One of the most interesting examples of of superfoods we have available to us here in Melbourne is the locally grown Aloe Vera. Originating in ancient Egypt it is likely the secret of Cleopatras legendary beauty routine. She is porported to have consumed the gel and topically applying it to her skin. This knowlege was passed to the Essenes a long lived sect that grew this plant near the dead sea and lived three times as long as ordinary folk of the period. Later the Greeks used its amazing healing abilities on soldiers wounds and would often carry potted aloe into battle.
The gel of aloe contains many great benefits, including vitamins A, C and E. All of which are useful in maintaining youthful elastic skin as well as regenerating damaged dermal tissue. It is also rich in sulfur, calcium, magnesium, zinc, selenium and chromium. These are known beauty minerals particularly sulfur which is essential in the formation of collagen. It also contains antioxidants, mucilagenous fibre and polysacharides.
So what is a mucilaginous fibre?
Essentially is is a jelly like fibre that expands in your gut allowing you to feel more full and soothing your digestive tract. It’s true genius is however is the former. When you combine a mucilaginous fibre such as aloe vera in a smoothie it slows down the digestion of what ever you combine it with allowing you to feel fuller longer. This way you can have a meal that is extremely nutritive both from the combined ingredients and the filler (aloe) itself. This allows you to prevent emotional eating there by supporting weight loss, while at the same time maintaining energy levels and reducing hunger issues during the day. Some other well known sources of mucilaginous fibre are flax, chia, and irish moss. While both chia and irish moss are also good sources flax is not recommended long term due to its estrogenic nature. This can cause issues in both men and women. Also none of these contain the powerful pollysacharides that Aloe does.
What gives aloe vera its true superfood nature is the polysacharides present in the gel. Like the mucilaginous fibre they provide a steady burning fuel source to maintain energy over time. These polysacharides also possess abilities to fight bacterial, viral and fungal infections. They calm and soothe the digestive tract and so can assist with any upsets pertaining to those areas. By dissolving mucous in the intestines aloe increases nutrient absorbtion. It is also a powerful anti inflammatory which like MSM gives the body and its cells greater flexibility and elasticity. Aloe gel has been shown to aid blood sugar stabilization and lessen the effects of diabetes. When consumed in conjunction with antioxidant rich foods it seems to increase the bioavailability of those in the body.
From a sports perspective aloe has the ability to assist in weight loss and the ability for the body to put on lean muscle mass. It also contains a lot of hydrogen and so is useful in hydrating the body. When consumed with other hydrating foods like MSM and honey it can replenish and rehydrate after intense physical exercise.
Aloe can be purchased in a prebottled form though it is very likely that this has been heated and or processed to some extent. This means that much of the true healing medicine of the plant is largely lost. It is better to seek out fresh leaves that can be purchased from some Asian grocery stores. You may have to hunt around but it is well worth the effort to do so. We have also posted a video for you to view showing how to properly prepare and filet the fresh aloe leaf.
Once the aloe has been filleted the yellow goo on the skin can be placed onto the skin. It is this pungent stuff that has the healing effects for topical application. It helps with wounds and any other skin conditions and if you have ever cut a live plant before you will note that it is this exudence that seals the plant back up. This action is reflected in its own on your body. This remarkable ability will topically assist in making your skin softer and more suble. Don’t be put off by it’s odor as you can wash it off after 10 minutes. In the case of very dry skin or burns this will not be necessary as the body will quite literally drink it in.
Stay tuned for our next post, where we will give you some delicious aloe vera smoothie recipes!
Post provided by Julze Serendipity
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment