Common name: Aloe vera
Biological name: Aloe barbadensis L.
Family: Aloaceae

History
Aloe vera is one of the oldest known therapeutic herbs and is
renowned worldwide as a healing plant. It originated in the
Cape Verde islands off the West African Coast. First mentioned
in the Egyptian "Papyrus Ebers" in 1550 B.C. for its medical
and embalming value, aloe vera was supposedly used to embalm
the body of Christ.

Both the Greek historian Dioscorides and the Roman naturalist
Pliny recommended aloe vera about 2,000 years ago as an
effective remedy for constipation, burns, wounds, bruises,
skin irritations, kidney problems and more.

It is referred to in many scriptures all over the world and
down through the ages. Hindus call it the "silent healer,"
Chinese the "harmony remedy" and even Christopher Columbus
mentioned its importance.

Description
Aloe vera leaves have a bitter yellow latex right below the
outer skin. This latex contains an anthraquinone called
barbaloin, which is activated by the intestinal flora and
acts as a laxative. In its raw form, it can cause
uncontrollable bowel spasms. Aloe vera juice is usually
extracted from the whole plant and is used for chronic
constipation. The juice should not be used regularly because
it depletes electrolytes from the body and can cause muscle
weakness.

In the '70s, American scientists found a way to separate the
gel from the leaf and stabilize it. This inner mucilaginous
part of the plant, the gel, is sterile, contains most of the
plant's nutrients and is the part most used in treatment of
various ills. So far, 200 nutrients have been found in the
gel of the leaf, just a few of which are: 8 essential amino
acids, 12 non-essential amino acids, 12 anthraquinones,
10 enzymes and many minerals and vitamins.

Medicinal Value
The list of ailments aloe vera is used for in holistic
medicine is even longer than the list of nutrients. It has
been successfully used in the healing process of burns,
wounds, gastric ulcers, and as a treatment for diabetes and
diabetic wounds. A polysaccharide in aloe vera, called
glucomannan, works as an anti-inflammatory. Another one,
Aloctin A, has immune system stimulating and anti-tumor
properties. Other parts have shown antiviral properties.

Among its other healing ingredients, aloe vera contains
salicylic acid, which is the main content of aspirin. The
salicylic acid and magnesium in aloe are thought to work
together for an analgesic effect on burns. It was used in
1935 to treat third-degree x-ray burns, and more modern
medicine uses it to treat atomic radiation burns. Applied to
wounds, the gel not only reduces pain and infection, it
stimulates cell regeneration and therefore the growth of new
tissue and skin. Scarring can be reduced significantly by
using aloe vera.

Because of its ability to balance the pH of the blood and
increase digestion and absorption, aloe vera gel strengthens
the immune system. Taken regularly over a period of several
months, it helps to regulate the function of the liver.

Not only holistic medicine practitioners use aloe vera. In
treating HIV-infected patients, Dr. Reg McDanial stated, "It
appears that acemannon neutralizes the [AIDS] virus by
transforming its protein envelope, thus preventing it from
attaching itself to the T4 cells." Dr. Robert H. Davis, a
physiologist at the University of Pennsylvania College of
Podiatric Medicine, has conducted research on aloe vera since
the early '70s. Results of laboratory tests on animals
indicate that aloe vera can prevent and arrest arthritis,
improve wound healing, inhibit pain, block inflammation,
restore bone growth, and act as a vehicle for the delivery of
nutrients to the body. Dr. Davis stated, "Aloe vera contains
the greatest number of active substances of any plant I've
looked at."

Plants grown outside in the bright sun contain higher amounts
of nutrients than aloe vera grown indoors. But it grows very
easily indoors and, though it has less nutritional power, can
be of invaluable help in many cases.

Case Study
Jeremy is a 19-year-old female blue and gold macaw. The story
begins when we realized that she was eating and drinking
ferociously, had an absolutely liquid stool and was losing
weight at a very rapid pace. The first veterinarian I went
to told me she was hypothyroid. She appeared everything but
hypo to me. Her glucose was 1080 and her weight down to 820 grams.
But the vet said a high glucose level is normal when a bird is
stressed by such things as a trip to the vet. After a five-month
odyssey in which I stabilized her a little, we got her to
Dr. Barno at Rock Creek Veterinary Hospital. By then Jeremy's
glucose was down 200 points and her weight up 100 grams, but
she was very weak. Dr. Barno suggested two insulin shots per
day. Because of the trauma for Jeremy of getting a shot twice
a day and knowing about the damage insulin does to the body, I
refused.

During all this time, I was reading whatever I could find about
diabetes. One of the most important things was a diet high in
fiber and I kept running into aloe vera over and over again.

Slowly but surely, I developed the following recipe for her:
2 oz of fresh organic finely chopped vegetables
1 teaspoon of psyllium husk powder
½ teaspoon of slippery elm bark powder
1 teaspoon of organic peanut butter
1 teaspoon of aloe vera gel
Her glucose level dropped, she gained weight and, as long as she
gets this food, she is relatively stable. She is still diabetic
(glucose level 350/400) and her feathers are becoming greener,
but her old spirit and strength are back.

References:
http://www.aloe-vera.org/research.htm
Prescription for Nutritional Healing by James F. Balch, M.D. &
Phyllis A. Balch, C.N.C
Little Herb Encyclopedia by Jack Ritchardson, N.D.
Health Handbook & Today's Herbal Health both by Louise Tenney, M.H.
Herbal Medicine by Sharol Tilgner, N.D.
Holistic Bird Care by David McCluggage, D.V.M. and Pamela Leis Higdon
The Way of Herbs by Michael Tierra, L.Ac., O.M.D.

www.beaktreats.com E-mail: gudrun@yourparrotplace.com

All Articles Reprinted with the Kind Permission of The Author Gunrun Maybaum
Bird Nutrition and Herb Consultant

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