In Madagascar, children are wrapped in the enormous leaves of the kalanchoe when they are born. There, the leaves are prized for their velvety softness to the touch which is so characteristic of this plant. We know this thanks to the efforts of explorers and botanists who have written the multi-volume encyclopaedias and comprehensive text books on plants. Others, like Margarita, obtain their knowledge through personal experience of the flora that they so admire.
Kalanchoe
It is this direct contact with nature that helps us to understand its cycles, laws and needs, and to use them accordingly for our own ends. It is possible that Margarita does not know the scientific names of her plants, or which individual substance is responsible for what effect. But, despite her presumed lack of knowledge, Margarita is nevertheless a botanical expert and creator in paradise. Aside from the fact that she has in the past already shown us how to maintain a healthy garden, a happy marriage and lead a largely stress-free life, our friend has also shared with us everything she knows about the aloe vera plant. We know of some 40 species, and much has been written about their healing properties.
Margarita
Aloe vera, or aloe from Barbados or Curacao, has been growing on Ibiza for more than a hundred years, but we don’t know how it came here. We know that it originated from the north-east coast of Africa and that the Portuguese brought it to Central America. From the beginning of its commercialisation to the present day, its growth for use in both pharmaceutical and cosmetic products has been remarkable. Aloe vera is modern. At fairs, markets and flea markets you will always find several stalls devoted to this most versatile of plants.
Its uses in modern medicine are manifold. The large number of beneficial chemical components found in aloe bestows on it numerous qualities and effects. It is meant to be ‘softening’ and it also ‘accelerates healing’, ‘promotes clotting’, ‘dispenses emollients’, ‘moisturises’ and ‘exfoliates’. It is described as ‘hypoallergenic’ and ‘sterilizing’ as well as ‘anti-inflammatory’, ‘astringent’, ‘choleretic’ and ‘a laxative’. It’s safe to say that it relieves pain and inflammation and activates fibroblasts, the cells that play an important role in the healing of a wound.
Margarita, our personal wise woman, knows several of these tricks. If you want to use the anti-inflammatory properties of aloe vera, you should not just pluck a dry leaf, which is what we would probably do. Margarita knows that the leaves have to be cooked, and that the liquid then has to be reduced by half to produce an effective solution to treat the inflammation. Maria does not know that at this point the mucilage springs into action which contains a chemical component that has softening properties. But what she does know is that aloe vera has helped her out in cases where conventional medicine could not help her. She doesn’t need further evidence and explanations.
She also uses aloe ‘soup’ when she has problems with her circulation. She washes her legs with it, “always from the bottom to the top,” she emphasises. In this case the aloe enlarges the capillaries and increases the blood flow to the area where it has been applied. Margarita is a born worker. She is always busy with her plants and animals or looking after the house. Only her circulation gives her problems, but she has a friend for that – aloe.
She discovered this plant’s wondrous properties for the treatment of ulcers through a prescription from her doctor: “Don Mario, the surgeon who performed a caesarean section on me, recommended it to me.” Aloelin is responsible for this effect; it also helps with heart burn. Wounds heal quicker thanks to the anti-inflammatory properties of this wonderful source of drugs. Place a soft piece of peeled leaf on the wound and it will heal immediately. Emolin, emodin und barbaloin produce a salicylic acid which relieves pain and reduces fever. Phosphate helps accelerate the healing of wounds, by stimulating cell regeneration through exfoliation. Saponin supports this process as a cleansing agent.
So you see: Aloe is as versatile as it is useful. You can find a long list of its properties and uses, including its decorative impact. It contains twelve kinds of minerals and ten types of vitamins. This must be the reason why the ancient Egyptians knew the aloe vera plant as ‘the plant of immortality’.
© 2012 PITIUSA MEDIA GROUP S.L.U.
