Grow your own Aloe for this summer's sun!

Have we, as a culture, lost touch with cultivating readily available plants? We have been trained so well to go to specialty stores when so many natural things are all around us. One of those things is Aloe.

Although there are more than 400 species of the Aloe plant growing on the Earth, it is Aloe Vera or “true Aloe,” also known scientifically as Aloe Barbadensis Miller, that is used for its healing and medicinal properties.

-Aloe vera (syn. Aloe Barbadensis Miller) is a species of Aloe, native to northern Africa. It is a stemless or very short-stemmed succulent plant growing 80 to 100 cm tall, spreading by offsets and root sprouts. The leaves are lanceolate, thick and fleshy, green to grey-green, with a serrated margin. The flowers are produced on a spike up to 90 cm tall, each flower pendulous, with a yellow tubular corolla 2 to 3 cm long.

Not long ago, it was in full bloom just about everywhere you turned. (Other species come in various shades of red, yellow and orange, and are also in bloom). It seems to be largely taken for granted by passers by. This abundant succulent has spawned a multi-million dollar industry. On my last trip to Clark’s Nutrition in Palm Desert, CA, I saw many forms of Aloe available for a variety of uses, such as consumption and relief of digestive issues such as heartburn and irritable bowel syndrome. Some studies show that aloe vera promotes rates of healing. Internal intake of aloe vera has also been linked in preliminary research to improved blood glucose levels in diabetics.

I have been propagating Aloe plants for years, in my very own yard. It grows easily, which is good news for me (ask anyone who’s seen my yard). Once I learned how to easily process the “meat” of the Aloe plant, I have used it for sunburn, wound care, and to drink for heartburn relief.

I use Aloe from my own back yard, on my massage clients during the summer months, for sun and wind burns. If you make an appointment with me, just ask for an application.

The Egyptians, particularly the Egyptian queens such as Cleopatra and Nekfertiti, used Aloe Vera as a skin-care and beauty product. They believed it gave their skin a radiant glow, and helped to keep them looking young.

Aloe really is a miracle plant that grows in great abundance in many parts of the Southwest; but how many of us actually stop to benefit from its use? Sadly, many of us have been trained to go to specialty stores instead.

I have step by step instructions that were given to me for processing the pure meat from Aloe Barbadensis Miller plants. I will be happy to send this informational booklet to you for FREE. Just drop me an email, and I will send back a PDF version via the internet. eMail for Free Instructions

Do you agree? Have we lost touch with our natural surroundings preferring, instead to shop for them at a specialty store?

Palm Springs Massage Therapy