourish,
Repair
Maintain
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Aloe
is known for thousands of years for it's works on skin.
Skin is the
largest organ in the body.
It extends from
our mouth to our
intestine, lungs and back to the outer skin through the entire
digestive system.
Once the insides are clean , nutrition is absorbed, the system starts
functioning. |
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Common
concerns
Query If I drink Aloe vera or use it on skin and gums over a long
period will it make me dependent ?
Answer Absolutely not. It is not a drug, it is not addictive (you
will not become dependent on it), and long-term drinking of Aloe Vera
juice only helps your body. There is no evidence that it does any damage
at all. In fact, all evidence points to only long-term benefits of
long-term use!
It is no different, in this light, than a person who drinks orange juice
all their life. Aloe can only benefit the Immune System, and your organs
(esp. the digestive and waste removal organs).
If you have digestive problems Aloe is certainly something you should
consider discussing with your health care professional as an alternative
to synthetic drugs, which may, over time, create additional problems. Aloe
is NOT toxic or habit forming, Andover and above that it will help rid
your body of toxins and free radicals, which damage the body.
Query: Is drinking Aloe safe for pregnant women?
Answer: There should be no problem with drinking Aloe if you're
pregnant. Indeed, it will supply you, and your baby, extra nutrients that
you both need, including vitamin b-12, which is critical for early fetal
development.
Pregnant women should first consult with their pediatric doctor before
starting Aloe or any other supplement.
Query Will Aloe cure me of all diseases?
Answer: Aloe Vera does NOT CURE any disease. Only a healthy,
functioning Immune System can rid the body of disease.
But Aloe Vera can help provide the Immune System with most of the daily
vitamins, minerals (including calcium), and other nutrients it requires to
function properly.
Where more chronic illness are concerned we would be unwise to rely on
Aloe or other herbs, vitamins, or even doctor-prescribed drugs alone in
our response.
Our health care professional should be our consultant as we look to the
needs of our bodies.
It is critical that you work along with the health care professional of
your choice as you take responsibility for, and control of, your own body.
It is also critical that you study things out on your own . . . ultimately
it is your body, and you know it better than anybody else. We must also
use reason and common sense in our approach to health. While aloe has
wonderful properties, bordering on the miraculous, if we abuse our bodies
in other ways (smoking, excessive alcohol, no exercise, etc.) then Aloe
can only do so much. It is truly a gift from nature, for us to use with
other gifts from nature and modern science.
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Aloe Vera Species
There are over 240 different species of Aloe, growing mainly in the dry
regions of Africa, Asia, Europe and America.
Although Aloe Vera is a member of the Lily family, it is very cactus-like
in its characteristics. This unique plant also belongs to a larger plant
family called "Xeroids".
Of the 240+ species of Aloe, only four are recognized as being of
nutritional value to humans and animals. Aloe barbadensis miller (Aloe
Vera species) is significantly the top of these four.
Thus, any aloe-based product you use should be made from barbadensis
miller species for the desired best results.
Aloe Vera linne or Aloe Barbadensis Miller is a succulent from the Aloe
family (400 different species) with its origin in the African continent.
Its thick leaves contain the water supply for the plant to survive long
periods of drought. These leaves have a high capacity of retaining the
water also in very warm and dry climates and therefore this plant can
survive very harsh circumstances where most other vegetation disappears.
When a leaf is cut, an orange-yellow sap drips from the open end. As a
drink this bitter sap has a very strong laxative effect.
At the beginning of this century it was the most used raw material for
laxatives in the world and although many synthetic laxatives have largely
replaced it on the world market there is still a demand for this product
as a raw material for laxatives. This raw material is nowadays used as
basis for many other pharmaceutical products also. One of the most popular
anti-rheumatic medicines has this product as its basis. When the green
skin of a leaf is removed a clear mucilaginous substance appears that
contains fibers, water and the ingredients to retain the water in the
leaf. These ingredients give this "gel" its special qualities as
they are known now for many centuries. Among the uses for this gel is
acceleration of wound healing, use on skin burns, moisturizing dry skin
and it is taken internally for peptic ulcers or gastritis.
During the ages many other claims have been made concerning the properties
of this gel. The first written reports on Aloe Vera are more then 2000
years old. Alexander the Great had special interest in parts of Africa
where many Aloes grew as he used them for the wounds of his soldiers,
Cleopatra used it as a skin care product and also the bible mentions the
use of Aloe. Ever since Aloe was a first aid plant in many houses in the
world. In the modern times scientific proof of the properties of the Aloe
Vera plant was given. In 1935 an article in an American medical journal
explained the very successful use of Aloe Vera as a treatment of skin
lesions caused by X-rays. Since then, many scientific articles were
written on the use of Aloe Vera as a treatment for all kinds of skin
lesions and skin burns. It is used as a health-drink for stomach problems
and it proved to be a very effective skin moisturizer as an ingredient in
skin care products.
During the end of the seventies Aloe Vera gel became very popular in the
USA as a moisturizing ingredient in cosmetics and its popularity has grown
to such an unprecedented extent that it is now the most widely used
ingredient in skin care products and can be found on the ingredient list
of virtually all cosmetic products. Even dog or cat creams contain Aloe
and you can now buy tissues impregnated with Aloe. Also in the Far East
Aloe is a popular ingredient in skin care products as well as in health
drinks. Now its popularity is also coming to Europe where more and more
well known companies have started to add Aloe to their established
products and also introduced special Aloe Vera product lines.
