Day 12: Aloe Vera Awesomeness

We all know that aloe vera is very effective for topical use on burns, abrasions and minor skin irritations, but it was news to me that you could also get some amazing benefits from ingesting the gel. With a list that rivals even garlic, this article piqued my interest:

http://www.naturalnews.com/021858_aloe_vera_gel.html

The article goes quite in-depth, but here is a list of the main benefits from Mike Adams, the Health Ranger Editor at NaturalNews.com:

- halts the growth of cancer tumors
- lowers high cholesterol
- repairs "sludge blood" and reverses "sticky blood"
- boosts the oxygenation of your blood
- eases inflammation and soothes arthritis pain (ding, ding, ding!)
- protects the body from oxidative stress
- prevents kidney stones and protects the body from oxalates in coffee and tea (another personal concern of mine)
- balances overly acidic dietary habits
- cures ulcers, IBS, Crohn's disease and other digestive disorders
- reduces high blood pressure
- nourishes with minerals, vitamins, enzymes and glyconutrients
- accelerates burn healing
- helps to halt colon cancer, heals the intestines and lubricates the digestive tract
- ends constipation
- stabilizes blood sugar and reduces triglycerides in diabetics
- prevents and treat candida infections
- protects the kidneys from disease
- functions as nature's own "sports drink" for electrolyte balance
- boosts cardio performance and physical endurance
- speeds recovery from physical exertion or injury
- hydrates the skin and accelerates skin repair

So after reading the entire article and doing some additional online research about aloe vera, I wanted to give it a try. Sadly it's not readily available in Alberta in its pure, ready-to-drink form, and I don't have an aloe vera plant in my house (maybe I should!) I followed the link to "Good Cause Wellness" based out of Arizona, where they offer pure, unadulterated aloe vera powder dehydrated from its gel form, but still retaining all of its benefits.They don't raise any scam alarms, so I went ahead and ordered some.

I will be adding the powder to my green smoothies when it arrives, and will hopefully start feeling the benefits after a few weeks. For now, I will continue to use the ingredients I have at hand. This morning I varied my recipe by replacing the banana with greek yogurt (yum!), and tossing in a 1/4 cup of ground flax seed. It completely altered the taste obviously; the greens tasted a lot more prominent (I didn't realize how much the banana flavor masks everything), and the flax added a nutty taste and grainy texture. It was more filling as well. All in all it was  satisfying, but I think I'll stick with my banana in the future.