Our skin is the front line defense in our daily fight against pollution and other environmental irritants, so we need to protect and reinforce it with extra care. Aloe vera, whose most traditional use as a natural remedy is to soothe the skin, is an ideal defense. We have designed unique and varied products that work naturally by moisturizing and providing essential nutrients and vitamins to the skin. Our skin care products can help protect the skin against the environment’s harsh effects, and are reinforced with the International Aloe Science Council Seal of Approval.
Forever Living Products has combined all the benefits of aloe vera gel with the finest quality ingredients to offer you a range of natural personal care products that are second to none. From head to toe, our products have you covered with pure, stabilized Aloe Vera. From lotions and gels to shampoos and cleansers, look and feel your best with our complete Personal Care line!
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Understanding Aloe and Its Uses
The benefits of using Aloe Vera were discovered long ago in ancient times. Today, people are still using Aloe Vera for its many restorative and healing properties. The pulp (gel) of the Aloe leaf has been used both externally and internally by many people. But before learning of the many benefits for using an Aloe Vera product, you should first learn about Aloe Vera. The Aloe Vera plant contains a gel within it that people have used for centuries for healing purposes. This gel is derived from the leaves of an Aloe Vera plant when the leaves are cut or slashed. In a way, the Aloe Vera plant heals itself when cut or slashed. Upon observation, it was discovered that when you cut or slash an Aloe Vera leaf, the fluid (gel) and life blood of the plant begins to spurt out. But within a few seconds, the plants wound films over. A few moments later, a protective rubber like coating begins to surround the plants wound. Not much time later, the plants wound is completely healed. Upon seeing this happen, people knew that the Aloe Vera plant has the ability to heal itself and could possibly help a persons wound heal as well.
External Use Aloe Vera is known to heal skin. Many people will testify that Aloe Vera penetrates their skin rapidly and aids in healing their skin faster than ever thought possible. Aloe Vera is used in this manner in forms of Aloe Vera skin care products. This can be: Aloe Vera lotion, Aloe Vera creams and Aloe Vera gels. People use Aloe Vera skin care products to heal cuts, scrapes and burns. Pregnant woman have been known to use Aloe Vera lotion and Aloe Vera gel to make stretch marks disappear. People have even been using Aloe Vera to reduce the appearance of scars and wrinkles.
Burns: The healing properties of Aloe Vera for burns are undeniable. Studies have shown that Aloe Vera helps new skin cells form and hastens healing. The Aloe Vera plant has the amazing ability to provide essential nutrients needed to promote healthy tissue growth by reducing inflammation and killing bacteria and other foreign organisms that thrive on damaged skin cells caused by burns. Aloe Vera’s cooling effect offers instant relief from burns and will typically prevent, or greatly reduce, blistering when applied immediately after receiving a burn. Dermatology: Aloe Vera is used widely in dermatology. It is reputed to be effective in the treatment of seborrhea, herpes, red spots, psoriasis, eczema, mycosis and fever blisters. Allergies: It is proven that the pulp of Aloe Vera relieves the itching due to allergies and insect bites, as well as aiding in the healing, in both man and animals. Cosmetics: Aloe Vera cosmetics deliver skin care and makeup all-in-one. The combination of natural ingredients, from 100% pure Aloe Vera and antioxidant vitamins, to marine extracts and chamomile, will protect, nourish and soothe your skin. With Aloe Vera cosmetics, you can look beautiful and nourish your skin at the same time! Skin Care: Aloe Vera can also be used as a treatment for many types of skin conditions. It promotes healthy healing of minor cuts, scrapes and scratches. It seals off the injury and helps new skin cells form. Aloe Vera works well for burns, sunburns and even frostbite. It increases the blood flow to burnt tissue, which greatly quickens the healing of damaged cells. It also has enzymes that relieve pain, reduce inflammation and decrease redness. It even has anti-fungal and anti- bacterial properties. Scalp and Hair Care: It’s no secret that Aloe Vera is good for your hair and scalp. Aloe Vera shampoos have been around for years. When it comes to hair, the fewer chemicals you expose your hair to, the better. Aloe Vera acts as a natural hair conditioner and can be used in place of chemical based conditioners. If you are suffering from excessive hair loss, reducing the amount of chemicals you put in your hair is an important first step. When massaging the scalp with Aloe Vera, the astringent action closes the pores but the penetrating capability of Aloe Vera fortifies the roots. Shampooing with an Aloe based shampoo revitalizes drab and dry hair. Mouth and Teeth Care: The mouth is a cavity that is loaded with soft and delicate tissues. These tissues have a steady supply of foodstuffs, which make it an ideal breeding ground for bacteria. The bacterial flourishing in the mouth also attacks the teeth and induces dental troubles like stomatitis, bad breath, gingivitis and periodontitis. Aloe Vera is a natural anti-fungal agent and anti- bacterial plant. It can work marvels for dental health and protects the highly sensitive fragile tissues of the mouth when consumed internally.
