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The history of Aloe and its many benefits have been revealed over the years and its healing powers have become almost legendary in its
time across five continents.
There are over two hundred varieties of Aloe but only three or four with medicinal properties. One (Barbadensis Miller) has generated these extraordinary claims
for healing around the world, known as the Burns Plant, Silent Healer, Miracle Plant, Wand of Heaven and in Russia its referred to as the Elixir of Longevity and Life.
Alexander the Great
is said to have invaded the Island of Socotra in the Indian Ocean to harvest its rich supply of Aloe to heal his wounded soldiers, it was rumoured that, armed with the knowledge of Aloe’s
powers to cure, his soldiers had no fear of death, as a consequence he defeated many armies greater than his.
 George Ebers in 1862 first discovered its antiquity in an ancient Egyptian papyrus dated 3500 BC, which was in fact a collection of
herbal remedies. Other researchers have since found it was used in both the ancient Chinese and Indian cultures Used by the early Greek
and Roman Physicians such as Dioscorides and Pliny the Elder who used it to great effect in prescriptions. It soon earned itself the title of the miracle plant and the natural healer.
 The Egyptian queens Cleopatra and Nefertiti rated it highly as a beauty
therapy, for in those days, health and beauty were linked far more than they ever are today, aloe and asses milk was said to have been Cleopatra’s secret to youth.
In later years Columbus said, “Four vegetables are indispensable for the
well being of man; Wheat, The Grape, The Olive and Aloe. The first nourishes him, the second raises his spirit, the third brings him harmony and the fourth cures him!
 More recently Mahatma Gandhi said, “You asked me what were the
secret forces which sustained me during my long fasts. Well, it was my unshakeable faith in God, my simple and frugal lifestyle, and the Aloe
whose benefits I discovered when visiting South Africa”.
Surely these legends of their time cannot be wrong and these are just a few of the many Doctors and physicians who have written of the
power of Aloe Vera and its relationship with mankind and the animal kingdom.
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