"The use of Aloe Vera will be the most important single step forward in the treatment of diseases in the history of mankind."
~ H.R. McDaniel, MD

Miscellaneous

African Congo hunters rubbed their bodies with Aloe Vera to reduce perspiration and human scent, enabling them to approach their prey with less chance of detection. Following their lead, manufacturers have now formulated Aloe Vera antiperspirants and deodorants.

Other Africans hung Aloe Vera over the entrances to their huts to ward off evil spirits. Central American Indians rubbed the bodies of their children with Aloe Vera to keep mosquitoes away.

To this day, Mexican women use Aloe Vera as a shampoo and to set their hair. Research indicates that Aloe Vera penetrates the hair just as it does the skin, and gives it body and sheen.

Russian researchers have found Aloe Vera useful in eliminating bed-wetting. They have also found it useful as a spray to eliminate nasal congestion. Unlike other sprays, it does not cause irritation of the nasal passages.

I use eyedrops made from a solution of half Aloe Vera concentrate and half distilled water. It stings for just a moment, but then makes my eyes feel very refreshed.

Prevention

“An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure,” said Poor Richard in his celebrated Almanac. When you consider that bypass surgery could cost you (or your insurance company) $30,000 or more, it certainly seems as though it would be cost effective to prevent the heart disease in the first place. And the same could be said for many other degenerative diseases.

Treatments for cancer and arthritis are not exactly cheap. So far, we have only been talking about Aloe Vera’s healing powers and the conditions it can heal. But surely if it can help or heal arthritis, heart disease, diabetes, asthma, candida, ulcers, colitis, AIDS, and cancer, isn’t it logical to assume that it could also help to prevent these conditions in the first place? Scientific studies bear this out - for example, the rat study which showed that Aloe Vera prevented the onset of gastric ulcers. Bottom line: Aloe Vera is some of the cheapest insurance you can buy.

The A to Z of Aloe Vera

Several writers have attempted to catalogue all the conditions that Aloe Vera has been used for. Herewith are the results of their efforts, with an addition or two of my own.

Abrasions, abscesses, acidity, acne, AIDS, allergies, anemia, arthritis, asthma, athlete's foot.

Bad breath, baldness, bed sores, bee stings, bladder infections, blisters, blood pressure problems, boils, bronchitis, bruises, burns and bursitis.

Candida, canker sores, cancer, carbuncles, cataracts, chapped lips and skin, chemical burns, chemical peels, chemotherapy, chicken pox, circulatory problems, colds, cold sores, colic, colitis, conjunctivitis, constipation, contusions, corneal ulcers, cradle cap, cuts, cystitis.

Dandruff, denture sores, depression, dermabrasion, diabetes, diaper rash, dishpan hands, dry skin, duodenal ulcers, dysentery.

Ear infection, eczema, edema, epidermitis, Epstein-Barr virus, erysipelas.

Fever blisters, flea bites, fissured nipples, folliculitis, fungus.

Gangrene, gastritis, genital herpes, gingivitis, glands (swollen), glaucoma.

Headaches, heartburn, heat rash, hemorrhoids, hepatitis, herpes, hives, hypothyroidism.

Impetigo, indigestion, inflamed joints, insect bites, insomnia, irritable bowel syndrome, itchy skin.

Jaundice, jock itch.

Keratosis, kidney infections.

Laryngitis, leg ulcers, leukemia, liver ailments, leprosy, lupus.

Menopausal flushes, multiple sclerosis, muscle cramps/strains.

Nausea, nervous stomach.

Peptic ulcers, pin worms, poison ivy, poison oak, prostatitis, psoriasis.

Radiation burns, rashes, ringworm, rosacea.

Scabies, sebaceous cyst, seborrhea, shingles, sickle-cell disease, skin rashes, skin sores, sore throat, sprains, staph infections, stings, stretch marks, styes, sunburn.

Thrush, tendonitis, tonsillitis, trachoma, tuberculosis.

Ulcers, urticaria.

Vaginitis, varicose veins, venereal sores, vulvitis.

Warts, wind burn, wounds.

X-ray burns.

Yeast infections.

I would like to leave you with a couple of summary thoughts. It may have occurred to you to wonder why, if Aloe Vera is so great, the orthodox medical establishment has largely ignored it. I wonder about that myself. And if you should figure it out, I wish you would let me know. I do have a couple of ideas on the subject.

First of all, the medical establishment has tended to be conservative. I have described how Aloe Vera had outperformed both prednisone and indomethacin as an anti-inflammatory agent in arthritis, with none of their side effects. And yet these two drugs continue to be the treatments of choice by orthodox physicians.

Another reason, I believe, is that Aloe Vera cannot be patented as a prescription drug. When a drug company gets a patent on a drug, it can charge what it wants for it, and if the drug is popular, it can make millions from it. Eli Lilly has made billions from Prozac, and the FDA has received more adverse reaction reports on Prozac than on any drug in history. When there is this kind of money to be made from a drug, the pharmaceutical companies are willing and able to spend millions promoting it. There is no incentive to provide that kind of promotion money for Aloe Vera.

The good news, so far as Aloe Vera is concerned, is that today we are in the midst of an real shift in the field of medicine. Allopathic medicine - to which we owe the germ theory of disease, antibiotics, immunization, and many other medical marvels - has proven to be impotent in the face of degenerative illnesses such as cancer, arthritis, heart disease, etc.

A new kind of doctor, the holistic physician - who looks at the whole body and the interactions among its parts rather than at individual body parts and isolated symptoms - is rapidly gaining ground. I can recall a time not too long ago when my doctor in California suffered from constant harassment from the State Medical Board and the local medical society for prescribing dietary supplements.

Today, almost half of the people in America have visited an alternative practitioner of one kind or another. It is among these holistic practitioners and their patients that Aloe Vera will find its warmest reception. And it is they, rather than the orthodox medical establishment, who will ultimately elevate Aloe Vera to its rightful place as a vitally important treatment modality.

Meanwhile, there is no reason why you and I should wait to enjoy the health benefits of Aloe Vera. It has no known toxicity, no side effects and no contra-indications. According to Bill Coats, it is as safe as tap water (probably safer). It is a vegetable juice, and drinking it is similar to drinking carrot juice or orange juice

Please note:

The information and references contained here are for nutritional information purposes only and are not intended as a substitute for professional medical care and advice by your health practitioner. If you have – or have reason to believe that you have – a medical condition, you should seek competent medical attention.

You should let your health practitioner know if you are using nutritional supplements. This is particularly true in the case of children, and pregnant or lactating mothers. The inclusion of this article should not be regarded as a therapeutic or medical recommendation.