It is usually not possible to pluck one’s own medicine from a windowsill to apply to a burn or a small wound. However, one house plant that lends itself to this very well and is more and more often seen in Canadian homes is aloe vera.
This intriguing plant is characterized by its rosette of long spiky pale green leaves that is not unattractive on the sill. While it does not tolerate cold weather and thus in northern hemispheres is grown inside buildings, in warm arid or semiarid regions such as northern Africa, South America, southern Florida and Texas, aloe vera can be planted outdoors and may grow to several feet tall. Smaller species commonly decorate patios and rock gardens.
In fact, my first real encounter with the aloe plant was on a holiday in a warm climate, where the plant grew in pots surrounding the patio where we ate our breakfasts. Thus every morning I pinched off a spike and broke it open to rub some of the mucous-like sap found inside onto a skin abrasion I was suffering with at the time. I had not expected to be treated for the wound on the holiday, so this was a bonus!
Preserve beauty
Aloe reaches far back in time as a healing agent. Already 2000 years ago, Greek historians recorded its usage in healing wounds, clearing blemishes and maintaining healthy skin. Legend tells us Cleopatra applied fresh aloe to her skin daily to preserve beauty and the wife of the emperor Napoleon used a lotion prepared from a mixture of milk and aloe for her complexion.
People even believed the gel from the leaves prevented hair loss and so rubbed it on their scalps and took it internally for stomach disorders, insomnia and kidney ailments.
As is often the case, the healing properties of aloe have both folkloric and scientific backing. Enthusiastic stories of its effects abounded through the years until scientific clinical trials revealed there is indeed some truth to its reported healing efficacy. It is now common knowledge that aloe has anesthetic, antibacterial and tissue restorative properties. Aloe gel does help to heal burns from the sun, fire and radiation—often without leaving a scar—and has a soothing effect on rashes acquired by touching poison oak or ivy.
Variety of creams
Since not everyone has access to an actual plant, or perhaps tending one in the home isn’t practical, it should be noted that aloe has been added to a variety of creams and lotions that are used to relieve sunburns as well as radiation burns from cancer treatment. Aloe is also added to a tincture used as an antiseptic and a protective coating on blistered skin and cold sores.
Research is being done on eye drops containing aloe which seems to be effective in absorbing damaging ultraviolet rays. This has led to a theory that people with cataracts or degeneration of the retina may be helped by aloe eye drops, but more tests need to be done.
It should be noted aloe vera juice appears to have a similar ef¬fect on internal tissues as it does on skin; this means the juice has a healing effect on the digestive tract and thus is used as a rem¬edy for stomach ulcers, colitis and irritable bowel syndrome. In addition, it has been shown to boost the immune system in fighting a variety of viruses.
While aloe vera is 99 percent water, the remaining 1 percent is a powerful mixture of vitamins, minerals, enzymes, sugars and amino acids.
