First Aid Plant or more commonly known as Aloe Vera is a succulent plant that comes from the family of Xanthorrhoeaceae, Kingdom Plantae. The name Aloe was derived from the Arabic word “Alloeh”, which means “Shining bitter substance”. And the word “Vera” is a Latin word that literally translates to “true”. It can be found in many regions across the globe, but it is considered to be native to the Mediterranean and Northern Africa.
Characteristics:
-It is 60-100 cm in height and stemless.
-It highly resembles a cactus due to the thick spikes that surround the edge of each leaf.
-The leaf is plumper and often stretches wider than the base.
-Depending on the season, it sprouts yellow tubular corolla flowers from its spikes.
Uses:
The use of Aloe Vera could be traced back as far as 2100 B.C. Detailed records have shown, that Ancient people around the world has been taking advantage of its natural healing properties for decades. To give you a clearer picture, here are some of its known uses.
Cosmetics
The sap found in the leaf are rich in compounds that are considered to be good for your skin. It has a natural moisturizing effect, which leaves the skin both smooth and supple. In the present time, Aloe extract could be found in most beauty products such as; lotion, facial moisturizer, make-up, shampoo and soaps.
Herbal Medicine
The juice extracted from the tubules have “laxative” properties. In the Ancient times, the bitter liquid gathered from the plant is mixed with other fruit juices, to help flush out excess fats, remedy constipation, and heal digestive track related illnesses.
The sap is used as natural balms to help soothe minor burns and some skin related problems like eczema, psoriasis and dandruff. The gel-like substance acts as a primary agent that helps repair damaged tissues and cells. It also has an anti-inflammatory property that could help reduce swelling significantly.
Does it help cure Gynecomastia?
One of the major characteristics of gynecomastia is the abnormal swelling of the male breasts. The cause of this condition could either be hormonal imbalance or a direct result of an unhealthy lifestyle.
If obesity is the source of your condition, including Aloe juice in your diet would be beneficial. As what has already been discussed above, Aloe Vera has a laxative property that could help you get rid of unwanted fats. It also helps improve your bowel movements, which means, it would make your body digest food much faster and more efficiently.
Aloe Vera plant is naturally rich in Zinc, a vitamin that could help increase testosterone production. If hormonal imbalance is the cause of your gynecomastia, drinking Aloe juice could level out the inequity.
There is no scientific proof that Aloe Vera itself could help treat gynecomastia. However, some known creams, such as Gynexol, have Aloe juice as one of its primary ingredients. Unprocessed Aloe may not be considered as a cure, but combined with other herbal and fruit extracts, it could definitely trim and sculpt the problem area.