Plant of Immortality

The Aloe Vera plant, also known as “Lily of the Desert”, and the “Plant of immortality”, was reputed to be Cleopatra’s beauty secret. Its name is derived from the Arabic alloeh, meaning “bitter” and refers to the bitter gelatinous liquid inside the plant’s large leaves.

It was roughly a century ago that researchers first confirmed that Aloe Vera gel was also also valuable in providing pain relief and can help accelerate the healing process in burns and abrasions by increasing the availability of oxygen to the skin.

A wise cook might choose to keep a healthy Aloe plant sitting in their kitchen. Should  they ever burn themselves at the stove they can simply reach over, break off a leaf, and smear the natural remedy onto the afflicted area.