Curacao’s Curaloe aloe vera plantation offers sustainable ecotourism. When travelling in the southern Caribbean islands, Aruba and Curacao, one can easily lose themselves in the Trade Winds that take you to the beautiful blue beaches. However, these islands also offer arid landscapes for incredible aloe vera plantations. As an Acupuncturist & Herbalist, I’m passionate about herbal medicine and aloe vera’s healing properties. So, I visited Curaloe and love sharing what I learned at this holistic plantation.
Curacao’s Sustainable Curaloe
Aloe Vera Ecotours
In my travels, I love discovering sustainable companies that promote health for people and our planet. Overall, Curaloe upholds these principles as a 12-acre organic plantation with manual harvesting and weeding. It has Dutch engineering, including solar power and the stabilization process to ensure a high-quality end product. Aloe leaves process within 2 hours of harvesting to preserve the bioactive components.
Curaloe cultivates over 100,000 specimens of the aloe vera plants. Furthermore, it creates high-quality products, that contain a high concentration of Aloe Vera as the first ingredient listed on labels. Also, its sister company is in South Africa.
History of Aloe Vera
My travels to the plantation piqued my interests to delve into the history and healing benefits of Aloe Vera. Native to Africa, the earliest known record of aloe vera is in Egypt on their temple walls, hailed as the “Plant of Immortality.” It spread to Greece by Alexander the Great and on to China, probably through the Silk Road.
Afterwards, it became a part of the renowned Chinese Materia Medica, calling it “The Method of Harmony.” Native Americans called it the “Wand of Heaven.” The Dutch brought Aloe Vera to Curacao around 1600, proliferating this medicine throughout the Caribbean.
Aloe Vera Health Benefits
Digestion, Arthritis, Dental Issues
Aloe vera offers a uniquely high number of nutrients, with 75 bio-active components, including vitamins A, C, E, B vitamins, folic acid and choline. Aloe Vera is also rich in minerals, such as, calcium, magnesium, zinc, chromium, selenium, sodium, iron, potassium, copper and manganese. Also, its high in amino acids and enzymes.
Aloe vera gel is the leaf pulp–the thin, clear, jelly-like substance that makes up the inner portion of the leaves. Aloe juice is a bitter yellow liquid, extracted from just inside the leaves. Both the gel and juice are used externally for skin discomforts and internally as a laxative. Aloe’s benefits for digestion and constipation, along with its properties to detoxify the liver, make it helpful to lose weight and detox the body.
According to the Chinese Materia Medica, aloe is bitter in flavor and cold in properties and goes to meridians of liver and large intestine. Its main indications are purgation, removing heat from the liver, and killing parasites. Aloe vera gel uses include constipation caused by heat accumulation, headache due to liver-fire, bloodshot eyes, parasites causing abdominal pain, scabies and hemorrhoids.
Overall, aloe vera has anti-inflammatory properties. Interestingly, glucosamine is a component of aloe and cartilage, known for its treatment of arthritis. Aloe has also shown to be beneficial for asthma, as a natural steroid.
Modern research is finding also that aloe is effective for dental issues due to its antiseptic properties. It is effective as a mouthwash to treat periodontal disease and gingivitis. Also, it accelerates healing and recovery for mouth sores, ulcers and herpes.
Aloe Vera Benefits for Skincare & Beauty
The benefits of Aloe for the skin and beauty go back to the ancient times of Cleopatra in Egypt. Overall, this anti-aging powerhouse contains the antioxidants, vitamins C & E. Other antioxidants are the vitamins, phenolic compounds and peroxidases. In addition, aloe activates the enzymes that naturally resolve free radicals, such as, glutathione and superoxide dismutase.
Also, its component of vitamin E helps to protect skin from UV radiation with moisturizing and anti-inflammatory properties. The vitamin C stimulates the collagen production and decreases premature aging of skin. Overall, as a skin panacea, its anti-inflammatory powers treats first-and second-degree burns, sunburns, wounds, acne, eczema, psoriasis, poison ivy or oak and itching.
Overall, How to Choose High Quality Aloe
Most importantly, I learned these tips at Curaloe on how to choose a high-quality aloe product. A simple tip is to check that the aloe is one of the first ingredients listed on the label. Also, check that it’s organically sealed. Additionally, look for a manufacturing process that uses stabilization, not boiling or pasteurization.
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