The majority of the hundreds of thousands of known plant life on Earth are inedible, irritant or poisonous to humans. However, to our benefit, there are also hundreds that can be eaten and used to heal ourselves. Aloe Vera is one of the plants that humans have used for thousands of years to heal internally and externally. Black people, as far back in the land of Kemet (Ancient Egypt) had the knowledge of Aloe Vera’s importance as a medicinal plant. There are 6,000-year old stone carvings in Kemet with pictures of the plant, which they called the "Plant of Immortality." Approximately 1500 B.C.E. in Kemet during the reign of Waset’s Per-aa, Amen-Hotep, the uses of Aloe Vera were recorded on a famous papyrus for its use in cosmetics and herbal medicines. The Kemetic Queens Nefertiti and Cleopatra applied Aloe Vera on their brown skin regularly to enhance their natural beauty. In addition, Aloe Vera was also taken internally to cleanse the stomach, heal tonsillitis, and mouth diseases, as well as used externally to relieve bruises, wounds and many skin conditions, such as dry itchy skin, etc.
Aloe Vera is scientifically known as Aloe Barbadensis Miller (True Aloe). There are approximately 300 varieties of the Aloe plant. Aloe Vera is known as the Healing Plant, Wonder Plant, Miracle Plant, Burn Plant, First Aid Plant, Lily of the Desert, Jelly Leek, Wand of Heaven, Goddess, and Plant of Immortality. Aloe is native to East and South Africa, and it grows well in sunny, warm and dry climates. Aloe Vera is a member of Liliacea succulent perennial plant family; it grows in a clump and has long, spiky, green leaves. Large yellow-orange tubular flowers can bloom at the center of the plant at the top, they can reach maturity at 3-4 years, and can reach a height of 40 inches with up to 21 leaves and weighing 4 pounds.
Aloe’s modern name derives from the Arabic word Aaaoeh, meaning “bitter.”
Hundreds of current scientific research reports have confirmed that Aloe Vera can be effectively used as a treatment for eczema, psoriasis, ringworm, abscess, cysts, peptic ulcers, lung disorders, chronic leg ulcers, periodontal disease, insect bites, seborrhea, hair loss, wounds, sunburns, skin moisturizes, hydrates, and rejuvenates the skin. In addition, when taken internally, it can help the conditions of mouth sores, stomach sores, cold sores, constipation, ulcers, diabetes, headaches, arthritis, and coughs.
Aloe Vera‘s exceptional healing properties are linked to 140 individual substances, 70 essential nutrients, including a wealth of vitamins, minerals, enzymes, protein, phytosterols and amino acids. Aloe Vera juice has vitamins A (beta-carotene and retinol), B1 (thiamine), B2 (riboflavin), B3 (niacin), B6 (pyridoxine), B12 (cyanocobalamin), choline, vitamin C (ascorbic acid), E (tocopherol) and folic acid. Also, there are minerals such as calcium, chlorine, copper, germanium, iron, magnesium, manganese, potassium, silicon, sodium, sulfur and zinc in the Wonder Plant. In addition, there are powerful anti-inflammatory, anti-cholestromatic, antimicrobial, antiseptics disinfectant, anti-biotic, germicidal, anti-bacterial, anti-septic, anti-fungal and anti-viral agents, like lupeol, salicylic acid, urea nitrogen, cinnamonic acid, phenols and in sulphur. The Miracle Plant also has 23 polypeptide immune stimulators that can be effective against a wide range of immune system diseases, and may assist in the prevention and treatment of cancer. There are warnings against long-term use of Aloe Vera, especially internally (women should avoid it during pregnancy) because of the potency of the First-Aid Plant; it could cause loss of electrolytes and especially potassium.
Currently, Aloe Vera is used around the world in various countries for its wide range of healing and curing qualities. To guarantee that the demand for Aloe Vera gel and juice is met, there are large-scale operations of agricultural production in Kenya, Tanzania, South Africa, Jamaica, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, India, China, Mexico and North America.
The exceptionality of Aloe Vera also leads many Africans to place Aloe Vera plants inside or outside of a home for protection and good luck sake. In effect, there are uses for Aloe Vera in some traditional African spiritual systems, for example, Haitian Vodou, Jamaican Obeah, and Ancient Kemet. In many Caribbean islands, Aloe Vera is believed to have protective, cleansing and good luck spiritual energies. In Haiti, where Aloe Vera is called Lalwa, it is often used in the making of protective devices. Within Jamaican’s Obeah mysticism, the Aloe Vera is used to give spiritual baths. The worshippers believe that Aloe Vera has the power to cleanse away and ward off evil spirits. Additionally, Jamaican Obeah followers have a belief that sickness has a spiritual energy that cannot be treated with just western medicine. In Kemet, Aloe Vera mixed with myrrh and honey was used as a mummification ingredient. Indeed, Aloe Vera was associated with the Kemetic people’s belief in the afterlife; it helps the soul’s entrance and journey into the afterlife by preserving the natural appearance of the physical body. It contains healing properties that preserve the elasticity in the skin of the mummified body, and thus, Aloe Vera was an ingredient in the embalming herbal blend. It was paramount that the deceased body be maintained in the best possible condition as possible. The Healing Plant of Immortality will assist in the protection and preservation of the physical body so that the infinite soul can make the long journey to the next life or realm of existence.
Researchers have found that ancient Chinese, Indian, Greek and Roman physicians also made use of Aloe Vera with great results. Those ancient people of the world who discovered the first therapeutic uses of Aloe Vera revered it as a special, sacred, and spiritual plant.
By
Brother Ibo Changa
AI Philadelphia
