Aloe Vera

Most of us turn to aloe vera for those dangerous sunburns (sunscreen people!!)... but did you know it's much more versatile than that?   There is nothing on this planet that offers the amazing variety of healing benefits granted by aloe vera. In a single plant, aloe vera offers potent, natural medicine that:

• Halts the growth of cancer tumors.

• Lowers high cholesterol.

• Repairs "sludge blood" and reverses "sticky blood".

• Boosts the oxygenation of your blood.

• Eases inflammation and soothes arthritis pain.

• Protects the body from oxidative stress.

• Prevents kidney stones and protects the body from oxalates in coffee and tea.

• Alkalizes the body, helping to balance overly acidic dietary habits.

• Cures ulcers, IBS, Crohn's disease and other digestive disorders.

• Reduces high blood pressure natural, by treating the cause, not just the symptoms.

• Nourishes the body with minerals, vitamins, enzymes and glyconutrients.

• Accelerates healing from physical burns and radiation burns.

• Replaces dozens of first aid products, makes bandages and antibacterial sprays obsolete.

• Halts colon cancer, heals the intestines and lubricates the digestive tract.

• Ends constipation.

• Stabilizes blood sugar and reduces triglycerides in diabetics.

• Prevents and treats candida infections.

• Protects the kidneys from disease.

• Functions as nature's own "sports drink" for electrolyte balance, making common sports drinks obsolete.

• Boosts cardiovascular performance and physical endurance.

• Speeds recovery from injury or physical exertion.

• Hydrates the skin, accelerates skin repair.

Recently I began digesting pure aloe each morning in my smoothie.  So simple and so healthy!  Here's what you do: 

• Take a sharp kitchen knife and a sheet of paper towel to your aloe vera plant. Find the thickest, healthiest looking leaf, and slice it away from the plant. (Don't worry, the plant will heal the cut closed very quickly). I use the paper towel to wipe the leaf clean of any dust that might be on it.
• Come back to your kitchen table. Cut off the cut end once more where you see the yellow or amber colour bleed from it. That is a very healing ingredient, but it has a bitter taste. Personally I avoid that, but if I were sick enough, I'd take that too!
• Take a plate and lay down the aloe leaf on it's side. With the knift still in hand, I slice up the side for the full length of the leaf, but I try to leave the other side in-tact at the skin. Now I can lay the leaf open with the bottom and the top halves both facing up. They are hinged together by the skin I did not cut through.
• Next I put down the knife and pick up a teaspoon. With the spoon, I scrape gently but firmly down the full length of the leaf from the pointed end to the cut end. Try to avoid catching the green gel of the skin, as it will taste bitter too. We just want the clear aloe gel as it is tasteless. 
• With the knife and spoon I cut up the long slippery pieces of aloe gel so they are like small bit-sizes. (Some of us have vivid imaginations and can get crazy ideas if a long slippery thing goes down our throats). Since they are hard to get ahold of, I scrap the gel pieces into a small medicine cup.
• Lift up the cup and throw it back into your mouth and down the throat. If your imagination is doing a number on you, drink some water or juice right after it. OR you can toss it into a blender with some other fresh juice. One short buzz and you have no idea that you're eating your aloe vera, for it has no real taste but what other foods contribute when combined.
• Never one to waste...  I take one extra step or benefit from this stem of aloe vera. I take the freshly scraped green stem skin and do a quick face wash with the aloe gel still on it. If left lying around that scraped skin will soon dry out and be paper-thin and dry. But before I thow it away for compost, I quickly take this one more advantage of it. By wiping it all over my face, my complexion get's a rejuvenating lift - an energy drink!

I dare you... try it for a week and see how you feel!

~ Christina