Aloe Vera – the empress of plants

Not only in the field of vitalizing and strengthening the immune system!

The "Life in Balance" team would like to introduce you to an almost unbelievable range of an outstanding health-promoting spectrum of this plant, which was already known to the ancient Egyptians and has been a symbol of beauty and immortality for thousands of years and is still valid today.

The History of Aloe Vera

Across all continents and cultures, the rather inconspicuous-looking aloe vera has been given special names. That's what they called Indian it as the "magic of heaven", the Mayas as the "source of eternal youth", African nomads gave it the name "lily of the desert" and the Sumerians even saw it as a "gift from the gods". Already such famous ancient Egyptian beauties as the legendary queens Nefertiti and Cleopatra used the active ingredients of freshly harvested leaves for body care. In the resting places of the pharaohs, scientists have found drawings of the plant that are estimated to have been made around 6000 years ago. For example, the ancient Egyptians embalmed their dead with the juice of aloe vera and myrrh, the preservative properties probably being the reason why people believed that this plant bestowed beauty and longevity.

The still world famous today Greek physician Hippocrates of Kos, as he was called by his full name, who lived from 460 to around 370 BC, was convinced of the beneficial and even healing effects of aloe vera. He administered them against intestinal and stomach complaints, hair loss and ulcers. Hildegard von Bingen also recommended the plant to jump back in time to the years 1098 to 1179 against migraines, tooth decay, ulcers and stomach problems.

The discoverer Christoph Columbus (1451 to 1506) finally appreciated the effectiveness and carried the aloe vera as a "doctor in the flower pot" on his travels gagainst diarrhea, sunburn and other ailments with himself. Marco Polo, the famous explorer and merchant from Venice, who lived from around 1254 to 1324, was introduced to the wide range of uses of aloe vera by the Chinese. They used the plant as a beauty drink and against inflammation of the paranasal sinuses and eczema. To this day, aloe vera is an integral part of Chinese and Indian medicine.

What about today's knowledge regarding aloe vera?

She has attracted particular attention in 20. century also made in the western world. For example, those emerging from initial tests using X-rays skin burns successfully treated by American doctors with the gel of the leaves. Even after the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, she was often able to relieve pain from burns caused by radioactive rays. When there was still widespread skepticism in this country, experts in America were already scientifically researching aloe vera.

They respectfully call her "The silent healer". In the following years of the 20th century, however, this plant also began its triumphal march in Europe, and its caring, moisturizing, pain-relieving and wound-healing properties were also discovered in this country, which it is increasingly used for, for example cosmetics industry and thus for consumers, made indispensable and still do today.

However, not only in cosmetics Aloe vera introduced with great success, because the ingredients have a balancing and regulating effect on the cell metabolism in humans. Especially when eating denatured food, which is unfortunately not uncommon nowadays, the physiological supply of the body cells is ensured and thus the health of the entire human organism is ensured. For example, if you drink a glass of aloe vera daily, eat a wholesome food that noticeably increases your vitality because it boosts your immune system!

This plant has a vast amount of vital substances, including enzymes, carbohydrates, trace elements, vitamins and minerals, which are extremely rare among plants. The unadorned, prickly plant hides both a beauty elixir and a fountain of health, and it is rightly popular with more and more people today.

A botanical excursion into the world of the aloe vera plant

Externally, it looks more like a cactus than an agave. Nevertheless, it belongs to the botanical family of lilies and is therefore - did you know? - one relatives of garlic. About three hundred species are known worldwide, but we are only talking about "Aloe barbadensis Miller" or "Aloe vera Linne'", from the Latin "the true, real aloe", as it is the most effective in terms of its health-promoting and caring properties is.

It thrives, fairly undemanding, in subtropical areas on desert soils and grows in Central and South America, Africa and in the areas of the Mediterranean Sea. It is grown directly in Australia, California, Texas, Florida, Mexico, Cuba and Spain, for example. Except for its bright yellow or green foliage, this plant is rather unassuming. the fleshy, prickly leaves grow up to sixty centimeters long and form a kind of rosette.

They can be harvested after about four to five years. They need this time to form the active ingredients and nutrients that are so particularly valuable for human health and that are found in the jelly-like juice inside the leaves. As a plant that is optimally adapted to the dry and harsh desert climate, aloe vera can survive for many months without rain. Belonging to the genus of succulents, it stores in the Inside their leaves water and nutrients "for bad times". Due to the thick walls, the moisture can hardly evaporate, so that it can draw on the liquid inside the leaves for a long time.

