24/10/2021
The health benefits of aloe vera include strengthening the immune system, reducing arthritis pain, and healing wounds. It also helps lower blood sugar, helps fight oxidative stress, and heal the side effects of radiotherapy treatments. Aloe vera has long been used for skin conditions like sunburns, acne, and dermatitis, due to its rich antioxidant properties.
What is Aloe Vera?
Aloe vera is a short shrub that is known widely for its medicinal properties. The other common names of aloe are lily of the desert, burn plant, and elephant’s gall. It belongs to the family of succulent plants in the genus ‘Aloe’. It grows best in warm and dry climates and is densely found in India, Africa, and other arid zones.
Aloe vera plant is often a stemless or sometimes very short-stemmed juicy plant that grows around 60–100 cm (24–39 inch) in height and its offsets spread out wide. The leaves of this plant are thick and fleshy and the color varies from green to gray-green. Some varieties of this plant have white flecks on the upper and lower portions of the stem surfaces. The margin of the leaves is like saw-tooth and the flowers bloom during the summer. This plant can be easily grown both, indoors and outdoors.
Aloe vera is a nutrient-powerhouse. It contains about 75 active ingredients like minerals, sugars, vitamins, enzymes, salicylic acids, and also amino acids. In terms of vitamins, aloe contains vitamins A, C E, and B12. Moreover, it is also rich in folic acid and choline. The mineral wealth in aloe contains calcium, potassium, zinc, chromium, copper, selenium, magnesium, manganese, and sodium. It also contains glucose and fructose.