Internal Use Aloe Vera is not just used as Aloe Vera skin care products. Aloe Vera can also be used internally. Many people consume Aloe Vera gel to help with many things. A common thing Aloe Vera gel is used for is constipation. Many people also use Aloe Vera gel to ease the pain or ulcers and arthritis. Not all of the benefits of Aloe Vera ingested internally have been proven scientifically. But people testify that it works for them.
Detoxification: Aloe Vera gel also has many positive healing benefits on your body. An analysis of the Aloe Vera plant has conclusively shown that it is made up of a large variety of substances that are found in the human body; vitamins and minerals, amino acids and enzymes. Perhaps no other plant more closely matches the biochemistry of the human body. Aloe Vera gel acts as a detoxifier and healing agent inside your digestive tract and nearly anyone who has digestive problems may benefit from drinking Aloe Vera gel. Many people have also had great success when taking Aloe Vera gel for ulcers. Aloe Vera gel is not just for people with digestive problems though. Regular daily dosages of Aloe Vera gel will often increase a person’s energy level dramatically and gives a feeling of general well- being. Digestive Function: Aloe Vera is anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial and anti-viral; it also has the potential to soothe irritations of the digestive tract, such as ulcers, colitis and Irritable Bowel Syndrome. The gel also actively encourages the release of pepsin, which is a gastric enzyme, necessary for the digestive process. Immune System Function: Aloe Vera is full of vitamins, minerals and other nutrients that can help heal stomach and digestive disorders. Research has shown that it balances and modulates the immune system, thereby lowering food intolerances and the body’s reaction to them. Liver, Stomach and Intestine: Aloe Vera gel is high in essential enzymes, which stimulate digestion and liver functions. The synergistic effect of Aloe Vera gel used in combination with a few other herbs does wonders as a liver-cleansing agent. Aloe Vera also contains a rare natural ingredient called Saponins, which is provided by nature to cleanse and flush out waste products and toxins. Cell Function: One of the most remarkable qualities of Aloe Vera gel is its ability to speed up the cell renewal process. This helps to improve many cellular functions and protects the skin from degeneration. Aloe Vera has an astringent action and tightens the skin, thus protecting it from early aging. Antiseptic: The Aloe Vera plant produces at least 6 antiseptic agents: lupeol, salicylic acid, urea nitrogen, cinnamonic acid, phenol and sulphur. All of these substances are recognized as antiseptics because they exhibit anti- microbial activity. Aloe has been used to eliminate many internal and external infections, wounds and ulcers. Lupeol, salicylic acid and magnesium are very effective analgesics. This explains why Aloe is effective in alleviating pain. With all of the benefits that are known for Aloe Vera, it is no wonder people use Aloe Vera so much. There are all kinds of Aloe Vera products available. However, those using Aloe, should heed the words of the ancient Greek physician Dioscorides, who said that the healing properties are to be found in the yellowish to liver-coloured, offensive smelling, bitter tasting gel. But many “so-called” 100% Aloe Vera products available in the market, of which most do not meet the description of Dioscorides, might be questioned, because if the product you are thinking of buying looks like water, smells like water and tastes like water, most likely you are buying - water.
