Archive for April, 2009
If you’re interested in natural products, there is little doubt that you’ve been introduced to a powerful little agent known as aloe vera. It has many different forms and uses, but what many people don’t realize is just how long people have been utilizing the benefits of this desert lily. Aloe vera has been recorded as a natural salve for around 3,500 years. And for the duration of that time, aloe has been used for a number of conditions and problems. The most common use is as a burn relief. These burns can be everything from burns incurred in the kitchen to sunburns.
Aloe has also found its way into numerous cosmetics because it is also a general moisturizer. Just open your cosmetics cupboard and check out the ingredient lists on some of your products. You’d be surprised at how many lotions, moisturizers, and makeup products have aloe as an active ingredient. Aloe is certainly rich in vitamins, amino acids, enzymes, and other anti-inflammatory agents. The benefits of aloe vera range from cut and burn relief to increased healing of both internal and external wounds. So the next time you’re packing your beach bag or restocking your first aid kit, don’t forget to throw in a tube of aloe vera.
One of the newest products to hit the natural remedy market is Damiana, but many people are still unfamiliar with its basic characteristics. In its most basic, natural form, Damiana is a shrub that can be found everywhere from the Caribbean and Mexico to Central and South America. The shrub itself produces flowers followed by fruit that has often been compared to the fig. In today’s market, it is most often presented as Damiana leaf, which is then made into a tea. This practice, however, is nothing new.
For centuries, the native communities of South America as well as Central America have been reported as drinking this Damiana tea for its purported properties as an aphrodisiac. As an alternative medicine (or herbal supplement), it has been said to help alleviate some of the ill effects associated with depression, common coughs, constipation, and more. Damiana is also known as an ingredient in Triple Sec, and some people even report smoking Damiana to achieve a relaxed state.
There’s nothing worse than getting horrible sunburn on the first day of your tropical vacation. This is what happened to me when I went to Hawaii last month with my girlfriends. On our first day there we spent a few hours playing on the beach and later that evening, I noticed I had terrible sunburn all across my shoulders and back.
I guess that’s what I get for not wearing sunscreen. The only thing that helped was aloe vera gel. Every two hours or so, I would apply the gel to my burning shoulders and back. The soothing effect of the aloe vera instantly took away the stinging pain.