Exactly this property, namely being able to form a real moisture and nutrient depot, is also demonstrated on human skin in combination with the special feature that when a leaf is injured, this wound heals in no time. This happens in the damaged area a little jelly-like Gravy emerges, which shortly afterwards forms a protective layer that quickly becomes so firm that the injury can hardly be seen. If you have sustained an injury, you can observe exactly this process in your wound. Just apply a little gel to the wound. You will see that they quickly - mostly without scarring - heals!

If you would like to learn more about harvesting, processing and quality, you can find out more about the active ingredients in the aloe vera in detail and want to know what you can do for your strong immune system with the help of this plant, then simply read on in our aloe vera breviary!

Aloe vera: prickly in appearance and yet sensitive 

As far as the processing and thus the preservation of the quality of the inner leaf gel is concerned, this plant must be treated with particular expertise, since many ingredients are otherwise lost shortly after harvesting, because they oxidize when they come into contact with oxygen and the substances in this way lose their effectiveness. In the 50s, a young pharmacist from Dallas, Texas, named Bill Coats, was the first person to develop a process for naturally stabilizing the valuable aloe vera gel so that the oxidation and heat-sensitive health substances were preserved.

The incredibly diverse ingredients of this exceptional plant of nature

That extraordinary broad spectrum of activity of this plant can be traced back to the vital substances contained primarily in the leaf pulp. Experts do not agree on exactly how many there are. Some speak of 160 different substances, some of which are essential for life, while others assume that 300 or even 400 substances out. However, it is not about the amount, but rather about the almost optimal composition for us humans. Only the composition of all components and facets accounts for the invigorating, cosmetic and regenerating properties of this plant. We would like to familiarize you with a few of them at this point:

enzymes

These are substances that can accelerate or inhibit chemical reactions in cells. Together with minerals, trace elements and vitamins, they are involved in all biochemical processes in the human body. The enzymes contained in aloe vera not only regulate intestinal activity, but also help to make the food components, such as proteins, sugar and fats, usable for the body. Quite a few experts are of the opinion that some of the enzymes in Aloe vera barbadensis Miller are capable of destroying molecules that are harmful to humans, the so-called “free radicals”.

amino acids

Twenty different amino acids serve as building blocks for thousands of proteins in the human body. They are involved in building enzymes, antibodies and hormones, to name just a few, and in numerous metabolic processes. This means that the proteins are the basic building blocks of living beings and their lack in the form of their building blocks, the amino acids, can cause serious deficiency symptoms. The body cannot produce some types of amino acids itself.

However, these are essential to life and must be ingested with food. This fact is of particular importance because we are consuming more and more chemically modified and contaminated or denatured food, which often leads to a deficit in bioactive vital substances. This plant contains at least seven fundamental amino acids and also just as many amino acids that are not so serious, but which are nevertheless important and valuable for our human organism.

Acemannan- A true all-rounder!

This main active ingredient Aloe vera is a substance that the adult human body cannot produce itself. As a real all-rounder, when used internally, it promotes the absorption capacity of the digestive system for minerals, trace elements, enzymes and vitamins as well as other important nutrients and in this way strengthens the immune system in particular. Acemannan protects against pathogenic bacteria, viruses and fungi, is anti-inflammatory and also has a positive effect on the mucous membranes.

This active ingredient is therefore above all extremely positive for your general condition and well-being. Applied externally, acemannan, as already mentioned in part 1, has a wound-healing, pain-relieving, moisturizing and cell-generating effect. Since the substance has a very high molecular weight (= weight of all atoms in a substance), only careful processing of the freshly harvested leaves ensures that this weight is maintained and thus the full effect of the substance.

Minerals and trace elements

Even if many lobbyists in the food industry naturally see it differently: The Vital substance content of many types of fruit and vegetables has changed drastically (to the disadvantage) in the last 30 years. Experts who made a comparison between the vital substance content of 1985 and today, for example in beans, broccoli and potatoes, found that the content of Calcium decreased by up to 70% Has. In apples and spinach, the vitamin C content was even reduced by up to 80%! With these alarming numbers, it's good to know that Aloe vera barbadensis Miller exists. Because iron, calcium, manganese, magnesium, zinc and selenium: This plant provides all of these vital substances.

Iron is for example among other things for the blood formation and the immune system particularly important. We need calcium for the formation of bones and teeth. This substance is also indispensable for our blood clotting, the conduction of impulses in muscles and nerves as well as the regulation of blood pressure and heartbeat. Manganese is useful in the body's detoxification processes and is of great importance for the development of bones, tendons and connective tissue.  Selenium protects human cells from being destroyed by free radicals, the formation of which is particularly promoted by stress, smoking and environmental pollution.

