The aloe vera plant is familiar to most people who live a natural lifestyle. Aloe has also been commercialized to the point that just about every health and beauty product on the shelves has its name on the label. How much aloe is actually in these products can be questionable and therefore we don’t really know how much the addition of aloe benefits the consumer. However, many people are getting informed about the great benefits of raw aloe vera. Many consumers have started growing the plant in their gardens so they can have aloe vera at will.
If you’ve never seen an aloe vera plant, its leaves are thick and spiked around the edges. It could remind you of a variety of cacti. You can break the leaves of the plant open to reveal the gel-like consistency of natural raw aloe vera. Aloe vera’s most simplistic and common use is rubbing the gel on minor cuts and burns or to create a face mask to tighten the skin and keep blemishes away. There are newly discovered ways on how to use raw aloe as researchers and naturalists experiment with this very powerful medicinal plant.
Here is a simple tutorial on how to use the aloe vera plant:
1. Break one of the leaves off the aloe plant and wear gardening gloves, as we stated above, the aloe vera plant can be a little spiked around the edges.
2. Using gardening scissors to trim those spiny edges away by cutting all the way around the leaf. You should now see the aloe gel oozing out of the sides.
3. Carefully slide a knife between the top and bottom layer of the leaves. This enables you to get to the aloe vera gel in the center. Place the leaf on a cutting board if that feels sturdier and safer.
4. Now that the aloe vera gel has been exposed, you can rub it into your skin, treat any blemishes, small bruises, or as we shared above, you can also treat minor burns with aloe instead of ice.
Here are some lesser known, but just as effective, uses for pure raw aloe vera:
Hair Conditioner
Just as aloe vera is great for the skin, it also promotes healthy and shiny hair. This is the very reason so many beauty products tout the benefits of aloe, because the natural gel itself is widely known for being a healing product for dry and itchy scalp, plus damaged hair. If you have access to an aloe vera plant or a health store that sells pure raw aloe, you can apply it directly to the scalp and hair. Pure aloe vera also controls frizzy and curly hair, making the hair more manageable. When purchasing shampoos and conditioners with aloe in it, the other ingredients are usually fragrance, color, and chemicals to change the texture of the aloe vera, none of these ingredients are needed to benefit from the natural healing powers of the plant.
An Occasional Laxative
To use aloe vera for mild constipation, you would simply put it in the juicer, leaves and all, and due to its fibrous texture on the outside, an aloe vera smoothie would cause the bowels to contract, therefore acting as a mild laxative. Just like with any laxative, you should use caution and not overdo it. Using any laxative too much can be harmful to your system, so use aloe vera in that same manner. It is of utmost importance that the aloe vera you use for this purpose or any internal purpose, be raw and pure.
Strengthens the Immune System
Acemanna, a very powerful substance that assists in stimulating the immune system, is naturally within the aloe plant. This same stimulant also helps with digestion issues. According to a study on how aloe vera affects the immune system, aloe vera attacks abnormal cells within the immune system, ultimately strengthening the system. This study was done on cancer patients during the period of their treatments. The study was conducted by the Moores Cancer Center at the University of California.
If for various reasons you don’t have access to an aloe vera plant, do your research to choose one from the many brands who produce pure digestible aloe vera. For a healthy diet, you can use a teaspoon or two a day in your water, smoothie, or even in your dessert recipes. Aloe vera is also a great product to keep in the home because it does have such a wide variety of uses for adults and children. Don’t neglect to do your research on natural products as you would on any commercial product, when it comes to giving it to your children.