The benefits of aloe are known to all. In many houses it is grown and used for medicinal purposes. This plant comes from Africa, and currently there are about 300 of its species, each of which has its own specific healing properties.
In the article, we will consider in detail what the benefits of aloe are, and how it is used for certain problems.
How to grow aloe
Aloe is arboreal and bushy. Inside, only the last plant species is taken, while the tree-like one is successfully used externally. Aloe is unpretentious enough. Even if you forget to look after him for a while, it will continue to grow regularly. But if you want to grow a truly healthy plant, you should adhere to certain recommendations:
- The best soil for it is a mixture of crumb brick and charcoal.
- Peat does not need to be added to it.
- In the warm season, aloe loves a lot of light, warmth, and he needs only moderate watering.
- In the cold season, watering should be even less frequent, but the place where the plant is kept should be bright. Optimum temperature in winter: from 12 to 14 degrees.
- A good feeding for it will be top dressing intended for cacti.
- Young plants are replanted annually, and those that are older, after 3 years. The oldest can be disturbed even less often - only every 5 years.
- Aloe can be propagated using seeds, cuttings and tuber division.
Composition
The benefits of aloe are determined by its rich composition. So, succulent leaves contain a large amount of essential oil, 20 amino acids, beta-carotene, vitamins E, C, B, fiber and many other trace elements and nutrients. Also, the plant is famous for its bactericidal effect.
Therefore, it is widely used as a wound healing, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial agent. They also treat burns, psoriasis, dermatitis, boils, acne and other skin diseases.
Use in cosmetology
The plant is part of many cosmetic preparations. But women widely use it, making natural masks, juice and more. After all, the plant perfectly moisturizes and restores the skin, cleanses it, is able to penetrate deep inside and stimulate regeneration, relieve itching and irritation.
Based on this, the benefits of aloe for the face are invaluable. After a prolonged sun exposure, beauticians strongly recommend moisturizing the skin with aloe vera products.
Often, in beauty salons, relaxing baths are made with its addition. And if you apply freshly squeezed juice at home on the face and neck before bedtime, then it will look fresh and healthy in the morning. But first, before this, the face should be thoroughly steamed and cleaned.
Aloe can be added to creams and other skin care products. At the same time, so that the result is not long in coming, it is necessary to achieve a high concentration of the plant.
Aloe in cosmetics
Almost all companies that produce cosmetics for skin care have in their arsenal products that contain aloe extract. However, if you look at its concentration, it turns out that the maximum substance content does not exceed 15%. But advertising labels are full of catchy headlines, assuring consumers of amazing results. Unfortunately, in fact, such a small concentration of the plant cannot lead to a truly effective result. That is why it is desirable to add natural and freshest juice to these products: it will bring much greater benefits to the skin.
This is most relevant for mature skin, which requires a greater amount of substances from outside to maintain tone.
Aloe in medical preparations
In addition to cosmetic purposes, aloe based products are also used in traditional medicine. They are widely used in gynecology, dermatology, immunology, dentistry, surgery. They treat diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, eyes, inflammation of the oral cavity, acute respiratory viral infections and many other pathologies. Consider several drugs for lovers of official medicine.
For example, in pharmacies, a drug called “Aloe juice” is sold, which is used for constipation, polyarthritis, gastritis, enterocolitis, colitis, periodontal disease, etc.
Another famous drug is Aloe Syrup with Iron. This unique combination can improve blood circulation and restore metabolic processes in the body. In addition, with its help, protective functions are restored, and infectious diseases go away. The drug is used in complex therapy for the treatment of anemia, intoxication, radiation sickness and asthenia.
With burns, Liniment Aloe is often prescribed, which is rubbed into the affected area. It is also useful for periodontal disease, arthrosis, amphodontosis, conjunctivitis and polyarthritis. "Aloe pills" are recommended for myopia and chorioretinitis in combination with other drugs.
For eye diseases, as well as diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, "Aloe liquid extract" or "Aloe liquid extract for injection", which have the same effect, are often recommended. The first of them is taken orally by a teaspoon three times a day, and the second is administered under the skin.
How to prepare a remedy at home
Realizing how great the benefits of aloe are for the body, this plant is grown in many homes. Let's figure out how it can be used independently.
Aloe is harvested at any time of the year. In this case, mature leaves are selected, those that are lower. When the tip of the leaf begins to dry, it is ready for use. The leaf is cut off at the base or broken off.
So that the healing properties are not lost, the leaves can not be kept without doing anything with them, more than 3-4 hours. From torn leaves make tinctures and mixtures. Recipes for treating them are not so complicated. They are prepared in two ways:
- The juice is simply squeezed out by hand, without peeling.
- The sheet is cleaned and all the flesh is applied.
The main thing to remember is that the prepared product must be used within a few hours after the leaf has been plucked from the plant, otherwise the benefits of aloe will be reduced several times, and its use will become useless. If you do not need to use all the prepared juice, then it can be preserved by mixing eight of its parts with two parts of medical alcohol.
Home recipes
Cosmetic face masks can be made, for example, by mixing aloe juice with cream or with egg white. After applying to the skin, the mask should be held for a quarter of an hour, and then rinse your face with soft, cool water or unsweetened tea.
For burns, it is best to use freshly squeezed aloe juice. The benefits of this will be most effective. At the same time, nothing needs to be covered from above to cover the affected area so that the liquid is absorbed as much as possible into the skin.
With SARS and colds, aloe leaves (3 pieces), passing through a meat grinder, are mixed with three tablespoons of honey and the same amount of alcohol.
When the body is depleted, a multivitamin mixture containing aloe is very useful inside. The benefits of it are due to the large number of nutrients that make up the components used. Take one hundred grams: aloe juice, walnuts, lemon juice and honey. The mixture is taken on a teaspoon 30 minutes before a meal.
In case of gastrointestinal disease, you can simply eat a piece of aloe leaf (5 centimeters in size) 30 minutes before meals for a month or drink freshly squeezed juice in a teaspoon.
Contraindications
Given the benefits that aloe brings, and the harm from taking this remedy should also not be forgotten. So, a person may experience individual intolerance or an allergy to the described plant. Do not use aloe vera juice for pregnant women and nursing mothers.