Introduction, history and general news about Aloe


Is often called the 'Miracle Plant' or the 'Natural Healer', Aloe Vera is a plant with endless surprises.
It prefers hot, dry climates, and many people wrongly mistaken for a cactus, but in reality, belongs to the lily family. Survive where other plants wilt and die being able to close its pores to prevent moisture loss.
There are over 250 varieties of aloe, but that is the Aloe Barbadensis Miller or rather the Aloe Vera plant that is most useful to humans for its medicinal properties. The habitat of this plant are very different, it includes the Mediterranean, and Eastern countries such as East Africa, India, Indian Ocean islands, but also in the American continent, from Texas to Mexico to Venezuela, and  Oceania. The plant grows naturally on dry and chalky, but you can also grow, both for seed and for cutting.

Ancient documents show that Aloe’s Vera benefits have been known for centuries. Its therapeutic advantages and healing properties have survived more than 5000 years.

There are numerous properties of the pure juice of Aloe Vera taken internally; It purifies the whole body of toxins from the outside introduced orally or respiratory failure, that those produced directly by our cells.
It stimulates and balances the immune system, increasing the body's defenses; it helps in bone and joint problems like arthritis; on the digestive system has healing effect, epithelizing, balancing PH and gastrointestinal bacterial flora.  Aloe Vera's gel can be used also to external use. Is also known for its anti-inflammatory, soothing, calming, moisturizing, anesthetic, refreshing, healing, antibiotic, and its use is ideal in case of dry and damaged skin, chapped hands, skin irritation and burns, sunburn, stings insects, itching, abrasions and dermatitis, ulcerative lesions, sores, itchy pustules of chicken pox.

Cultivation

The leaves of Aloe Arborescens are green (sometimes reddish) and variable length from 15 to 60 cm, depending on the soil, water and sun exposure. It is preferable to not give frequently the plant a drink, especially when the leaves have to be taken, since otherwise the juice is diluted.
The ideal is a plant with leaves to 40 cm in length or longer (5 years or more), but also are great plants with leaves from at least 20 centimeters (2 years).

Aloe hardly withstand temperatures below 0 ° C. Already suffering under 7-5 ° C, the ideal temperatures for growth are between 20 and 24 ° C.
The land to be used for Aloe should be sandy matrix, such as a soil composed of 3 parts sand to 1 part garden soil, on the bottom of the vase is an essential layer of expanded clay for good drainage.
Aloe is taking by cutting. The shoots cut in the summer should be left to air for 3-4 days (to allow for the flow and the drying of latex that permeates tissues and prevent the formation of roots) and then repotted in pots filled with sand. Aloe can also be reproduced from seed or division of the strains in the spring (late summer). The aloe grown in the apartment, likes an environment uniformly bright and constant temperature. The watering can be more abundant from spring to late summer, gradually thinning until the suspension of watering, or nearly so, during the winter season. If the apartment is heated, it must step up. However, avoid the saucers, the plant does not tolerate stagnation.
The only adversity that affect the plant species in the apartment are scale insect, mildew and rot, the first two are contained with the classic products, the latest adversity is prevented by adjusting the watering.
It may happen that this plant is attacked by oidium. It appears as a white film on the leaves spread in this case must be taken immediately with sulfur-based sprays.
And then there is to consider that if the plant is purchased for use as a medicine, it is advisable to grow it outdoors (in line with the external temperature), because it is the sun that contribute to the development of its quality.
A plant kept constantly at home, sees its medicinal properties reduced by 50-60%

Aquarium use

Since the plant an exceptional source of vitamins, enzymes and amino acids and rich in minerals, I asked to myself why don’t introduce in the aquarium? At the beginning of the experiment did not seem to give much of a difference, but then I noticed that the discus fish had had a most quiet, did not react with stress at every change and even breathing in a bit earlier 'fast track was now much more relaxed .
The recommended doses are 10 ml in 100 liters of water in our aquarium or if you prefer a tablespoon in 100 liters of water. There were no problems in fish overdose wrong but it is better not to exceed the recommended doses.
Of course you can use aloe vera when we make our change of water or when we made changes and maintenance in our aquarium. Useful as a water conditioner in the transport of fish. Finally we can use in the quarantine tank when we have isolated a fish with obvious signs of abrasion as the aloe vera helps to regenerate body tissue.
Obviously the dose should be proportionate to the weight of the animal. In principle can say that the right dose for animals is 1 tablespoon day for every 10 kg of body weight. Aloe in this case should be mixed with regular meals. You start with little and are increasing day by day until it reaches the maximum bowel tolerance. The ideal maintenance dose is slightly less than the maximum tolerance.

