Medicinal Properties Of Aloe

2024 Author: Sebastian Paterson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:47

In many city apartments and country houses, on the windowsills, you can see pots with a perennial plant with oblong fleshy jagged green leaves with a bluish bloom. Wiping dust from them from time to time, the hostesses do not even realize that they have one of the five hundred species of aloe that are common in hot Africa and the Arabian Peninsula.

And not all of them know that this unpretentious succulent plant, which is popularly called the agave, is a wonderful doctor with a number of medicinal properties. Two types of aloe are commonly grown that have healing powers: Aloe arborescens, which is commonly referred to as agave, and Aloe vera.

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How to plant, grow and care for aloe - you can find out all this if you open the articles about the agave on our website. We will now consider its healing properties and their use to heal people - adults and children.

The healing properties of aloe are determined by the content in it of a large amount of substances that activate the recovery processes in the human body. Scientists' studies have shown the presence of enzymes, antioxidants, phytoncides, glycosides, polysaccharides, amino acids, plant hormone, salicylic acid, salicylic acid salt, allantoin, B vitamins - vitamin B1, vitamin B2, vitamin B6 and vitamin B12, as well as vitamins A, C, E, PP, essential oils, resinous substances.

And this is not a complete list. Due to this rich composition, aloe has a wide range of medicinal properties. Some of these properties have been noticed by the nomads of the Arabian Peninsula since ancient times. Now it is known for certain that the agave has bactericidal, antifungal, antispasmodic, antiviral properties, therefore it is considered an effective natural antibiotic.

These or those preparations with aloe juice are used in the treatment of bronchial asthma, colds, tuberculosis, eye diseases, metabolic disorders, neurotic conditions and headaches, with anemia, dermatitis and herpes and other diseases.

Centennial also accelerates the processes of cell regeneration, and therefore is actively used in the treatment of burns, wounds, cuts and other injuries of the skin. This feature of aloe was noticed by ancient nomads, who used this useful property of the plant to heal purulent wounds. This is due to the fact that the agave has a powerful bacteriostatic effect, it can stop the multiplication of various microbes: staphylococci, streptococci, typhoid and diphtheria bacilli, which is now actively used for healing festering wounds, as it accelerates cell regeneration, as well as in the treatment of pulmonary tuberculosis.

Aloe is a natural anti-allergic and anti-stress plant, as it has the ability to enhance the adaptogenic function of the body. It also stimulates blood circulation, significantly increasing the overall tone of the body.

Aloe is also used in the treatment of diseases of internal organs, for example, in cholecystitis, in diseases of the stomach and intestines - gastritis, gastroenteritis, gastric ulcer and duodenal ulcer, as well as the bladder and kidneys. In addition, aloe vera preparations help to remove harmful substances from the body.

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Aloe is also used to treat eye diseases - blepharitis, conjunctivitis, progressive myopia and others. Here the discovery of academician V. P. Filatov, our famous ophthalmologist, who discovered that the effect of extracts obtained from aloe leaves is enhanced after the biostimulation procedure.

It consists in the fact that cut and washed aloe leaves (from plants at least three years old) are placed for two weeks in a dark and cool place, for example, in a refrigerator. There, when exposed to conditions unfavorable for this plant, biogenic stimulants are formed in the tissues of aloe, which, when used, help to increase the protective functions of the body and enhance the recovery processes in tissues.

Now, in the production of aloe juice and other preparations from this plant in industrial conditions, the procedure for biostimulation of harvested leaves is necessarily carried out. And these preparations from biostimulated aloe leaves - aloe juice, aloe extract, aloe liniment, sabur (evaporated and thickened aloe juice) are now used by official medicine in the treatment of patients, for example, with various eye diseases.

Studies have shown that sabur contains anthraglucosides, which makes it laxative. It is sold in pharmacies as a powder or hardened sap that is dark brown in color. Available in pharmacies, aloe syrup with iron is used to stimulate blood formation.

And in folk medicine, the agave has been used for a very long time. Traditional healers have come up with many recipes for using aloe to combat various ailments. For example, very often people are worried about a runny nose. Here, the method of treatment is simple: cut off a leaf or part of a leaf at the bottom of the plant, squeeze the juice out of it and instill two or three drops in each nostril. The recommended course of treatment for rhinitis is no more than a week.

Experts believe that the greatest therapeutic effect appears in the agave after the third or fifth year of cultivation, therefore, the lower leaves, which were formed on the plant earlier than all, are cut off.

