Known to the Egyptians as the plant of immortality and to Native Americans as the wand of heaven, aloe vera comes with a wide array of amazing healing properties. Aloe vera is not only limited to topical use but is actually more beneficial to your body when taken internally.
Aloe vera contains over 200 biologically active, naturally occurring constituents which include polysaccharides, vitamins, enzymes, amino acids, and minerals that promote nutrient absorption.
According to The Journal of Environmental Science and Health, aloe vera also possesses anti-bacterial, anti-viral, and anti-fungal properties that assist the immune system in cleansing the body of toxins and invading pathogens.
Here are the top ten benefits of Aloe Vera:
- Adaptogen: An adaptogen is something that boosts the body’s natural ability to adapt to external changes and resist illness. Adaptogen balances the body’s system, stimulating the defense and adaptive mechanisms of the body, allowing an increased ability to cope with stress (physical, emotional and environmental stress like pollution).
- Alkalizes the Body: Disease cannot manifest in an alkaline environment. Most people are living and subsisting on mostly acidic foods. For great health, remember the 80/20 rule – 80% alkaline forming foods and 20% acidic. Aloe vera is an alkaline-forming food. It alkalizes the body, helping to balance overly acidic dietary habits. Here's a list of alkaline-forming foods: http://www.betterbones.com/alkaline-balance/alkaline-forming-foods
- Antioidant: removes potentially damaging oxidizing agents in a living organism, counteracts the deterioration of stored food products and antibacterial properties.
- Boost the Immune System: The polysaccharides in aloe vera juice stimulate macrophages, which are the white blood cells of your immune system that fight against viruses. Aloe is also an immune enhancer because of its high level of anti-oxidants, which help combat the unstable compounds known as free-radicals, contributing to the aging process. Aloe is also an antipyretic (used to prevent or reduce fever) which does the same to the body as aspirin, tylenol, or ibuprofen. In ethnobotany, plants with naturally occurring antipyretic properties are commonly referred to as febrifuges (fever-reducing medication).
- Cardiovascular Health: By regulating blood pressure, improving circulation and oxidation of the blood, lowering cholesterol, and making blood less sticky, aloe vera juice may be able to help lower the risk of heart disease.
- Detoxification: Aloe Vera is a gelatinous plant food, just like seaweeds and chia seeds. The main benefit to consuming gelatinous plant foods in your diet is that these gels move through the intestinal tract absorbing toxins along the way and get eliminated through the colon. This will help the proper elimination of waste from your body and help the detoxification of your body.
- Digestion and Weight Loss: Natural Laxative, improves digestion, detoxifies bowels, more enegetic. Poor digestion is related to many diseases. A properly functioning digestive tract is one of the keys and foundations of health. Aloe is known to soothe and cleanse the digestive tract and help improve digestion.
- Disinfectant, Anti-biotic, Anti-microbial, Germicidal, Anti-bacterial, Anti-septic, Anti-fungal & Anti-viral: Aloe vera’s active ingredients are sulphur, lupeol, salicylic acid, cinnamic acid, urea nitrogen and phenol which are substances that prevent the growth of disease-causing microorganisms and act as a team to provide antimicrobial activity thus eliminating many internal and external infections, also active against bacteria. It also helps to treat fungal and viral infections.
- High in Vitamins & Minerals: Aloe Vera contains many vitamins including A, C, E, folic acid, choline, B1, B2, B3 (niacin), B6. The plant also contains vitamin B12. Some of the 20 minerals found in Aloe vera include: calcium, magnesium, zinc, chromium, selenium, sodium, iron, potassium, copper, manganese.
- Lowers blood sugar levels in diabetics: Approximately 29 million people in the United States are living with Type 2 diabetes, and another 86 million have prediabetes. Adults with prediabetes assigned aloe vera supplements saw improvement in fasting plasma glucose, and those with type 2 diabetes saw improvement in HbA1c (glycated haemoglobin), according to a recent meta-analysis.
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