I’ve been struggling a lot with weight issues lately. During lunch at the office, my colleagues and I were discussing this topic. One of them mentioned that she drinks a glass of water mixed with aloe vera gel every day, applies aloe vera gel to her hair and face, and has noticed significant changes. She has become slimmer, her face has a radiant glow, and her hair fall has stopped. Since then, I’ve become curious about aloe vera.
I remember seeing aloe vera leaves hanging from strings at street-side juice stalls in Dhaka. Nowadays, people have progressed significantly in their use of aloe vera. It is now one of the most popular plants in the world. For nearly 5,000 years, people across the globe have been using aloe vera as a medicinal plant. Egyptian queens used it as part of their beauty regimen. Alexander the Great conquered the island of Socotra in the Gulf of Aden solely to use aloe vera for treating his wounded soldiers. In Bengali, it is called “Ghritkumari,” though some also refer to it as “Ghritkanchan.” The world knows it as Aloe vera.
Aloe vera’s native habitat is in North Africa and the Canary Islands. In 1753, Carl Linnaeus first named it Aloe perfoliata var. vera. Later, in 1768, Nicolas Laurent Burman named it Aloe vera. Several scientific synonyms and numerous cultivated varieties of aloe vera exist. It is well-known for its thick leaves, which contain a transparent, gel-like substance. Just beneath the leaf surface is a yellow-colored latex or resin, and beneath that lies the gel. Aloe vera contains vitamins, minerals, amino acids, enzymes, polysaccharides, fatty acids, and about 200 active components.
According to a 2000 article published in the British Medical Journal, aloe vera helps reduce cholesterol, regulate blood pressure, maintain proper blood circulation, and increase oxygen-carrying capacity in the blood. Overall, it reduces the risk of heart disease. Aloe vera stimulates the body’s defense system, enhancing physical, emotional, and environmental stress resistance.
Poor digestion is often the root cause of many diseases. Aloe vera improves digestion, helps combat constipation and diarrhea, and reduces harmful bacteria in the stomach. It absorbs toxins from the intestines and aids in eliminating waste through the colon. This detoxification process also contributes to weight loss. For a healthy body, the 80:20 rule is ideal—80% alkaline foods and 20% acidic foods. Aloe vera helps balance acidic foods in the body by making them more alkaline.
In today’s fast-paced world, we constantly put our bodies under stress. Due to an unhealthy lifestyle, the number of unnecessary free radicals in our body increases. Aloe vera fights against these free radicals. It also possesses skin-healing properties, making it widely used in the cosmetics industry. Aloe vera has been found beneficial in treating psoriasis. It contains beta-sitosterol and 12 other components that help reduce inflammation, ease joint pain, reduce stiffness, and lower body temperature. If any part of the body gets burned, applying aloe vera gel immediately can prevent blisters and soothe the burning sensation, thanks to its cooling properties similar to menthol.
Aloe vera users can mix the gel with vitamin E and store it in a small jar, or they can keep an aloe vera plant at home. It can be useful for minor kitchen burns or injuries.
