With the sun making a welcome appearance this week we are sure to see plenty of sun burned skin – so our herb of the week must be Aloe vera. This important medicinal plant has so many uses – in beauty preparations and medicinally. Sun burnt skin can be treated with cooling aloe vera gel. We keep a plant in the kitchen and use the sap directly from the leaves for all types of minor burns – especially those little cooking accidents.
Aloe can help in the relief of symptoms of dermatitis or psoriasis as well as eczema and skin irritations. It contains a mix of properties including anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial agents as well as minerals and vitamins, which aid penetration of the skin and tissues and encourage healing.
A perennial, tender succulent, this plant should be grown indoors on a sunny windowsill. It needs a well drained gritty soil and little water, allow to dry out completely between waterings. It can grow up to 3 feet tall with clusters of long, fleshy leaves and tubular yellow flowers. Aloe vera is really easy to grow and is a great plant if, like me, you are a bit slack with watering your houseplants!
The sap is also preserved and dried or liquified for use commercially in a wide range of products including toiletries.
We use aloe in our skin care range and our aloe gel can be used as a shaving gel or even used as a base to create a fabulous face mask, try adding avocado and oats.