Aloe Vera is commonly thought of as a cute and easy to care for plant that instantly brightens any home. And while the succulent has become more popular in American homes, many people don’t realize that their decorative plant actually contains amazing healing properties.
In fact, the plant, also known as Aloe Barbadensis, has been used for thousands of years throughout the world.
It was reported to have an almost sacred place in ancient Egyptian, Greek and roman society. It also has a long history of medical use in South Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean.
The University of Maryland Medical Center also reports that Aloe was a popularly prescribed medicine in the United States throughout the 18th and 19th centuries. Today, it remains one of the most commonly used medicinal herbs in the country (1).
Benefits Of Aloe
Ingesting Aloe Vera remains a popular home remedy for mouth, osteoarthritis, ulcerative colitis, fever, asthma and simply to be used as a general tonic. It’s even considered a natural beauty product (2).
The gel is also often applied to the skin to treat sunburns, burns, cuts, infections and other wounds. It acts as an analgesic and fights inflammation and itching.
This is thanks to two powerful immune-boosting compounds: lycoproteins and polysaccharides. Glycoproteins work to block pain and reduce inflammation while polysaccharides promotes skin repair and keeps it moisturized.
In fact, some studies have found that aloe treats burns better than conventional medication in terms of shortening healing time and pain.