During the nineteenth century the Aloe Vera plant was brought from Africa
to other tropical climates for cultivation. So it came to some of the
Caribbean islands, India, Venezuela and Mexico. It was only during the
seventies of our century that it started to be cultivated in the USA for
the gel. Especially in Texas large Aloe Vera farms were set up and
supplied the majority of the Aloe Vera users in the USA. Frost periods in
1984, 1985 and 1989 have killed most of the Aloes repeatedly and have
discouraged many Aloe growers to continue the cultivation of this plant
that comes from a warmer and dryer tropical climate then Texas has. For
the supply of Aloe Vera most buyers are now more looking to reliable
supply from the Caribbean, especially Aruba.
Aloe Vera juice, extract, drinks or patients with gastritis use
concentrate and irritable bowel with very satisfying results. Aloe Vera
juice stimulates your immune system with resulting decrease in allergy
symptoms and significant decrease in your respiratory infections.
Patients, who suffer from allergy and upper respiratory infections, are
more than encouraged to take 1 ounce daily mixed in a favorite drink or
straight.
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Internal Uses Of
Aloe Vera
Historical evidence encompassing more
than 4,000 years testifies to the high regard of ancient peoples to the
benefits of Aloe vera. In the 1930's, interest in the internal gel was
enhanced when the material was found to be remarkably effective in
treating radiation-induced dermatitis. Since that time, a number of
external and internal uses for the internal gel of Aloe have been reported
in the literature, some of which are truly remarkable. Owing to increasing
anecdotal reports purporting to corroborate beneficial effects of drinking
the ground, preserved, internal gel of Aloe, a number of scientific
investigations have been undertaken to evaluate the validity of the
anecdotal reports. A few of the scientifically documented beneficial uses
of drinking Aloe beverages will be delineated in contradistinction to
untold numbers of anecdotal reports which represent subjective impressions
or appraisals. Gastrointestinal DisorderFor over 300 years the curanderos
and curanderas in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas and the northern states
of Mexico have recommended internal Aloe gel for "Las enferemedades
del estomago y los intestinos, pero especialment para las ulceras."
(The diseases of the stomach and intestines, but especially for ulcers.)
As a result of these anecdotal reports, scientific investigations have
been undertaken in animal models (laboratory rats) which have shown that
if Aloe gel is administered prior to the ulcer-inducing stress
(immobilization), there is an 80% decrease in the number of ulcers formed
compared with the control animals given saline instead of the Aloe gel.
Similarly, if the Aloe gel was given after the ulcers were formed, healing
was three times as fast compared to the healing in the control animals. (Galal
et al, 1975) Aloe gel mixed with heavy liquid petrolatum (2:1) was given
to 12 patients, 7 males and 5 females, ages 24 to 84 years, with
definitive x-ray evidence of duodenal ulcers. All 12 patients showed
complete recovery with no recurrence for at least a year after ulcer
healing. This study suffers, however, from the fact that (1) Duodenal
ulcers are often self-healing without any treatment, and (2) There was no
control group of patients treated in a similar manner without the
administration of Aloe. Nonetheless, the physicians who conducted the
study represent trained, clinically experienced observers, and thus even
these uncontrolled observations have some scientific merit. (Blitz et al,
1963) Atherosclerosis And Coronary Heart DiseaseCoronary heart disease
associated with the accumulation of blood fats (Lipids) in the lining of
the arteries is still one of the major causes of death in the Western
world. Several studies in animal models as well as in human subjects have
suggested that the ingestion of Aloe gel may have a beneficial effect by
lowering serum cholesterol, serum triglycerides, and serum phospholipids,
which, when elevated, seem to accelerate the deposition of fatty materials
in the large and medium-sized arteries, including the coronary arteries of
the heart. The evidence suggests that the ingestion of Aloe gel may have a
salubrious effect on fat (Lipid) metabolism, which, if active in human
subjects, would tend to decrease the risk of coronary artery disease in
people. (Joshi and Dixit, 1986) Monkeys given Triton, which causes marked
increases in blood lipids, were divided into two groups. The first group
was given Aloe, while the second group received the drug, clofibrate,
which is used clinically to lower serum cholesterol and triglyceride
levels. The following data show the reduction in the various parameters
compared with the control animals.
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Composition of Aloe Vera
Nutrient |
mgs
per ounce stabilised gel |
Calcium |
14.32 |
Phosphorous |
0.9 |
Copper |
0.001 |
Iron |
0.05 |
Magnesium |
2.72 |
Manganese |
0.1 |
Potassium |
17.57 |
Sodium |
5.21 |
Amino
Acid |
mgs per
ounce stabilised gel |
Aspartic
Acid |
0.8 |
Glutamic
Acid |
1.04 |
Alanine |
0.65 |
Isoleucine |
0.41 |
Phenylalanine |
0.41 |
Threonine |
0.89 |
Proline |
0.5 |
Valine |
0.41 |
Leucine |
1.01 |
Histidine |
0.41 |
Serine |
0.59 |
Glycine |
0.41 |
Methionine |
0.41 |
Lysine |
1.21 |
Arginine |
0.41 |
Tyrosine |
0.41 |
Tryptophan |
0.89 |
Amino
Acids |
7.1 |
Proteins |
0.10% |
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