Aloe Vera Plant for Boils
Boils, which can be caused by allergic reactions in the skin, ingrown hairs or diseases that act on the skin, can be both painful and unsightly. There are may remedies for boils, but one of the most popular home remedies is the juice of the aloe vera plant, which has a number of useful properties that allow it to treat the boil and help the skin recover. While aloe vera treatment will not remove the boil itself, it will help the body heal faster.
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Definition
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Aloe vera is a succulent plant that easy to spot because of its cactus-like appearance with thick, spiny green stems. It prefers to grow in dry areas, and variants of the plant are found near deserts around the world. Throughout most history, people have used aloe vera for its medicinal properties. The plant stems, when broken, exude a watery gel that it both ingested and use topically for many conditions.
Composition
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The gel of the aloe vera plant contains at least six different antiseptics and many other chemical compounds that have been shown to offer various medicinal benefits, especially when applied to the skin. It has acemannan and amino acids that can help stimulate the healing process, enzymes and fatty acids that act as inflammatory agents, glycoproteins that can help soothe pain and polysaccharides that can help skin heal faster. There are also trace amounts of vitamins C and E. These elements are only a small part of the gel, which is actually about 96 percent water.
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Uses
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Aloe vera plants are used to treat many conditions inside and outside the body, including boils. Most people recognize the plant's beneficial properties in treating sunburns, but it is also taken in pill form to fight parasites and applied to the skin for various kinds of fungal or viral infections. Some people take aloe vera for better blood circulation or a slight lowering of blood sugar, and it is very popular as a digestion soother. On the skin, it is used as an antibacterial and anti-inflammatory treatment for things like arthritis.
Properties
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When dealing with boils, several properties of the aloe vera plant come together to treat the condition. The anti-inflammatory substances help reduce the boil and the pain associated with it. The antibacterials clear the area of any dangerous bacteria and prevent further infections. Other compounds help increase the flow of oxygen to the skin and speed up the healing process.
Considerations
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Aloe vera can be very useful, but it will not actually remove a boil. Boils can be removed by medical procedures or eventually be healed through natural processes. Pure aloe vera gel from a plant is the most effective, and compounds that are dried or available in bottles will not have all the pure properties of the original version.
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References
- Photo Credit aloe vera image by Magdalena Mirowicz from Fotolia.com
