For 6,000 Years, it’s Been Renowned for Health, Beauty and Skin Care Benefits
. . . and Aloe Vera is still going strong . . . now used in the most exclusive and expensive products on the market today.
Though the name comes from an Arabic word “alloeh” meaning “shining bitter substance,” the history of Aloe Vera has been truly sweet, indeed. In fact, “vera” in Latin means “true.”
And the list of historical figures and great cultures associated with this extraordinary plant is dazzling. The Egyptians thought Aloe “the plant of immortality.” The Greeks regarded Aloe Vera as a kind of answer for everything. And it didn’t stop there:
“Aloe Vera has been used… in several cultures for millennia: Greece, Egypt, India, Mexico, Japan and China. Egyptian queens Nefertiti and Cleopatra used it as part of their regular beauty regimes. The first reference to Aloe Vera in English was a translation by John Goodyew in A.D. 1655 of Dioscorides’ Medical treatise De Materia Medica. By the early 1800s, Aloe Vera was in use… in the United States . . . “1
A member of the lily family, Aloe Vera grows throughout the world, mostly in the dry regions of Africa, Asia, Europe and America. The plant itself is composed of three layers, including an inner clear gel that contains 99% water, and rest is made of glucomannans (a kind of dietary fiber), amino acids, lipids, sterols and vitamins. The middle layer is mostly latex, that milky fluid which is where the “bitter” part of its name comes in, which contains compounds including anthraquinones (more below). Plus, it has an outer protective layer.
Whew! When you look at all the “active constituents” in Aloe Vera, it’s extraordinary. It contains trace amounts of vitamins, enzymes, minerals, sugars, lignin, saponins, salicylic acids and amino acids.
So what does this all mean for your skin? Supporting your skin health with antioxidants such as Vitamin A helps to support soft and hydrated skin:
“Several other mechanisms have been proposed to explain the activity of Aloe Vera Gel, including stimulation of the complement linked to polysaccharides, as well as the hydrating, insulating, and protective properties of the gel.”2
A quick word about hydration. Aloe Vera Gel consists primarily of water. Hydration basically means the amount of fluid present in the body at a cellular level, and maintaining proper hydration and fluid levels is necessary for cell function. Hydration is important in many ways to skin care, including helping the body assimilate essential nutrients and excrete toxins, and assist in maintaining pH balance. It helps keep skin soft and elastic. And the water content in skin helps it perform its protective functions.
What would the ancients have said about pizza? The notion of Cleopatra eating pizza is pretty amusing. We think Gandhi would have been the first to recommend restraining yourself, no matter how wonderful the aroma! Our advice to Anonymous is to grin and bear it . . . or maybe a little ice cream for dessert.
But for easy, soothing, topical skin care, pamper yourself and give 99% Aloe Vera Gel a try. You deserve it.