It is used predominantly as an herbal remedy for the skin, digestion, the reproductive system and detox. A gel or pulp can be extracted from the plants for many benefits, both externally and internally.

Primary Use Is For Skin

It is most commonly used to treat skin conditions by soothing the skin and easing pain and inflammation. It can even speed up the healing process of burns, eczema and other conditions. The plant’s gel can be rubbed to reduce redness after a couple of days. Rubbing the leaf over cuts in the skin can prevent infection and speed up the healing process by acting like a bandage. Because of its healing and moisturising benefits to the skin, it has been adopted by cosmetic companies and added in many products.

Aloe Vera Juice

The juice of Aloe Vera can be extracted by cutting the leaf, collecting the juice and then evaporating it. The juice has many benefits when drunk. This is partially due to the fact that it contains twelve vitamins (including A, B1, B6, B12, C and E), nineteen amino acids and over 20 minerals, which most of these are essential to the body. In Ayurveda, the Indian health practice, Aloe Vera is known as Kumari (‘the princess’) because of its positive effect on the menstrual cycle and female reproductive system. It is also known for its ability to clean the liver and protect the digestive system by reducing intestinal inflammation.

Overall, Aloe Vera can be used for cosmetics and healing the skin, or when consumed, as a potent cleansing and rejuvenating tonic that is very nutrient rich and beneficial to the body.  It is made only from the unfiltered inner gel of the whole plant, not the outer rind, which means less processing and more active ingredients are retained.

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Have you seen that commercial with the sympathetic lawyer asking you if you're having any problems with the folks running Social Security who are denying you benefits that you rightfully deserve?

know, he says something like "We're here to help you get what you deserve. Leave it to us. You've got more important things to do. Let us deal with the government." He's in his thirties or early forties and he's wearing a gigantic hat that looks weird and out of place, especially since the background is mid-town Manhattan. The hat is stylish, but it looks like a cowboy hat, and it dominates his facial appearance. My wife and I were watching that commercial for the umteenth time, and we both chuckled and I said, " I'll bet you a dinner at The Capital Grille that that guy is bald as a cue ball." We both laughed more, because I realized only too well what it's like to lose your hair, especially when you're in you're mid-twenties when you and your friends are hanging out in the River Shannon drinking Bud Light and trying to impress all the hot chicks who wander into the bar. Any time you see a male wearing a hat in a situation where it seems out of place, the reason is that he's self conscious about his baldness. The same goes for some of those men who shave their heads completely bald, too.

In my teens, I had several years where my face looked like someone had shot me from fifty feet with a sawed-off shotgun. Talk about zits! Wow, it was tough looking at myself in the mirror. I couldn't imagine what all the girls thought. I guess that explains why I didn't have many dates back then. I tried everything available on the market then, which were mostly cover ups that I feverishly tried to make blend in with my unblemished skin color. It's hard to do. But fortunately for me, Mother Nature came to the rescue and my skin cleared up by the time I reached 20. I was greatly relieved.

Darn That Mother Nature!

But as we all know, Mother Nature giveth and Mother Nature taketh away. It was in my twenties that I ran into the next problem that almost destroyed my life. When the first sign of baldness came about, I couldn’t believe my eyes. I mean, nobody in my family was bald, and no matter how many other problems I had; baldness was nowhere even on the horizon of my hypochondria. So to wake up one day and realize that when I wasn’t looking, my hairline had receded by a bit, there was a bald spot developing on my crown, and I was deathly afraid I was going to end up with a completely bald head. It was not a pleasant thought. And it was no use knowing that if there was any human condition that I was absolutely mortified of, it was baldness.

That's When I Started to Wear A Hat Everywhere

Having resolved to hide the ugly truth from all m friends, I went to all my graduate school hangouts, the coffee shop, the internet center and even the gym with a perky cap covering my head. Most of my friends were initially curious. Soon they became perturbed by my bizarre behavior. And when they ganged up to confront me I shamefacedly told them the truth about my baldness. Their first reaction was one of derisive laughter. But soon, they had calmed down sufficiently to try and help me out of my misery. Some of my older and wiser friends shared their own experiences with baldness. One of them in fact took the trouble to take me through all the baldness cures he had personally tried and why each of them didn’t work. Another friend told me in no uncertain terms that if baldness had decided to set in, there was nothing I could do to prevent it. I just had to grin and live with baldness for the rest of my life.

There Is Hope

Fortunately he was wrong. I was able to get some information about baldness, how to deal with it and what baldness remedies I might try out to get the best results. I started with a dermatologist. He said that there was hope for me because my baldness was not genetic, and he recommended some dietary changes together with some medication. For instance, I found that Minoxidil, a solution that was to be applied to bald spots was the solution most preferred by balding adults. Nearly two out of three people who had used this baldness treatment, had seen positive results. The other treatment was Finasteride – an oral baldness treatment that I could try. Finasteride seemed to enjoy a higher success rate among people with baldness. But it was not as popular as Minoxidil as it was reputed to cause some side effects which affected sexual performance. Tough choice eh? Lose your hair or lose your drive.

The dietary changes that my doctor recommended would slow the development  a competely bald head. He said a deficiency of Vitamin C could result in hair loss. The same for virtually all of the B vitamins. Also stress and a lack of sleep can affect hair loss. So now I'm drinking a lot more orange juice, taking a lot more naps, and taking dietary supplements. It seems my hair loss has been stopped, at least for now. On the brighter side, I've heard bald men have higher testosterone than men with a full head of hair. So I don't plan on taking any Minoxidil!

Technorati Tags: baldness, dermatologist, Hair Loss, Health, medicine, preventing hair loss

You can find out almost anything you need to know about herbs, vitamins, minerals, and other dietary supplements by going to any number of sources.

There are a number of books that have been published about herbs that are available from your local library, book stores like Barnes & Noble or borders, or online from Amazon and other book retailers. You can also go to various websites that have a great assortment of information about herbs, including growing tips, how to cook them, and how to use them to make skin care items, such as lotions and fragrances, or how to use them in aromatherapy. There is much to learn about herbs and how they have been used historically; there was a time before pharmaceuticals became available that natural herbal remedies were the only option. The passage of time and the introduction of modern medical treatment to the masses have led people away from natural herbal treatments and toward expensive prescription medications instead.

Viable Herbal Solutions

A good site to visit is Viable Herbal Solutions at www.viable-herbal.com, for an extensive overview about herbs, for what conditions individual herbs have been proven to be helpful, including possible side effects and interactions with other herbs, supplements, and prescription medications. For example, St. John’s wart is a natural anti-depressant that should not be used in addition to prescription anti-depressants or anti-axiolytics (used to treat anxiety), and can cause photosensitivity in some users. You should always tell your health care provider what you are taking, including all over the counter preparations, herbal supplements, and dietary aids, in addition to prescription medications. You may just find that you are able to reduce the amount of medication you are currently taking after you initiate naturopathic therapy, and it may be worth your while to consult a naturopathic physician about herbs and what would be right for you.

Consult Local Health Food Grocer

If you want to learn more about herbs and how to grow and preserve them, choosing which herbs to grow, creating indoor and outdoor gardens, herb garden designs, using herbs for decoration, and how to preserve herbs for various uses, herbologists and other individuals knowledgeable about herbs and their uses are usually available at your local health food store or organic grocer and can answer most questions you may have about herbs. Get back to basics and natural living by learning more about herbs and how you can use them to improve your health and well being. Learn about herbal treatments and natural herbal remedies. Become your very own herbal expert by learning everything you can about herbs and open yourself to a whole new way of life – one of better health!

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