Aloe Be Thy Name

The plant originates from Africa, and is a short-stemmed succulent which can grow up to a metre in height. The lower leaves and seeds can be ingested; but if the leaves are sliced open, we find what this special plant is most famous for - it's gel. The properties of this gel have, many times, been scientifically evaluated, and it has been found to contain up to an amazing 70 Essential Ingredients! Within this, are most vitamins (including B12), minerals, amino acids, enzymes and protein.

Foremost, this gel has been used as a wonderful treatment for skin irritations, wounds and disorders. The gel creates a protective shield over the skin, which then allows it to heal more quickly and guards against infection (a much needed attribute in the treatment of cuts and wounds).

Because the gel also contains Aloectin B, we now also know that the rapid healing attributed to Aloe Vera may largely be due to Aloectin B's ability to stimulate and strengthen the immune system. It may also act as a pain inhibitor (why it is so popular for insect bites) and as a skin cooling agent (partly why my grandmother would grab herself a leaf from the garden, whenever I came back from the beach, looking like a lobster!).

This is the standard world of Aloe Vera Gel, and the manner in which mums all over the country have used it for decades. But in recent times, it has evolved even further. It has become popular as a moisturising agent, and is now sold in many cosmetics products for this express purpose. The non-oily gel can penetrate the skin with impressive ease, and hydrate the skin. In particular, in combining the original uses of the gel, it is particularly powerful for the hydration of chapped or cracked skin, as the gel may also heal the severe symptoms and effects of this, as it re-hydrates.

But the most fascinating breakthrough of late has been the discovery that Aloe Vera Gel can be used as a healing agent in oral care. The Academy of General Dentistry, USA, recently published findings that linked Aloe Vera Gel to the effective treatment of a variety of oral health problems, including canker sores, cold sores, herpes simplex viruses and gingivitis. Dentist, Richard L. Wynn (PhD), studied patients using Aloe Vera, both internally and externally. In his published findings, he used the case study of one patient with a severe case of Lichen Planus, a disease which affects the skin and oral mucus membranes, and found that within four weeks, the disease was successfully controlled, with the help of Aloe Vera. Part of this treatment was to use Aloe Vera Gel as a topical solution, applying it much like a lip balm.

So, there's never been a better time to try Aloe Vera Gel - especially, now that New Directions has achieved the world's first certified organic version. This is the result of months of hard work by the New Directions scientific team, and the pride of their latest success is well deserved. Grandmas, after all, are never wrong.

Aaron Darc

3 September 2007