Ensuring you drink true Aloe Vera Aloe Vera has a mildly bitter taste which may be unpleasant in the raw state. It is possible to get used to the taste of plain Aloe Vera gel, but if you can’t, the addition of some fruit juice helps to make it more palatable. Many preparations are available that claim to provide Aloe Vera in tablet or capsule form. It is unlikely that many of the delicate beneficial components will survive the manufacturing process, and these products often contain so little Aloe Vera anyway. The market for Aloe Vera products is so clouded with conflicting claims with manufacturers in for a quick buck, and unscrupulous players, that it is no wonder that many health professionals remain skeptical of the benefits of Aloe Vera.
Importance of Stabilization The Aloe Vera plant thrives in warm, dry conditions – a climate which is not prevalent in every part of the world. The popularity and effectiveness of Aloe Vera, in climates where the plant does not grow, are made possible only by a process called stabilization. The inner leaf gel of the Aloe Vera plant is where most of the curative and medicinal properties of the plant lie. In the wild, this gel is well protected by the fleshy outer rind, which prevents moisture loss and protects it from the atmosphere. However, once the leaf is cut and the gel is exposed to air, it begins to oxidize and as the oxidation process continues, the gel is robbed of many of its beneficial properties. This is because in order to survive, the plant starts to feed on its own nutrients and so, all the beneficial properties are re-absorbed by the plant itself in its effort to provide nutrition for itself. Hence, a method had to be derived to prevent this oxidation from occurring when the leaves were harvested. Stabilization is a method of preserving the gel, in a state as close as possible to its original form, without losing the original potency and effectiveness of the fresh leaf. Without stabilization, spoilage of the gel will occur, even under refrigeration. A study conducted by the Food & Drug Research Laboratories in New York found that stabilized Aloe Vera was “virtually identical” to fresh Aloe Vera gel obtained from the plant.
Whole Leaf Versus Stabilized Inner Gel: Whole leaf Aloe Vera supplements have been available in the market for a long time, but many of the common Aloe Vera supplements are a bit misleading. “Whole leaf” means they grabbed the entire Aloe Vera plant, blended up the whole thing (gel, sap and leaf skin), and then they filter out all the harmful components, which also removes a lot of the goodness. At first, it sounds great until you realize that the sap and outer skin of Aloe Vera causes diarrhea. The primary healing part of Aloe Vera is the gel, and “only the gel”. A quality product needs to separate the gel from the rest of the leaf, and then prepare the gel into a supplement or liquid. This process is obviously more labor intensive. Unlike the gel, the skin and sap of the Aloe Vera leaf are not food. In fact, they’re extremely bitter precisely for the reason of discouraging desert animals from eating the plants. If you slice open an Aloe Vera leaf, and place that on the ground, the desert animals will only eat the gel! Think of it in terms of an orange juice company putting the orange rind in their juice, just because it too may have some smaller amounts of nutrients. Orange rind may indeed have some small degree of nutrients, but the inner juice and pulp is still better. Which would you pick orange juice as you now know it, or orange juice with the rind blended in?
Home Grown Versus Organically cultivated Aloe It’s very common to see Aloe Vera plants potted on window sills or if you have the luxury, in your backyard. Aloe Vera is a great plant to have in your home as it’s one of the few plants that releases oxygen and absorbs carbon dioxide in the dark, making it very suitable for growing in bedrooms (Usually plants give off carbon dioxide at night). The Aloe Vera plant also has the fantastic ability to absorb toxins from the atmosphere, cleaning the air that comes into your home from poisonous toxins such as Carbon Monoxide, nitrous gases, pollutants in the atmosphere. While it does all that, where do you think this poisonous substance that is absorbed from the atmosphere is stored? Many people boast of the fact that they grow their own Aloe plants and cut it fresh every morning for their intake. This is a common myth that the plants grown in your backyard or on your window sill are even ingestible. What they might be potentially doing is directly eating the poisons from the atmosphere. If you are going to start using Aloe Vera, make sure that the plants that are used for the products are grown in a lead free, pollution free environment, without harmful chemical pesticides used in their cultivation. Also make sure that the Aloe you use is one of the top 3 “medicinal” types of Aloe and is at least 3 years old before its leaves are harvested for use. |
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The products discussed are not intended to diagnose, mitigate, treat, cure or prevent a specific disease or class of diseases. You should consult your family physician if you are experiencing a medical problem.
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