Aloe vera is a plant with many qualities for caring for your health, both internally and externally. To enjoy the health benefits of aloe vera, we use the yellow latex extracted from the outer layer of the leaves and the clear, mucilaginous aloe vera gel extracted from the inside of the aloe vera leaves.
Aloe vera is a fatty plant with exceptional qualities. Its leaves contain a clear, gel-like pulp. Rich in antioxidants and vitamins, this gel is used both internally and externally. Aloe vera is available as a gel to be applied to the skin to soothe and deeply moisturize. Juice and jelly (gelled juice) are used orally(aloe vera drink) to soothe heartburn (healing) and reduce acidity. Both forms are also highly effective in rebalancing intestinal flora and helping fussy bowels.
Despite the current consensus in favor ofaloe vera, the medicinal use of this plant goes back a very long way, to at least 6,000 years ago. The oldest written record of its use dates back to Sumerian times. A clay tablet already mentions its laxative properties. It is also found among the Assyrians and Egyptians, in ancient documents listing the plants used in their pharmacopoeias.
The Ebers papyrus is one such document. Hieroglyphic testimonies highlight the anti-aging properties of aloe vera. Widely used around the Mediterranean during antiquity, aloe vera was discovered as part of a dye recipe on the Leyden papyrus (Thebes, 3rd century AD), the oldest known "alchemical" document. It was also said to heal wounds and heal quickly, and was even used as a preventive against poisons.
Aloe, an African plant species, spread widely to other geographical areas of the globe under the impetus of Arab traders. For this reason, it became an ornamental plant in the south of France. It then spread to Asia (India, Sumatra, Malaysia, China), then to the New World (Mexico, USA), where it became known as the "desert lily".
Historically, aloe vera was used not for its gel, but for its juice, a yellowish, very bitter substance that emerges from the leaves when cut, then turns black on drying. Several methods have been used to recover this juice. The best is to dry and pulverize it. Incidentally, the word aloe comes from the Arabic alloeh, meaning "bitter, shiny substance".
The concentrated juice from the leaves of Aloe des Bardades and Aloe du Cap and the gel (mucilage) of Aloe des Bardades are registered in the French Pharmacopoeia list A.
The use of dried aloe latex is "well established" for treating occasional constipation, according to the EMA. It is a short-term treatment for occasional constipation according to the WHO and the German Commission E. The WHO confirms these uses, citing its unproven use in traditional medicine for seborrheic dermatitis, gastrointestinal ulcers, tuberculosis and fungal infections. The organization also recognizes the gel's traditional use as a healing agent, particularly for burns.
A powerful colonic laxative, like the other anthracenoside drugs found in senna and borage, aloe vera juice acts in the same way as the sennosides of the former and the anthraquinones of the latter. This laxative effect, which becomes purgative at high doses, is thought to be linked to the interaction ofaloin and its derivatives with prostaglandin synthesis. In the colon, the enzymatic degradation ofaloin leads to the formation ofanthrones, which stimulate intestinal peristalsis, increase secretions, inhibit the reabsorption of water and electrolytes (Na+, Cl-) and promote potassium losses. Its efficacy is such that the use of aloe vera juice is subject to the same rules of caution and short duration of treatment as with other anthraquiquonic laxatives, ideally on medical prescription in specific indications such as preparation for colonoscopy or anorectal surgery.
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