Aloe Vera for Healing Burns and Digestion

Aloe Vera for Healing Burns and Digestion

by Melanie GrimesSee more articles by Melanie Grimes

(The Best Years in Life) Aloe vera is a succulent plant that has long been used to treat burns. It was mentioned by Pliny the Elder and also in the New Testament, "And there came also Nicodemus, which at the first came to Jesus by night, and brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes," (John 19:3940). It is long been in use as an herbal medicine in the Orient and Asia.

Raw aloe is an antibacterial as well as an antifungal, and has helped heal streptococcus growths on skin. But the two main uses of aloe vera are to treat burns and to soothe the stomach lining, as in the treatment of ulcers. Raw and processed aloe vera can be used for both of these treatments, however it is more common for processed aloe vera to be used as a drink and for the raw plant to be used directly or skin complaints and for wound healing. 
Raw aloe vera is best when obtained directly from a fresh plant. The leaves are long and pointy end because the plant is a succulent they feel a bit squishy to the touch. When you break off the tip of an aloe vera plant, it will ooze for a short time, then seal itself. The plant will continue to send out new shoots that can be used in a similar manner.  Read More.