To find the optimal doses to be seen how the body reacts. Failure to heed any laxative effect, the dose may be increased without fear. If you observe a laxative effect persisted for several days then it means that the dosages are excessive and should reduce it a bit. If the laxative effect is brief and disappears after a few days means that the body has adapted and dosages are correct



Preparation


From the leaves of the Aloe Vera plant is extracted, with manual labor, a thick juice, concentrate, jelly, obtained by carefully removing the outer part of the leaf. Once deprived of this part, the central of the leaf remains almost white, translucent, which is minced and centrifuged to remove the fibers. The processing of the leaves should be carried out as soon as possible, since the conservation because a deterioration of its properties, the more pronounced as the leaves are stored after cutting.

- The plant must have at least 5 years of life.
- Collect the leaves of Aloe, away from sunshine hours (before sunrise or after sunset) and clean by removing any dust with a brush, avoiding the use of water.
- If it rained, allow the plant to dry, then use it 4-5 days after rain;
- Remove the bones with a box cutter from the leaf margin and any imperfections in the leaf (dry parts, or points blacks):
- Chop the leaves
- Blending (with regular blender) before the leaves of Aloe chopped You get a creamy prepared to keep cool.


Cut the leaves, the gel should not ever see the light. Choose leaves it too high because they are too young or too low because those are yellowed and withered. Cover them even artificial light, just put them in a plastic bag not transparent. Clean the dust with a dry cloth, wet with water. Cut away the thorns with a knife, leaving the entire outer skin.
The leaves should not belong to a young plant, but rather developed, is more developed and better, living in an unpolluted environment and the sunniest possible. If the plant is large and developed, with thick leaves and long, and is the picture of health then it is a good plant, but if it is small and undeveloped, with narrow leaves and short-looking and wrinkled, even though it should have 20 years is definitely not a good plant because it is lived in the shadow. The presence of the flower is certainly indicative of good health of the plant, but is NOT required that the flower has to be perfect. The leaves (dried or avoiding those that are too young) need to be cut in the evening or at night with the lowest possible light. It is also best not to cut the leaves after the rain (or watering), but 2-3 days later. Immediately after cutting the leaves should be cleaned with a dry cloth, always in a semi-dark room (no need to complete darkness, there must be lighting similar to that of a TV on in a dark room) and remove the bones with a knife.


Now you put the leaves chopped in a blender together. When you have gotten a green semi-liquid cream, put it in a jar in which can not enter the light and put in the refrigerator (not freezer).


General advice

The preparation must not be exposed to light even when you must use it

The preparation is best taken on an empty stomach TO ENHANCE ABSORPTION OF THE MOST ACTIVE.

IS PREFERE DO NOT EAT OR DRINK FOR AT LEAST ONE HOUR AFTER SWALLOWED.

At normal doses of Aloe HAS NO laxative effect.

Because the laxative effect occurs, the dose should be above 200 grams, that something like 20 tablespoons. To achieve this effect, we recommend using the middle part of the leaf, the more wrinkled. Doses below 10 spoons have no effect diarrhea. It's no worry. If a mild laxative effect also appears even at lower doses, however vanishes after a few days.

Aloe regulates digestion, it is also suitable for those who suffer from constipation, diarrhea. The only care is to start slowly, if there are emergencies, perhaps with a tablespoon a day, then two a day and so on until the normal dosage.

This article does not describe the use of aloe preparation, which is commonly in herbal medicine or other stores, because such preparations usually contain not only pure aloe gel, but they are treated. These treatments, not knowing the properties could be harmful to our discussion.