There is one unique plant, very unpretentious and available to absolutely everyone. It has excellent healing properties that magically contribute to the rapid healing of wounds and cure of various chronic diseases. This is a familiar aloe.
At home, two varieties of plants grow - aloe vera and treelike (common for all "agave"). In terms of their chemical composition, both of them are approximately the same, but there are some differences. What is the difference between agave and aloe vera? How are they useful and what is their harm manifested in? Answers to these questions and many others can be found in this article.
Places of growth in nature
Before we find out the difference between aloe and agave, we consider the habitat of the plant in natural conditions.
In the wild, it grows in South Africa, in Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Malawi. The plant brought to many countries with a tropical climate has taken root well. Semideserts and deserts, rocky soils, as well as territories with dry shrubs - all these are the favorite habitats of this amazing plant.
As a plant, indoor aloe is grown in almost all countries of the world, since it is recognized as a medicinal one even in traditional medicine. On an industrial scale, the plant is cultivated in places of usual growth in the open air.
What is the difference between aloe and agave? This is one and the same plant, only, as noted above, there are several types of aloe. Agave is one of its varieties.
general information
What is the difference between aloe vera and aloe? As noted above, this is also one of its varieties. And all species have some peculiarity of their own.
The homeland of aloe is the southernmost tip of southern Africa. It is there that in favorable natural conditions the plant grows up to 3 meters high. The home environment does not quite correspond to the native climatic conditions, therefore it grows in size much smaller and practically does not bloom. In connection with the latter, they called it the people of the centuries.
In total, there are approximately 400 species of plants. Two types have more pronounced useful and healing properties for people: aloe vera and agave.
Their external differences are insignificant. Aloe vera has a shorter trunk and its leaves are directed upwards, and the appearance of the tree-like variety corresponds to its name - it resembles a tree with a fairly developed trunk. More details about the differences will be described later in the article. For all of us, the agave, which is often found on home windowsills, is more familiar.
Description of aloe
Aloe is a succulent evergreen plant (Asphodelaceae family) of the Aloe genus. In the people it is more often called an agave. The plant is cultivated at home as a medicinal and decorative.
In natural conditions, it looks like a tree, branching strongly and sometimes reaching 5-meter height. In domestic conditions, the plant rarely exceeds a height of 100 cm, and grows like a bush. Its cylindrical root is highly branched, gray-orange in color. When grown in a pot, the trunk is almost absent. In natural conditions, a well-developed branching trunk can have a thickness of up to 30 cm.
Regular fleshy leaves are greenish-gray, with a prickly jagged edge. The surface is matte, smooth. The inner part of the leaves contains a special gel-like structure that the plant needs as a supply of fluid. For humans, it is of value in connection with its good medicinal properties. In length, the leaves can reach up to 60 cm.
Bell-shaped flowers are large, tubular, drooping, collected in axillary inflorescences up to 50 cm in size. The flowers have white and sand hues with a distinct middle vein of orange color on the petal. Blooming aloe even in nature is rare, but in domestic conditions it practically does not occur. Fruits are cylindrical boxes.
The difference between aloe and agave
Recently, you can often hear about aloe vera, although in the pictures it has a completely similar appearance to the usual agave. The question naturally arises of their difference. Outwardly, they differ in the size and shape of the leaves. Aloe vera has more fleshy, wide and thick leaves, due to which the content of the most valuable gel-like substance in them is higher than that of the tree-like leaves.
What is the difference between aloe vera and agave? Like these two species, all species differ in their chemical composition. Scientists of the Venice Scientific Institute (Italy) in 2011 conducted a study of different species of this plant. As a result, it was found that domestic species contain three times more nutrients.
Both types of plants are succulents, which means that aloe does not require special watering. It can be watered in the winter once a month, and in the summer a little more often.
The healing properties of aloe
The oldest surviving record of the medical use of aloe vera is on the ancient Egyptian papyrus Ebers dating back to 1500 BC. It contains descriptions of 12 healing recipes, which include the juice of this succulent.
The most popular plant has the following useful healing and other properties:
- heals cuts and wounds, helps with splinters;
- helps with eye, stomach, bronchopulmonary diseases;
- effective for cosmetic purposes (for hair and skin);
- possessing many useful trace elements, improves immunity.
Aloe yields 2 very useful products: juice and pulp. The thickest and fattest lower leaves are suitable for this. The usefulness of the pulp can be judged by the slightly drying tip of the leaf - this suggests that the pulp is most useful.
It is important to know that the sheet should be kept in the refrigerator before use, after which it should be washed with boiled warm water.
The juice has pronounced bactericidal properties that have a detrimental effect on most pathogenic microbes (staphylococci, streptococci, dysentery and Escherichia coli). Also, a huge amount of vitamins and minerals is contained in it: sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, chromium, selenium, zinc, copper.
Are aloe vera and aloe vera equally useful ? The only difference is that having approximately similar properties, each of them shows itself better in a particular application.
Agave Properties
Agave, used to a greater extent externally, has the following medicinal properties:
- calms dermatitis;
- heals eczema and ulcers;
- pulls out various boils;
- accelerates wound healing during frostbite and burns;
- perfectly moisturizes the skin (it contains a large amount of allantoin);
- restores the structure of the skin, reduces wrinkles;
- soothes itching with insect bites;
- heals any cuts and wounds;
- effectively smoothes scars after operations and skin stretching;
- helps with varicose veins;
- effectively returns vitality to hair with dandruff and baldness (especially in combination with honey).
Aloe Vera
Aloe vera is mainly used internally and has the following healing properties:
- prevents digestive tract disorders, relieves heartburn and helps with colitis;
- perfectly strengthens the immune system;
- improves blood composition and strengthens the heart;
- stabilizes the composition of blood sugar;
- strengthens and restores the gums;
- reduces the inflammatory process with arthritis;
- improves the functions of the genitourinary system.
Contraindications
What is the difference between agave and aloe? Like other plants, these also have contraindications for use:
- The substances contained in aloe vera juice are able to reduce the concentration of glucose in the blood. This means that people with low blood sugar (diabetics) should not drink tinctures or drinks from aloe juice. Caution should also be exercised for people with a tendency to spasms of blood vessels, as well as people with low blood pressure (hypotension). Aloe juice can cause vasodilation. In this regard, it is not recommended to use the juice for pregnant women - there may be a risk of bleeding.
- Aloe leaves have cell growth stimulants that are indispensable in the regeneration and restoration of tissues (wound healing and rejuvenation), and therefore, agave cannot be used in oncology. Because under the influence of the above stimulants, all cells are activated, including cancer cells. Although the agave is indispensable for cuts, but if there is pus in the wound, it is not worth applying a fresh leaf to it, otherwise only a layer of skin on top can heal, and pus will remain underneath.
Aloe care
Almost no special effort is required to grow and care for the plant at home. This is an unpretentious plant.
For its normal growth, two conditions should be observed - the presence of sunlight and watering no more than twice a week. Otherwise, the roots may rot. Watering should be under the root, avoiding moisture on the plant.
Finally
Having learned about the difference between the agave and aloe, you can decide according to your taste what to get for home cultivation. Both species are a real treasure!
It is difficult to find such a valuable and universal for health as aloe among numerous plants. This is a real green doctor.