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Healing Benefits of Aloe Vera
May 24, 2015 12:20 pm
Last Updated: May 29, 2015 5:23 pm
(rudchenko/iStock)
By Derek Henry, Holistic Health Coach for Healing the Body
It seems everyone has a gut issue these days, and it’s really no wonder. From the very beginning, we have been deprived of nourishment and filled with various toxins that have slowly eroded our inner ecology to the point that it has become partly to nearly completely dysfunctional.
Thankfully, the right nourishment and detoxification protocols can help reverse that damage, and the healing benefits of aloe vera just may top that list in both categories.
Nutritional Profile
Aloe vera has been considered one of the most healing plants on the planet. It’s known as the “lily of the desert,” the “plant of immortality,” and the “medicine plant.” It’s historical use has been mainly around the treatment of wounds, ulcers, burns, infections, and parasites.
However, aloe vera has been studied extensively over recent years and it turns out that many of its amazing healing properties are best when it’s taken internally. This stands to reason, as its soothing action on external body parts are exponentiated when taken orally.
So what’s in aloe vera gel that makes it so medicinal for our bodies? Check out the highly condensed profile:
- 20 minerals
- 12 vitamins
- 18 amino acids
- 200 active plant compounds (phytonutrients), including enzymes, triterpenes, polysaccharides, and glyconutrients
- Strong antibacterial, antiviral, and antifungal properties
In a world full of diets lacking nutrients and enzymes that create an open-door policy for menacing gut pathogens, it’s safe to say that aloe vera could very well be one of the smartest things you can include in your diet. Combine its healing power, and reduce or remove processed (dead) foods, and you can quickly improve your gut and overall health.
For the most dramatic benefits, choose a raw (not pasteurized) aloe vera gel with no artificial ingredients or preservatives (like sodium benzoate), and consume 1 to 2 ounces a day on a consistent basis.
Healing Action
Due to the wide variety of nutrients and anti-inflammatory properties of aloe vera, it can be used for a wide variety of health benefits, including these:
- Easing inflammation and soothing arthritic pain
- Helping heal ulcers, IBS, Crohn’s disease, colitis, and other digestive disorders
- Helping treat and prevent candida and parasite infections
- Accelerating healing from wounds, burns, and ulcers (externally and internally)
- Relieving constipation
- Stabilizing blood sugar
- Protecting kidneys
- Oxygenating the blood and protecting the body from oxidative stress
- Helping repair “sludge blood” and reversing “sticky blood”
- Reducing high blood pressure
- Providing electrolytes
- Improving physical performance and recovery
- Improving skin
- Helping reduce and reverse acid reflux
- Helping heal gum disease
- Reducing heart attacks and strokes
- Helping halt growth of cancer tumors
Aloe vera is such a healing plant because it addresses the core reasons most people are sick—systematic inflammation and compromised immune systems due to a poorly functioning digestive system harboring an infestation of pathogenic bacteria. It does this mainly through its highly oxygenated, nutrient rich, antibacterial, antiviral, and antifungal properties.
How to Use in Your Diet
Aloe vera has a very strong taste and doesn’t have a lot of practical solutions for incorporating it into food. This shouldn’t deter you from making it a steady part of your diet, as it can be easily taken in supplemental form.
One method you can try is to incorporate it in a daily smoothie. Simply add 1/2 to 1 ounce (start low first if you are particular about taste) into your smoothie, and adjust other ingredients to help mask the somewhat bitter taste, if desired. You can get some smoothie recipe ideas here.
If you find it it a bit too bitter for your smoothie, simply add it to a glass of water and toss it down each morning.
To keep a fresh supply of aloe vera in your home, consider buying a few aloe vera plants. Since they are native to the desert, even the blackest of thumbs can keep an aloe vera plant alive. This way, you have it on hand for any sunburns, wounds, or skin irritations, and can harvest it fresh on a daily basis for internal use as well.
The healing benefits from aloe vera are endless. Use it liberally, and wisely.