In addition, this trace element strengthens resistance against infections. Zinc also protects against damage caused by free radicals and strengthens the human immune system. It also promotes wound healing and ensures beautiful skin, strong fingernails and shiny hair. Finally, magnesium activates no less than 300 different enzymes, protects against heart and blood vessel diseases, reduces the excitability of muscles and nerves and is important for tooth and bone formation. Especially when you are particularly exposed to stress, magnesium is THE "anti-stress mineral" that you need more and more when you are under stress. 

Aloe vera and the vitamins?

Compared to many types of vegetables and fruit, aloe vera only supplies small amounts Vitamins. Nevertheless, these vital substances represent a valuable addition to the other active ingredients in aloe vera for your health and well-being. Let's start with

Vitamin B1

Vitamin B1 is needed for the generation of energy and the work of muscles and nerves. Even a small deficit in care can make us irritable and lead to physical weakness.

Vitamin B2

We need vitamin B2 for the detoxification processes, for the formation of red blood cells and for healthy skin.

Vitamin B6

Some enzymes, also called proteins, also contain a smaller proportion of non-proteins. The expert calls this “coenzyme”. For such a thing Vitamin is also vitamin B6. It is a coenzyme of a number of important enzymes involved in amino acid metabolism, primarily in the liver.

What other vitamins you can expect to find in this lily family, read our explanation of Aloe vera Barbadensis Miller!

Aloe Vera Barbadensis Miller

In our search for traces of the many ingredients in Aloe Vera Barbadensis Miller, the "Life in Balance" team has already introduced you to some of the minerals, trace elements and vitamins that are found in the gel of the leaf. However, this plant has much more to offer, but read for yourself:

Vitamins and no end

Vitamin B12 also belongs to the "cocktail" of the ingredients that are important for humans. This vitamin has a “hand in the game” in the synthesis of nucleic acids, i.e. it is involved in the formation of new building blocks in the cell nuclei. A deficiency leads to reduced cell division in the bone marrow and thus to a type of anemia.

Since this vitamin, apart from a few exceptions, is only found in foods of animal origin, the risk of Deficiency symptoms, especially in vegetarians, not to be dismissed out of hand. To avoid this risk, regular internal use, for example in the form of drinking aloe vera juice, is particularly suitable.

The famous Vitamin C Finally, it helps to strengthen the immune system, it is needed for the formation of teeth, bones, hormones and blood, it inhibits the effects of toxins and protects the body cells from premature aging. This vital substance is also involved in the breakdown of cholesterol. Finally, it is used in cosmetic products because of its function Collagen build-up in connective tissue and its moisture-binding properties in the skin.

Vitamin E, also known as the “fountain of youth vitamin”, tackles free radicals and renders them harmless. In this way, it protects hormones, enzymes and other vitamins from destruction and thus delays the aging process. Because free radicals are extremely aggressive, damaging the molecules and structures in the human body. They are caused by external influences, such as toxic substances, X-ray and UV radiation, but also stress formed. Vitamin C and E, on the other hand, are able to render these radicals harmless and thus equally reduce the risk of many diseases. Vitamin E accelerates healing processes, strengthens the heart and circulation and helps with rheumatic complaints.

The provitamin A is only in its effective form in the body, Vitamin A, transformed and plays a central role in the process of vision. Likewise, it is used for the formation of sex hormones, red blood cells as well as for the growth of skin and mucous membranes. The cosmetics industry uses this substance as an anti-wrinkle ingredient.

Other active ingredients that this plant provides

In addition to the substances already mentioned, aloe vera has a large number of other substances that give you health and well-being. Some protect the body from toxins and promote digestion. These substances, which experts refer to as "secondary plant substances", only occur in small amounts in plants, but are usually particularly effective pharmacologically. Aloe vera contains essential oils. These are so-called "volatile" compounds that have a wide variety of effects. For example, they have anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties. Lignins belong to the dietary fibers and stimulate digestion. Salicylic acid is a natural pain reliever similar to aspirin that reduces fever and inflammation.

This is also used in dermatology to peel off the upper layers of the skin. Aloe vera also contains sterols, substances that have an anti-inflammatory effect. These substances, which are similar to cholesterol, lower the blood cholesterol content. To do this, they "dog" themselves at special points in the small intestine and in this way block the cholesterol and other harmful substances ingested with food. We would like to continue with the tannins, tannins. These inhibit infections and inflammation and ensure that the pores of the skin contract and so fewer secretions are released. They can also remove the breeding ground for bacteria because they are able to bind proteins in the skin and mucous membranes.

