Like many of us, Leanne is on her own journey to good health. She writes about what she knows and loves and what works for her. We hope you find Leanne’s insight helpful on your own journey.
Aloe Vera!
Oh yeah that stuff people put on burns?
This is normally the extent of people’s knowledge of the aloe plant. Probably due to the fact that many of us have friends, family, colleagues who always had that spiky green cactus looking thing in their kitchen; ready to snap open a leaf and smoother you in sticky gel if you accidentally suffer a burn.
Nowadays though, aloe is being used for so much more.
In modern society, it’s clear that we are becoming more and more health conscious. And many people like to steer away from pharmaceutical drugs where possible, in the hope of finding a more holistic approach to improving health and well being.
Now, I’m not advocating that we give up on pharmaceutical drugs, because the innovation that has been used to create them, and that fact that they help to cure or reduce symptoms of some of the most awful diseases is simply amazing.
But, where do many of these drugs originate from?
Plants of course. Examples are morphine, aspirin and digitalis to name a few. And today its estimated that over 70% of the drugs in circulation originate from herbs, with 121 commonly used prescription drugs originating from 95 plants!
And aloe is just one of these amazing, naturally-occurring, flexible medicines.
Across the globe there are many nicknames for the aloe plant, but perhaps the one that tops them all is the name the Japanese use.
Isha Irazu
In Japan, aloe is known as ‘ISHA IRAZU’ which can be translated as ‘no need for a doctor.’ And given how tough it can be to get a good GP appointment these days, that’s gotta make aloe worth a look!
So, one thing that you can use aloe for that many people don’t know, is that you can use it as a drink; basically a health tonic.
I personally find this aloe drink to be good quality.
In truth – it tastes awful. But you can’t expect a drink made from a plant to taste like your favourite tipple now can you?
But here’s a few of the reasons why you might want to give aloe a go:
- It provides the body with micro nutrients
- It can kill bacteria, fungi, yeast and viruses
- It reduces inflammation
With 75 known ingredients in the aloe vera leaf (including but not limited to: vitamins, minerals, amino acids and enzymes), and an estimate that only 0.5 – 1.5% of the plant is solid matter, with the rest being water content; It’s no wonder that people generally report a greater sense of well being from drinking aloe vera on a regular basis.
Now, I’m not saying that aloe is a cure all, but surely its worth a try to give our bodies some of the TLC that is needs. And in the words of Hippocrates, “let medicine be your food and food be your medicine.”
