Aloe Vera, the great food What is Aloe Vera?

There are over 240 different species of Aloe, growing mainly in the dry regions of Africa, Asia, Europe and America. Although Aloe Vera is a member of the ily family, it is very!cactus li"e in its characteristics. This uni#ue plant also belongs to a larger plant family called $%eroids$. &f the 240' species of Aloe, only four are recogni(ed as being of nutritional value to humans and animals. Aloe barbadensis miller )Aloe Vera species* is the top of these four. +ignificantly the top. Thus, any aloe!based product you use should be made from barbadensis miller species.

Did You Know...

,ou can drin" Aloe Vera- ,ou.ve probably used it when you.ve cut or burned your s"in and had fantastic results. ,ou should consider drin"ing Aloe Vera too. /ere.s why... Aloe Vera )barbadensis miller* contains over 20 minerals, all of which are essential to the human body. The human body re#uires 22 amino acids for good health !! eight of which are called $essential$ because the body cannot fabricate them. Aloe Vera contains all of these eight essential amino acids, and 00 of the 04 $secondary$ amino acids. Aloe Vera has Vitamins A, 10, 12, 12, 102, 3 and E. Vitamins cannot be manufactured within the body, and some cannot be stored by the body, so it is necessary for the diet to sustain a continuous supply. 4hen drin"ing 5 6 Aloe Vera, it is recommended that ! to get a steady supply of these minerals, amino acids and vitamins ! one should drin" between two to four ounces of Aloe Vera 7el twice daily.

/ow Aloe products are manufactured is e8tremely important9 The gel of the Aloe plant, when e8posed to o8ygen for a prolonged time )about four hours* o8idi(es ! rendering it worthless. )This is the same reaction to air as an apple undergoes when the $insides$ are e8posed to air ! it #uic"ly browns due to o8idation.* Thus, you want the manufacturer.s reliable assurance, in writing, that not only is the species correct ! but also from harvest, to filleting )removing the outer leaf to retain only the clear gel*, to manufacturing the process is four hours or less. :f you can.t have this assurance, loo" elsewhere.

;o They 7row Their &wn Aloe ! or 1uy in 1ul"-

,ou want a manufacturer who grows their own Aloe Vera in their own fields. +ome manufacturers may purchase Aloe Vera in bul" once or twice a year and it $sits around$ while waiting for the manufacturing process. Thus, if the Aloe Vera is grown on company &4<E; and 3&<T=& E; fields, you can be better assured of freshness and nutritional value.

A Stable Gel - or the Brown Apple S ndro!e"

Aloe must be $stabili(ed$. This is a process )involving neither heat nor chemicals that would destroy the Aloe.s original compounds* that assures the Aloe )such as the final >uice or gelly, or lotion product* is essentially the same as if you freshly filleted the leaf yourself. :f it is not properly stabili(ed )in four hours or less from the time the leaf is harvested*, it may also be of no nutritional value. The reason is because Aloe Vera o8idi(es within four hours )much as an apple or potato turns brown when e8posed to the air for a period of time* from the time the gel is e8posed to the air. &nce so o8idi(ed, the gel loses it.s nutritional value. Again ! Aloe barbadensis miller, of the 200' species of Aloe Vera, is the most potent and nutritious ! with only mature plants bearing the greatest benefits. :f your Aloe Vera product isn.t produced from the Aloe barbadensis miller plant you are not getting the best #uality product. :f it is not properly stabili(ed )in four hours or less from the time the leaf is harvested*, it may also be of no nutritional value.

1&&?+ ! Aloe Vera The following are recommended boo"s@ Aloe Vera @ A +cientific Approach by =obert /. ;avis =eview@ 5ebruary 2, 0AAB E8cellent science te8t for serious researchers C therapists. ;r =obert / ;avis has gathered together scientific publications into a very worthwhile boo" on Aloe Vera. :t is aimed fairly and s#uarely at the scientificDmedical researcher with an interest in the uses of Aloe Vera in particular, or complementary therapies in general. ;r ;avis has an impeccable academic bac"ground, and has spent the last ten years researching in this area, so he was ideally placed to compile this te8t on the latest developments in Aloe research. /e is an advisor to the :nternational Aloe +cience 3ouncil. Anyone with a "een interest in the Aloe Vera story will find the hard science contained in this boo" of great value. : strongly recommend it. Eane ;avis

Aloe Vera @ <ature.s egendary /ealer by Alasdair 1arcroft

=eview@ Aloe vera has been "nown for its healing properties since the dawn of civili(ation, but only recently have scientists attempted to verify the many claims that have been made for it. This authoritative boo" sets out to separate the truth from the legend and offers a practical guide to using aloe vera for many conditions that it has been found to alleviate.

The 3omplete 1oo" of /erbs by esley 1remness +ynopsis@ 4ith more than F40,000 copies sold in hardcover, this essential, full!color resource is now available in paperbac". =evealing the enormous potential of herbs, this sourceboo" includes information on planting, growing, and harvesting herbs, as well as the main uses of herbs. :t also offers an e8haustive identification guide, recipes, ideas for gifts, and much more.