So you can see that you can significantly improve your nutrient balance if you drink aloe vera gel every day, because you are making a valuable contribution to your health and overall well-being.

In summary, aloe vera is generally used in the health sector as a

• means in the cosmetics industry for daily body, skin and beauty care
• Herbal remedy for various ailments
• Dietary supplement for more well-being, vitality and to increase the body's defenses and prevent diseases

Because of the immune-boosting effect the ingredients of Aloe vera Barbadensis Miller are considered particularly valuable for people who are heavily challenged in everyday life as well as for older people. Therefore, the gel, with its excellent and detoxifying properties, is an excellent support against civilization diseases, which are often the result of poor nutrition, unhealthy lifestyle or based on environmental pollution.

Starting with “A” for arteriosclerosis to “Z” for strains: Even if this plant cannot heal everything, it still has a supportive and invigorating effect in many cases. You can also read about this fact in many studies. According to scientific research, the active ingredients in aloe vera should not only help against coughs, but also provide support asthma can be used.

Care of healthy and diseased skin

Above all, the gel of aloe vera leaves is also used as cosmetic deployed. As a kind of natural deodorant, it makes the skin more supple, delays the formation of wrinkles and therefore makes it look younger. Because the nutrients and building blocks ensure that the skin can renew itself quickly. They protect them from environmental toxins and dehydration, reduce the pores, promote blood circulation, stabilize the acid mantle and penetrate the skin quickly.

The active ingredients of aloe vera also activate the production of collagen and elastic fibers in the connective tissue, with the help of so-called "fibroblasts", which strengthen the tissue and can thus have an effect on cellulite, for example. The substances of aloe vera can also be used for the following problems because of their wound-healing, antibiotic, anti-inflammatory, bleeding and anti-itch properties: 

• Acne
• Burns, cuts and abrasions
• Herpes and other eczema
• Neurodermatitis
• Psoriasis
• Sonnenbrand
• Pimple
• Hives, just to name a few.

Due to the combination contained in this plant Magnesium and salicylic acid, the pain associated with injuries is usually significantly reduced. Because of its tissue-generating properties, it not only prevents scar formation, but also promotes its healing process.

The American doctor, Dr. John Finnegan, who has “dedicated” himself to the active ingredients of aloe vera, so to speak, is particularly convinced of the anti-allergy effect. According to his findings, the contained beta-sitosterol is able to detoxify the body and thus contribute to greater allergen absorption tolerance.

But also in the Dental and oral hygiene this lily plant does a good job. Our oral mucosa benefits from the anti-inflammatory, antiseptic and healing-promoting substances in aloe vera. Blisters and wounds in the mouth and gingivitis heal faster with the help of the ingredients.  

If you now believe that the effectiveness of the "doctor in the pot" has been exhausted with these statements, you are mistaken!

Aloe Vera and Sports

The plant contains valuable Nutrients also for our joints. Above all, acemannan ensures the formation of sufficient synovial fluid and thus prevents the rheumatic disease caused by wear and tear, namely arthrosis. In the USA, aloe vera is one of the First aid kit Many sports medicine professionals because the ingredients promote healing, reduce swelling and relieve pain in sports injuries such as bruises, sprains, abrasions and strains.

Did you know that the gut is critical to the health of the human immune system?

The gel harmonizes the digestive activity. Experts emphasize the great benefit that internal use also has for indigestion, constipation, ulcers and inflammatory bowel diseases. The mucous membrane-protecting, anti-inflammatory and pH-balancing properties, which lead to a healthy acid-base balance, are just as important as the ability of some ingredients in aloe vera to bind toxins in the intestine, drain them and stimulate intestinal activity. Also you can use the daily Aloe Vera Drink in conjunction with a low-sugar and high-fiber diet, reduce the growth of harmful intestinal fungi. The plant can also be used efficiently against skin fungi, as well as against fungi in the mouth and vaginal area.

Last but not least

Let's conclude our reflections on this wonder of nature with a poem by Christopher Columbus that summed up the effectiveness of aloe vera: “Four plants are essential to human life: wheat, the vine, the olive and the aloe . The first nourishes man, the second gladdens his heart, the third brings him harmony, and the fourth heals him”!

Just take your time and take a look around our “Life in Balance” portal. Under Aloe vera read all about the targeted use of this versatile desert lily!  

Note!

This article refers to the plant aloe vera as it has been depicted in books and other media, some for many centuries. The report is therefore exclusively a journalistic compilation of generally and publicly available information.
No healing claims or promises of concrete effects are associated with this report.