Aloe barbadensis is the botanical name for Aloe Vera, a succulent plant which has many common names. These include Bitter Aloes, First Aid Plant, Medicine Plant and Miracle Plant to name but a few. There are many different varieties of
aloe but in this article I will be talking about Aloe Vera which was and still is an important plant in the medical world.

Many people use Aloe Vera on their skin, or for medicinal purposes eg on a burn. It is a useful plant and even more exciting to grow, as it has many benefits.

About three years ago, I ordered an Aloe Vera plant off the internet. It took about four days to arrive, with a label on the box which said 'Contains Live Material'. The postman warily passed it over at the doorstep, a sigh of relief after it had gone out of his postbag. He must have thought it was some live animal!

When I unpacked it, the fleshy leaves were dry and yellowing which made me think it would not survive. I potted it up and had to put canes around the outside of the plant, as there was little root to hold it up. After about a week, it started to pick up and grow. As the months went by, there were ten baby plants on the outside which I potted up and cared for. The ten plants did extremely well and this morning I took 30 baby plants from eight of the adults and potted them up in their own pots. I am not too sure what to do with all of them if they grow; I will probably end up giving some away to family and friends.

I like Aloe Vera for their fantastic medicinal uses, although I have only ever tried mine on burns and cuts because I never liked the thought of cutting my beautiful leaves off! However, some of the adult plants will soon need cutting back slightly as the pointy leaves keep sticking up my backside when I go inside the greenhouse! I think that everybody should have an Aloe Vera plant as they are easy to grow and great for a number of uses, some of which I will tell you all about in this article.

Aloe vera is native to Northern Africa, having been around for centuries. Many ancient cultures have recorded ways in which it has been used medicinally.

In 1862, researchers discovered an Egyptian papyrus which dated back to 1550 BC. It gave information of 12 formulae to treat internal and external human problems. One was for Egyptian queens, who used Aloe vera to enhance their physical beauty. Another was for a laxative agent where a whole leaf was used as part of the formula. Also, dating back to 2200 BC, researchers found some writing on a clay tablet near to the Mesopotamian city of Nippu. It described the plant as having great healing powers.

Aloe is even mentioned in the Bible. One myth is that Alexander the Great conquered the
Socotra Island in the Indian Ocean, to get enough supplies of Aloe to treat the battle wounds of his soldiers (See page 3 of the Socotra Island link). It also acted as an anti-fungal agent, helping to clear any infection in the wounds. Also, Aloe is mentioned in other parts of the bible. The references in the Bible can be found in Numbers 24:5-6; Psalms 45:8; Song of Solomon 4:13-15; Proverbs 7:17-18; John 19:38-40.

Aloe Vera has many names used by different nationalities throughout the world over many centuries. Here are just a few:

• It is known that 2000 years ago, Greek scientists called Aloe Vera 'The Universal Panacea', meaning a solution or remedy for all manners of diseases. It would have been very useful when there were no regulated medicines available.
• The Native Americans called Aloe Vera 'The Wand of Heaven'. They believed that this plant was a miracle sent down from heaven.
• The Egyptians called it 'The Plant of Immortality'. They used it for many medicinal purposes and believed they would live a longer and healthier life. However, they did use it in embalming too!

There are ancient tales of healing powers in many countries, and Aloe Vera has become part of a big industry in health and beauty products today. There are still secrets to be discovered in the exact science of how Aloe Vera works, but it is an amazing plant with effective results.

Aloe Vera can be grown from seed but germination does take between one and four months. However, once they do start to grow they develop quite quickly, especially if they are grown in the right conditions.

Young Aloe Vera plants need a sunny but well ventilated windowsill. Be careful of the hot rays of the sun, especially in the afternoon just until they adapt. If you had been hidden underground for a few months, you would burn more at first because of not being used to the sun! As they get older, eg after about six months, they will tolerate full sun, but it is important that the position is well ventilated, otherwise they will dry to a crisp, so open a window above them. They must still be protected from frost, as the leaves could quickly turn black and die.

I grow mine in the greenhouse, which can get very warm during the summer months (if we are lucky!). They do well in there and if we get a warm spell I stand them outside. Some people even plant them in-between their summer flowering plants, which is fine if we do not have a heavy spell of rain. Over watering can kill Aloe Vera. I have made that mistake in the past and lost three adult plants. Therefore it is important to water sparingly. I water my adult plants about once a week during the summer and about once a fortnight during winter. The younger plants (less than six months old) need less water. It is best to water all Aloes when the compost feels dry to the touch, just underneath the surface of the compost. Carefully scrape a little away to check, putting it back afterwards. Keep the compost moist, but not over wet during summer.

Talking of compost, I always use a ready-mixed cactus and succulent compost for Aloe Vera which can be bought at many garden centres and DIY Stores. This has all of the nutrients needed to ensure they do their best, as well as added grit which helps with drainage. I must admit, though, that I have used a peat-free multi purpose to pot some of my baby plants up because I ran out of cactus compost. I added my own grit to this and I am expecting to feed earlier than if I had used all cactus compost. I can remember my granddad conducting a little experiment one year (he grew lots of cacti and succulents), when he potted up two of his cacti in peat-free multi purpose and two in cactus compost (identical plants). The ones in the cactus compost looked healthier than the other two, but growth levels were very similar. Of course peat free compost is now much improved.
It just depends on the type of cacti or succulent, but to ensure a best start I would go for the proper specialist compost.

Aloe Vera can produce lots of little baby plants (pups) which can easily be detached from the mother plant and potted up. It is best to let them grow a couple of inches first, as it is just like a baby who needs its mother at first (a lot longer than Aloe Vera though!). Carefully knock the plant out of its pot and very carefully (I say this as I have snapped a few in the past) tease the pup from the mother plant, trying to get as much of the pup's roots as possible. You are bound to break a couple, don't worry if this happens as long as there is a root system to give it the best possible chance. You will find it will be joined slightly to the mother's stem, but this can be carefully pulled away. Pot them into individual pots, using compost as I have described above and water sparingly, ie a small amount when dry.

I must mention pots. Aloe Vera can get quite top heavy and so terracotta pots are the best. The size to choose obviously depends on the pot it is currently in and the current size of the plant. As an example, if an Aloe Vera has leaves which are 12 inches long then it will need a pot of at least six inches in diameter. As they have thick roots, they need a fairly wide pot. As far as depth is concerned, I usually re-pot in one that has an additional two to three inches spare. Aloe Vera can grow fairly quickly during the main growing season, so they could need re-potting every 12 months.

Terracotta pots usually have quite a large drainage hole, which can spill out compost, especially when watering. To avoid this, it is best to put broken crockery or stones at the bottom of the pot before adding compost. This helps with the drainage and also with compost spillage.

Your Aloe might give out some
lovely flowers as a nice present for all your hard work. This will be during a warm sunny spell, which is more common in other countries!

There are many Aloe Vera products on the market now, from cosmetics to alternative medicine and even food products! It is an essential ingredient in many things.

If you type 'Aloe Vera Products' into your search engine, you will get an array of products suitable for use as an alternative medicine to help treat a wide variety of problems from irritable bowel syndrome to diabetes. There are even products which can be given to our pets, and some veterinarians do recommend it to their customers.

Each leaf contains 75 different key nutritional compounds, which are essential to our bodies or just required to help keep us healthier. For further information , the Aloe Vera Site is very useful.

It is always important to seek medical advice before using alternative medicines.

I hope this article has given you an insight into the Aloe Vera world and that you will be tempted to have a go at growing your own. They are easy to grow and beneficial!

Nigel's Gardening Hints and Tips
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