“Get the aloe!” is probably the most common phrase heard around my house growing up. My parents raised us all (9 kids) with an approach to health that included almost never going to the doctor, lots of bee pollen and cod liver oil, and Sunday visits to the ashram after church to practice Yoga and eat macrobiotic foods. Health issues were treated “naturally”. I barely recall the tiny little orange “baby aspirin”, but that’s pretty much the extent of the contents of the medicine cabinet in our home. While living in Florida, we always had aloe growing in the yard and I remember numerous times pinching off a giant piece to slather on burns, sunburn, stings, and other topical owies. Aloe, known as “the miracle plant”, is high in vitamins, amino acids and fatty acids, is an adaptogen, which means it is something that boosts the body’s natural ability to adapt to external changes and resist illness, thus allowing an increased ability to cope with stress (physical, emotional and environmental stress like pollution). Aloe is great for the skin, especially burns, aids in digestion, and can help boost the immune system. It’s just all around a very good thing to have on hand. And it’s easy to grow. Go to this link for tips on how to grow aloe: http://www.thegardenhelper.com/aloe~vera.html
There are just a few things in this world I can’t imagine living without. Aloe is one. Spinach is another. More on that in a later post.
