What Aloe Barbadensis is?
Aloe Barbadensis is a succulent plant native to central Africa, then spread over the centuries to various subtropical environments such as some Central American countries, Pacific islands, Oceania but also the Mediterranean basin, some eastern countries and the United States.
It has thick, fleshy leaves ranging in size from twenty to sixty centimeters.
The origin of the name is uncertain: from the Greek als, alos, a salty substance like the sea, or from the Arabic aloè, bitter because of the taste of its juice. Botanical scholar Miller classified it as Barbadensis, since it is widespread in the islands of the same name, while Linnaeus called it Vera.
A thick, concentrated gel is extracted from the leaves of the Aloe Barbadensis plant by carefully removing the outermost part of the leaf.
What properties Aloe Barbadensis has?
Aloe Barbadensis has been known for thousands of years for its medicinal and therapeutic properties, so much so that the ancient uses of this plant are the same as today, in the West as in the East.
To this day, aloe is used and appreciated for its many properties:
- Anti-inflammatory: prevents and treats inflammatory and inflammatory processes (burns, insect bites, minor burns);
- Soothing and calming: eases pain, reduces itching and relieves discomfort caused by skin irritation (itching, dermatitis). For example, it is very useful for men to apply after shaving to soothe redness;
- Moisturizing and refreshing: maintains or restores sufficient moisture in the skin, while also having a cooling action (chapped, dry skin, after-sun). Aloe has an extraordinary ability to retain water, making it a must-have ingredient for anyone suffering from dry, dehydrated skin;
- Immunostimulant: acemannan, contained in Aloe gel, is a powerful stimulant of the immune system. Aloe is suitable for cleansing and care of impure and seborrheic skin;
- Healing: stimulates cell regeneration, accelerating healing (small abrasions, ulcers or superficial wounds). It then goes on to restore skin balance by increasing collagen.
In cosmetics, Aloe is widely used in moisturizing and anti-aging products because it combines moisturizing and cooling power with an intense soothing and calming action, reducing inflammatory states and stimulating cell regeneration.
