Ancient civilizations, including Greece and Egypt, made use of the aloe plant at one time or another. The Egyptians used aloe vera much like we use it today, to soothe skin irritations. Cleopatra used aloe vera in her beauty treatments, rubbing it on her face as an ointment to smooth and firm her skin. The plant has been actively used in healing, both minor and major, for thousands and thousands of years.
The uses of aloe vera are so well known, it may even be nature’s first wonder drug. Growing mainly in tropical climates, aloe plants seem to thrive in household gardens. Keeping an aloe plant near the kitchen is even said to bring good luck, warding off evil and home-related accidents. In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, aloe was commonly and quite widely used in healing ailments of all kinds.
Though aloe vera is known for its uses on the skin, curing everything from wrinkles to rashes to acne, it can also serve as a liver and kidney tonic, laxative, or relieve a nauseated stomach – to name a few more uses. Aloe vera has even been used (successfully) in the treatment of viral infections. So thoroughly used for medicinal purposes, aloe vera almost has to be called a wonder drug.
And while it may or may not be the oldest, it is definitely one of the oldest that is still widely used today. After so many advances in medicine, nature’s cures still prove to be the most useful and the most reliable. Perhaps that is what is really so wonderful about aloe – it’s naturally-occurring, so that anyone can grow it and anyone can use it. Finding ways to use aloe is as easy as clicking a mouse.
The Internet is filled with aloe vera information, for those who’d like to know more about growing and using the plant for everything from skin ailments to constipation. Why not make use of this wonderful plant? A quick Internet search will reveal that many others do make use of it, and quite often – the cyber world abounds with aloe vera recipes and usage instructions. Every part of the aloe plant’s leaves are used for some form of medicinal purpose or another, so nothing on the plant has to be put to waste.
Whether growing an aloe plant is really good luck or not, growing an aloe plant is definitely a good idea. It’s like having a huge medicine cabinet…all in a few leaves. Keep it close to the kitchen to immediately treat burns, or close to the bathroom to keep a supply of anti-aging products close at hand. Aloe vera, nature’s wonder plant, can be used to do almost anything, and happens to thrive in indoor environments. Having a free healing plant close at hand certainly can’t hurt.