Throat problems are common in people. Aloe juice will also help here. It is squeezed out of cut leaves and mixed in equal proportions with boiled water, and then gargled with this mixture. After this procedure, it is recommended to drink a spoonful of fresh aloe juice with a glass of warm boiled milk. Given the biological activity of aloe, the course of treatment should not be delayed either.

An aqueous infusion of the leaves is used to rinse the mouth for gum disease, as well as for gargling. To obtain it, the cut leaves of aloe are washed and crushed to a mushy state. Then they take and mix this gruel and water in a ratio of 1: 5. They insist for one hour, and then put on the stove, boil for 2-3 minutes, cool the infusion and filter through cheesecloth.

Fortifying infusion with aloe

There is an old recipe for using agave in infusion, which is a general tonic. It is recommended for emaciated people who have had a serious illness. It gives the sick people vigor, drives away depression. To prepare such an infusion, you need agave juice, the age of which should be at least 3-5 years. The plant from which the juice will be obtained should not be watered for several days before the leaves are cut (at least three days, or better, longer).

It is necessary to squeeze out 150 ml of fresh juice and mix it with 250 g of honey. The cut leaves, from which the juice has already been squeezed, will also be used. They need to be rinsed and crushed, then pour red wine (350 ml - Cahors are desirable) and stir. Then both mixtures are combined: leaves with cahors and juice with honey. The resulting liquid must be placed in a dark place for infusion for one to two weeks. To strengthen the body, take the infusion three times a day half an hour before meals.

Since alcohol is included in this recipe, it cannot be given to young patients.

For weakened children, you can prepare another remedy. It is necessary to finely grind 50 g of walnut kernels, take 100 ml of aloe juice, 30 g of honey, squeeze the juice of one lemon. All these components must be thoroughly mixed and insisted for 4-5 hours. For children, take 1 teaspoon three times daily before meals. Adults can also take this remedy, only the intake rate must be increased to one tablespoon.

Mixture for the treatment of tuberculosis

It is prepared from 100 g of high-quality butter, 15 g of aloe juice, 100 g of honey and 100 g of cocoa powder. All components are thoroughly mixed and taken in a tablespoon three times a day with hot milk.

Universal Healing Blend

It is used in the case of radiation injuries, for the treatment of peptic ulcer, gastritis, bronchial asthma, laryngitis, dysentery. It is prepared very simply: half a teaspoon of aloe juice and half a teaspoon of honey are combined. This mixture for such diseases should be taken three times a day half an hour before meals. Before taking it, it is diluted in a glass of warm boiled milk. The recommended course of treatment is three weeks. Then a two-week break is needed. And if the disease persists, the course is repeated.

Juice cures herpes

To treat herpes, you need to cut an aloe leaf in half and often (up to five times a day) lubricate herpes sores with fresh juice. Each time you need to take a fresh leaf of the plant for the next procedure.

Ointment for wound healing

Since it contains alcohol, this ointment can be prepared for operational use, and then stored in the refrigerator for possible reuse. It contains half a glass of liquid honey and half a glass of aloe juice. Mix them and pour 200 ml of alcohol or vodka. This ointment helps to speed up the healing of wounds, ulcers, fistulas. The ointment is applied to the affected area and fixed with a bandage.

The agave also helps in the treatment of burns. Only experts do not advise using it right away, when bubbles filled with liquid have appeared at the site of the burns. It is necessary to wait until they burst, and the burn surface itself opens, at this time it is open to all infections. It is at this moment that any aloe-based drug will come in handy - an ointment, emulsion or the juice of the plant itself. Experts advise not to apply tight bandages to the burns, it is better to irrigate them with juice or preparations and cover them with a light gauze bandage.

Dermatitis, eczema, psoriasis can be treated with agave juice or lotions based on it.

Contraindications

Since aloe has a high biological activity, it must be used strictly according to recipes and only for a certain period of time. Overdose can lead to serious consequences such as vomiting, diarrhea and even intestinal inflammation. And before starting treatment, it is advisable to consult with your doctor.

Pregnant women are not advised to take aloe vera medications as it can lead to miscarriage. You can not use aloe for hemorrhoids, so as not to cause bleeding, and also should not be taken by people suffering from hepatitis, cirrhosis of the liver, cholecystitis, cholelithiasis, nephritis, cystitis, as well as for diseases of the cardiovascular system, for allergies and diseases, accompanied by bleeding.

Anatoly Petrov