Did you know that we use Aloe vera gel and Aloe Vera extract for two different formulations and it’s found in many of our skin care products as well as some of our horse supplements.
Hail the Aloe Vera plant! It has short roots and thick fleshy leaves that oozes a clear gel famed for it’s healing properties. Our Spanish supplier in the south west boast the best tropical climate for growing the best quality plant. Ensuring the plant is not harvested until 3 years so the leaf develops all it’s active properties, characteristics of the soil: cool and deep, with a very specific acid level and gentle sea breeze all contribute to it’s excellent quality.
What’s the reason for the hype? The plant is known for supporting skin hydration, moisture, and clarity. It’s rich in antioxidants such as vitamin A, vitamin C, and vitamin E, and it contains seven of the eight essential amino acids.
The most valuable part of this plant is the clear gel found inside the leaves, which contain 75 health-giving nutrients, perfect for soothing insect bites, itchy skin and inflammation. It contains rich nutrients like vitamins, minerals, and amino acids. It is full of antioxidants that build strong immunity and helps the body to fight any infection. It’s amazing wound healing properties are also due to it’s clever drying process after application, as gel dries it contracts and draws the wound shut while attracting an increased flow of blood to the wound which accelerates healing. At the same time the aloe vera gel kills bacteria, prevents infection and also provides nourishment to the wound tissue.
The nutrient rich liquid extract is a natural remedy for gut-related problems and can be found in both our Aloemega and Ulsa-Soothe supplements. The polysaccharides in aloe vera have anti-inflammatory qualities that soothe and detoxify your horse’s digestive system, helping to relieve intestinal discomfort and inflammation.
Aloe vera has been known for its healing properties and medicinal uses for at least 6,000 years. In the early days, it was considered a “plant of immortality” and was presented to Egyptian pharaohs as a funeral gift, according to the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH). The first known written reports on the nourishing juice of the aloe vera plant reach as far back as 6,000 years ago in ancient Egypt. Aloe was regarded as a sacred plant the “blood” of which held the secrets to beauty, health and immortality.
Both Cleopatra and Nofretete greatly valued the nourishing juice and used it as a part of their daily skin and beauty care. The usage of aloe was regarded as the pursuit of physical beauty. Even the dead were embalmed with aloe vera because of its anti-bacterial and anti-fungi qualities. The common belief was that in stopping the physical decomposition process eternal life could be attained – both on a physical and a spiritual level. Aloe was known as the “plant of eternity”. Its anti-inflammatory and pain soothing effect were documented in the “papyrus Eber” of 1,550 BC.Over time, groups from many geographical areas have used aloe vera, including people of India, China, Mexico, and North America.
In Chinese culture, aloe has been an important ingredient in medical treatments since the times of the Marco Polo expeditions. The treatment book of Shi- Shen described aloe vera as the “Method of Harmony”- the plant played a major role in the everyday life of the Chinese. The Japanese culture also greatly values the aloe plant, in Japan it was known as the “royal plant”, the juice was consumed as an elixir and the samurai used it for embrocations.
