Aloe Vera is a medicinal plant that people have been using for its Health, Beauty, Medicinal, and Skin-care properties for centuries. The Miracle plant has two substances – Gel and Latex. The gel is a jelly-like substance found inside the leaf, and Latex is the yellow-colored liquid just underneath its leaf skin.
Aloe Vera is frequently used in the field of cosmetology these days. It can be taken in the form of medicines or juices through the mouth or applied in the form of gel or creams externally. It has over 200 components, including different vitamins, minerals, amino acids, enzymes, polysaccharide, fatty acids, etc.
Aloe Vera has many vitamins like A, C, E, folic acid, choline, B1, B2, B3, B6. Aloe Vera is also one of the plant sources of vitamin B12. Out of the 20 minerals found in Aloe Vera, few include calcium, magnesium, zinc, chromium, selenium, sodium, iron, potassium, copper, manganese. It is available in various forms- Juice, gel, creams, supplements, oil, powder and the significant benefits are as mentioned-
Skin Benefits
The skin needs nutrition of its own, and aloe vera can treat, exfoliate, moisturize, rejuvenate the skin by penetrating up to 7 layers of skin, and is more effective than creams. It can be applied directly or mix it with some ingredients of the kitchen.
- Anti-Inflammation- Have you ever noticed that many of your creams for rashes and itchy skin contain aloe vera extract as it has fatty acid, B-sitosterol, which inhibits inflammation.
- Delays Aging- Also known as Fountain of youth, it leads to collagen production, which reduces signs of aging like wrinkles, prevents sagging, and discoloration of the skin. The amino acids soften the hardened skin cells, and zinc helps in tightening the pores.
- Lightens Scars and blemishes– It is a rich source of antioxidants and vitamins that help in lightening and protecting your skin. The enzymes present reduce blemishes.
- Treats Acne– Acne is a skin condition in which few glands and hair follicles become inflamed and causes the occurrence of a pimple. Its antibacterial properties help clear acne-prone skin alternative to pricey acne medications.
- Soothes Sunburn– Have you ever experienced burns on your skin by remaining exposed to the sun for long. Aloe vera repairs skin from existing UV damage and heals first and second-degree burns.
- Treats Stretch marks, Tans– It treats cells at the epithelial level of the skin and reduces tans and stretch marks.
- Treats Dry skin- Aloe vera plant has up to 96% water content. Applying a cream containing aloe extract increases the amount of water in the outermost layer of the skin and moisturizes it and prevents dehydration.
Body & Health Benefits
- Alkalizes the body- A body with acidic pH is a breeding ground for disease. Aloe vera juice alkalizes the body and helps to balance acidic dietary habits in your body.
- Relieves constipation- Taking aloe latex/aloe vera juice helps create healthy bacteria in your gut and increases the water content in your intestines, helping the waste to pass through easily.
- Heals wounds- Aloe vera gel forms a natural seal to protect the wound and acts as a barrier for dirt and expedites the healing process.
- Controls diabetes- Consuming two tablespoons of aloe vera juice everyday helps in lowering the blood sugar in people with type-2 diabetes.
- Eye benefit- Soak a piece of cotton in aloe vera gel, close your eyes, and leave it on for a few minutes to relax the tired eyes.
- Improves digestion- The aloe vera juice uses the green part of the leaf, which contains certain enzymes that help break down sugar and fats and eases digestion by cleansing the digestive tract and prevents irritable bowel syndrome. It is most useful to drink empty stomach.
- Detoxification– Aloe vera gel is water-dense and rich in phytonutrients. It moves through the intestinal tract that helps in flushing out the toxins and impurities from our body and helps in detoxification. It helps maintain liver and kidney health, mainly responsible for detoxifying the blood and producing urine.
- Weight loss– With ample amounts of vitamins, minerals, amino acids, enzymes, and sterols, aloe vera ensures improvising the body’s absorption and utilization. Improved digestion and detoxification promotes weight loss because when our digestion improves, we naturally eliminate more efficiently. It will lighten our toxic load on the body and give us more energy.
- Cardiovascular health & cholesterol level- Beta-sitosterol lowers cholesterol by regulating blood pressure, improving circulation, oxidation of the blood, and making blood less sticky. Therefore, it may help to decrease the risk of heart disease.
- Boosts immunity– Aloe vera is an adaptogen, that increases the body’s natural ability to adapt to external changes, stimulates its defense mechanism, and resists illness. Because it contains various vitamins, around 20 minerals as mentioned above, and is the only plant source of vitamin B-12 and keeps you away from any nutrient deficiency.
- Relieves acid reflux- Aloe vera is an excellent remedy to alleviate acid reflux as it contains fatty acids that help to control the secretion of acid in your stomach.
- Relief from pain of mouth ulcers- Mouth ulcers generally occur underneath lip, mouth, and when you apply aloe vera gel on your sores, it reduces the size of ulcers and also reduces the pain in them.
- Cures gum diseases- Aloe extract is used as an alternative for chemical-based mouthwashes for removing dental plaque. Toothpaste containing aloe fights cavity-causing bacteria and treats gum diseases.
- Air purifier- It is an air filtering plant that removes harmful solvents from the air. The plant being the ‘lily of the desert’ does not require much water and can be kept inside the home.
Hair Benefits
For hair, the best form of aloe vera is to apply the plant’s fresh gel, let it sit for an hour, penetrate your Hair follicle, and rinse off with mild shampoo.
- Nourished hair- Aloe vera has a chemical composition like keratin and rejuvenates the hair with its nutrients. The scalp gets cleansed, and hair gets conditioned, giving more elasticity to the hair and prevents breakage.
- Repairs hair strands- It has vitamin A, C, E that contributes to cell turnover, promoting healthy shiny hair and repairs sun damage to hair. Vitamin B 12 and Folic acid prevents hair from falling out.
- Deep Cleans & balances scalp pH- It cleanses the hair follicles efficiently by stripping off extra oil and residue of hair products.
- Antibacterial & treats fungus- Aloe Vera’s active ingredients are antioxidants like sulfur, lupeol, salicylic acid, cinnamic acid, urea nitrogen, phenol and prevent multiplication of disease-causing microorganisms and eliminate internal and external infections. It also has an inhibitory action on fungal, bacterial, and viral infections as it is known for its antibacterial, antiviral, and antiseptic properties.
- Treats dandruff & itchy scalp– It helps reduce scalp inflammation by removing dead cells around hair follicles that causes flaky skin and dandruff in 4 to 6 weeks.
- Hair growth & reduces hair fall – Aloe vera contains something called proteolytic enzymes which repairs dead skin cells on the scalp, stimulates blood circulation on your scalp, and therefore boosts new hair growth and reduces the hair fall.
- Prevents hair thinning- Aloe vera is rich in B vitamins, and it is the only plant that has Vitamin B-12, which aids in the prevention of hair thinning.
The beauty and health industry are astonished by the incredible benefits of aloe vera. Because of its innumerable benefits, it is also known as ‘The Plant of Immortality.’
