Aloe Vera 'The Plant Of Immortality' History Origin and Composition

by healthcarepro

Lily of the Desert

Aloe Vera has been used for thousands of years in all kinds of health issues.The name Aloe is probably derived from the Arabic word “alloeh” or the Hebrew word “allal” both means “bitter substance”. In Africa they call the plant ‘Aalwijn’ which also means “bitter juice”.

The genus includes about 300 species of Aloe thickened leaves (leaf succulents).

Aloe barbadensis

The aloe plant has two scientific names. This is due to confusion about the origin of the original plant. The plant is in fact not from Barbados but from the Arabian Peninsula. These plants were grown only in Barbados at that time but now grows anywhere, if the climate is subtropical.. So they changed the name Aloe Vera to Aloe barbadensis (by Philip Miller in 1768). However, this was quite a mouthful. Soon, it became Aloe vera again. It is now officially called the Aloe vera. Aloe vera plant is thus a synonym for Aloe barbadensis.

Origin: Africa, Arabian Peninsula

Aloe vera is one of the oldest known medicinal plants. In ancient Greece, the doctors used the plant in their prescriptions while with the ancient Egyptians, the plant was not only used as a medicine, but also as the elixir of life, for skin care and embalming. They called this plant: “The Plant of Immortality”. They included this among the gifts buried with the pharaohs.

The powerful healing properties of aloe Vera were first discovered by the ancient Egyptians. They grew aloe vera widely and it is believed that the stories surrounding Cleopatra’s infinite beauty circles around the extensive use of this medicinal plant. The Greeks knew Aloe Vera and Alexander the Great was a big fan of this powerful plant. He used this plant as a first aid in the battle. He even conquered the island of Socotra, part of present-day Yemen, purely to stock aloe vera for him and his troops. There are also records of Aloe being used as a medicine by Christopher Columbus in his voyages.
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