It's All About Amazing Aloe

Friday might be the first day of spring on the calendar, but it seems the only things green in my life outside of salads aremy houseplants.

Though I have a few varieties including jade, spider plants, and even a small fig tree, there is one plant that outshines and outgrows the rest.

It is the aloe plants that soar and thrive. Theymake me feel like I have a green thumb and have become my verdant companions. And I mean plants, plural. Over a dozen aloe plants fill my home, all from the same mother plant.

The mother plant came to me early in my time here on the Island and has followed me through a few homes. I inherited a small, dying aloe plant in 2000 when I moved into a studio apartment. Along with some books, it was left by the houses former inhabitant who had passed away somewhat untimely.

It became my mission to nurse this plant back to health. And it thrived, Im glad to say, providing babies to split off and share with others.

Aloe has been a valued household plant for, well, forever. Ancient Greek physician Dioscoradis was an early believer in the values of aloe. He thought that the juices of the plant had the power of binding, inducing sleep, loosening the belly, and cleansing the stomach. In addition, he recommended that the sap be used to treat boils, hemorrhoids, bruises and mouth irritation, and was a good medicine for the eyes. It could also stop the bleeding of wounds.

Dioscoradis was on to something, since aloe is still used today both topically and internally. Two components of this plant have been used medicinally and cosmetically.

The gel is what most of us are familiar with, and is used for relief from sunburns and other burns. It is also good for other skin issues, including psoriasis, cold sores and frostbite. The gel can also be ingested and has been used to sooth the pains of osteoarthritis, bowel disease, ulcers, diabetes and asthma. The Bible makes reference to an application of aloeto Jesuss wounds, and Queen Cleopatra used this gel as a daily beauty treatment.

The other part of the plant that may not be as familiar is the latex, found just under the surface of the leafs skin. The latex is yellow compared to the clear gel. Its use, however, has been controversial: in the early 2000s, the Food and Drug Administration effectively banned it, required it be removed from laxatives and all over-the-counter medicines.

If you are not sure about using this plant for medicine, consider its other benefits. Congolese hunters coated themselves in it to obscure their scent when hunting. In other parts of Africa, aloe was hung over a homes door to bring luck and drive away evil. Inside the house, it is thought to prevent household accidents, especially burns. And best of all, according to ancient Egyptians, who called aloe the plant of immortality, is its ability to provide eternal youth. This promise was made, ironically, after a persons death, since the plant was included in funeral offerings.

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It's All About Amazing Aloe