Aloe vera exploring plant secrets

2002/07/01 Elhuyar Zientzia

• Botanika

At A&M University in Texas they try to figure out why the Aloe vera plant has a healing power.

The plant Aloe vera is known since Roman times. The sweat of the plant has a great capacity to help heal wounds and has always been used as a remedy to heal wounds. Lately too much is used for cosmetics, especially in moisturizing creams.

North African plant, fleshy, adapted to a warm and dry climate. Due to its characteristics, it is currently grown worldwide. Its leaves are long and pointed, with a hard green bark and inside a white crumb. If a clear liquid comes out of the white crumb into your hands, it becomes stronger and gel. The healing capacity is from the room, which if placed on a wound will heal very quickly.

According to Texas scientists, the substance that helps cure is a special polysaccharide in this liquid. It seems that in all plants there are similar polysaccharides, but that of Aloe has a special characteristic: it has the ability to bind to the growth factors necessary to close the wound, so it is possible to close the wound faster and heal it.