Herbal Skin Care History and Aloe Vera Plants

HERBAL SKIN CARE was used as far back 1400BC. The ancient Egyptians are known to to have used herbs, and oils. IN Queen Thuthu’s tomb a box was found containing a pumice stone for smoothing rough skin, eye pencils of wood and ivory used for applying kohl and antimony to the eyes. A bronze dish for mixing ingredients such as lapis lazuli powder for eye shadow, along with three cosmetic pots she probably used for making her own skin care henna, scented oils and creams.

The ancient Greek were well known for their use of herbs and oils for making herbal skin care beauty preparations. Even going to the point of making a connection between health and beauty. The science of dermatology was developed by Hippocrates, the famous Greek physician.

The Romans dyed their hair with myrtle and walnut husk, darkened their eyes with kohl, bathed their heads with extracts of myrtle and juniper berries to prevent their hair from thinning and rubbed alkanet root on their ckeek to make them rosy. Back in those times I’m sure they had the freshest of herbs, and used a lot of them.

Aloe Vera is porbably one of the oldest and most-well know of the medicinal herbs.

Medicinal and Cosmetic uses of Aloe Vera

Scientific evidence for the cosmetic and therapeutic effectiveness of Aloe vera has been contradictory unfortunatley. The cosmetic and alternative medicine industries regularly make claims regarding the soothing, moisturizing and healing properties of Aloe vera. But if you are a skeptic, all you have to do is rub a little aloe vera leaf on your stinging burn or bug bite, to immediately feel relief.  You know it works when you use it.

Aloe vera gel is used as an ingredient in commercially available lotion, yogurt, beverages and some desserts. Aloe vera juice is used for consumption and relief of digestive issues such as heartburn and irritable bowel syndrome. It is common practice for cosmetic companies to add sap or other derivatives from Aloe vera to products such as makeup, tissues, moisturizers, soaps, sunscreens, incense, razors and shampoos and facial masks.

Aloe vera juice for ingestion.

Aloe vera has a long association with herbal medicine, although it is not known when its medical applications were first discovered. Early records of Aloe vera use appear in the Ebers Papyrus from 16th century BCE, in both Dioscorides’ De Materia Medica and Pliny the Elder’s Natural History written in the mid-first century CE along with the Juliana Anicia Codex produced in 512 CE. Aloe vera is non-toxic, with no known side effects, provided the aloin has been removed by processing.

Taking Aloe vera that contains aloin in excess amounts has been associated with various side effects.However, the species is used widely in the traditional herbal medicine of China, Japan, Russia, South Africa, the United States, Jamaica and India.

Aloe vera is alleged to be effective in treatment of wounds. Evidence on the effects of Aloe vera sap on wound healing, however, is limited and contradictory. Some studies, for example, show that Aloe vera promotes the rates of healing, while in contrast, other studies show that wounds to which Aloe vera gel was applied were significantly slower to heal than those treated with conventional medical preparations. A more recent review (2007) concludes that the cumulative evidence supports the use of Aloe vera for the healing of first to second degree burns. In addition to topical use in wound or burn healing, internal intake of Aloe vera has been linked with improved blood glucose levels in diabetics, and with lower blood lipids in hyperlipidaemic patients, but also with acute hepatitis (liver disease). In other diseases, preliminary studies have suggested oral Aloe vera gel may reduce symptoms and inflammation in patients with ulcerative colitis. Compounds extracted from Aloe vera have been used as an immunostimulant that aids in fighting cancers in cats and dogs; however, this treatment has not been scientifically tested in humans. The injection of Aloe vera extracts to treat cancer has resulted in the deaths of several patients.

Topical application of Aloe vera may be effective for genital herpes and psoriasis. However, it is not effective for the prevention of radiation-induced injuries. Although anecdotally useful, it has not been proven to offer protection from sunburn or suntan. In a double-blind clinical trial the group using an Aloe vera containing dentifrice and the group using a fluoridated dentifrice both demonstrated a statistically significant reduction of gingivitis and plaque.

Aloe vera extracts have antibacterial and antifungal activities. Aloe vera extracts have been shown to inhibit the growth of fungi that cause tinea; however, evidence for control beneath human skin remains to be established. For its anti-fungal properties, Aloe vera is used as a fish tank water conditioner. For bacteria, inner-leaf gel from Aloe vera was shown to inhibit growth of Streptococcus and Shigella species in vitro.  In contrast, Aloe vera extracts failed to show antibiotic properties against Xanthomonas species.

Commodity uses

Aloe vera is now also widely used on face tissues, where it is promoted as a moisturizer and/or anti-irritant to reduce chafing of the nose of users who suffer hay-fever or cold.

So, whatever your cosmetic or medicinal needs, there are thousands of herbal complements to aid healing and skin regeneration, don’t just rely on the same old chemical brands found in your drugstore. Take the time to learn about herbal plants and their medicinal uses and help detoxify your chemical-laden system in the process!