The History of Aloe Vera

Aloe has been used worldwide for more than 3,500 years. They are desert lilies and there are more than 200 varieties. Aloe vera is a type of aloe plant. Aloe vera, which means "true aloe" in Latin, is generally the most widely used and most effective species of aloe. The aloe vera plant has long, spiked leaves, which are thick-skinned and contain a clear gel-like substance. It is used today in many products, including cosmetics, skin lotions and moisturisers, burn gels and even sun screen creams.

Juice is also taken from the aloe vera leaves. The bitter juice is often prepared as a flavoured drink and is used to help with digestive problems. Aloe vera contains numerous vitamins and minerals, enzymes, amino acids, natural sugars and agents which may be anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial. The combination and balance of the plant's ingredients are what purportedly gives it its healing properties.

Many ancient works, including the Bible, refer to the use of aloe. One of the first documented users of aloe vera was Cleopatra, who lived from 68 to 30 B.C. She is said to have used the gel on her skin as protection from the sun, and to have thought the gel helped to keep her skin young-looking. In fact, the Egyptians may have used aloe vera in their embalming of bodies, among other uses.

About the year Six B.C., Dioscorides, a Greek physician, discovered aloe vera was effective in treating a wide range of ailments, from kidney problems and constipation, to severe burns of the skin. Today aloe vera continues to be widely used around the world. Studies have shown that aloe vera speeds the healing process, particularly in burns, including those from radiation. It is also used by dermatologists to speed healing after facial dermabrasion, which removes scars from the skins top layers.

The name aloe vera ("true aloe") originates from the Arabic word alloeh, which translates as "shining, bitter substance." The genus Aloe is only found in warm, fertile regions which experience long periods of drought. The aloe family is related to the lily family, and also to onion, garlic and asparagus. Of more than 400 species of aloe, the plant with the longest history of therapeutic medicinal use is Aloe barbadensis (Miller). It is this aloe which has been the subject of extensive research over the past few decades. Evidence of the historical use of aloe as a healing plant was discovered with a Mesopotamian clay tablet from 2100 BC. References to aloe vera can be found in the literature of many cultures, including the ancient Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Indian, Chinese and Arab civilizations. Traders first brought aloe vera to Britain in the 17th century, and in the two centuries that followed, formulas containing "aloes" and "bitter aloes" became some of the most popular apothecary medicines.

In the 1970s, Dr. Robert H. Davis, professor emeritus at the Pennsylvania College of Podiatric Medicine, began researching natural anti-inflammatory agents as alternatives to steroid drugs, and used aloe vera gel as the control substance. He found that the control group experienced the most dramatic anti-inflammatory response he had ever seen. In a 1994 article in the Journal of the American Podiatric Medical Association, Dr. Davis revealed that three plant sterols in aloe vera (lupeol, campesterol and beta-sitosterol) provided remarkable anti-inflammatory effects when applied to arthritic joints. In fact, the aloe vera even helped stop the auto-immune reaction in some forms of arthritis in which the body attacks its own tissue. Dr. Davis studied the enzymes in aloe vera and found that one particular enzyme, carboxypeptidase N, inactivates bradykinin in the body. Bradykinin is a peptide generated when the body experiences trauma or shock, creating a reaction of allergy or inflammation, and resulting in acute or chronic pain.

Dr. Davis and other scientific researchers also studied other ingredients in aloe vera which synergistically provide pain relief. These include the antioxidant vitamins A, C and E, vitamin B complex, the amino acids phenylalanine and tyrosine, the minerals calcium, magnesium and zinc, the polysaccharides, which have an immunomodulatory effect, and salicylic acid, a natural aspirin-like compound which provides analgesic and anti-inflammatory benefits. Salicylic acid affects prostaglandin pathways in the body, acting as a cyclooxygenase (COX-2) inhibitor. It also reduces the effects of histamine on the vascular system, regulating both inflammatory and immune response. Magnesium lactate in aloe vera also reduces the amount of histamine formed in the body's mast cells. Since histamine is involved in many painful allergic conditions, aloe vera can play an important role in easing pain and inflammation naturally.

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