Aloe Vera is a great starter plant for your homestead. Easy to grow as a houseplant, Aloe can provide you medicinal benefits from the day you bring one home.
Aloe Vera is an immune boosting plant that is rich in antioxidants, vitamins, and contains other medicinal properties.
Burns and other Skin Injuries
The most common use for Aloe Vera is burn relief. Sunburns and other minor burns feel better and heal faster with topical application of the Aloe juice found within the leaves.
Not only do burns heal better with Aloe, but any sort of minor skin abrasion will benefit from the topical application of the juice.
Oral Health
Our teeth and gums benefit from Aloe juice as well. The plants’ natural antibacterial tendencies help to prevent plaque build up that contribute to cavities.
Some people simply rub the juice on inflamed gums while other make a mouthwash to use after brushing.
Digestive Benefits
The pulp, or white substance attached to the inside of the leaves once the juice is extracted, contains high levels of aloin, a known laxative.
Some people report relief for other digestive ailments, such as irritable bowl syndrome, when they drink the juice of the plant. Long term consumption is not suggested.
Remake Your Medicine Cabinet
Aloe is a renewable and sustainable way to replace common over the counter items such as sunburn cream, Neosporin, and laxatives. Adding this plant to your home will take you one step closer to off the grid living.
How to Grow Aloe
Aloe Vera likes well drained soil out of direct sunlight. Over watering can cause root rot. The plant will produce babies from the roots and many plants will begin to grow in the same spot. You can break these apart to re-pot, or allow the plant to reproduce in perpetuity.
How do you use aloe in your home?
-Written by Cat B.
