MUSEUM

This Centre belongs to the company ALOE PLUS LANZAROTE.

HISTORY

The benefits of the Aloe Vera plant have been known over centuries, as shown in ancient writings. Its therapeutic advantages as well as its curative properties have lasted more than 3.000 years.

The oldest description known of the Aloe Vera appears in Ebers Egyptian papyrus of 1.500 B.C. in which its medicinal values are described.

Aristotle recommended the Aloe Vera to Alexander the Great for the quick healing of his soldiers, and Marco Polo pointed out its regular use at the Chinese court to ease stomach upsets.

In the days of the discovery of America this plant was taken from the Canary Islands to The New World by the conquerors and Franciscans who carried out the first plantations on the Española Island.

During his long journeys Christopher Columbus made a remark in relation to his crew’s health: "Four vegetables are indispensable for the well being of man: wheat, the grape, the olive, and ALOE". The beneficial properties of the three first ones have been well documented and they are generally accepted nowadays. The history of the aloe however has been more uncertain.

Arabs, great consumers of Aloe Vera, used to take it to their campaigns and when the Reconquest came to its end they left behind extensive plantations which were attempted to be taken to the North of Europe where the plant could not bear the winter cold. The difficulty to preserve this plant made it fall into oblivion forgetting about its virtues and being replaced by other remedies.

In the Western World, it was not until the beginning of the 20th century when the medical society recognizes it for the first time. And as an undeniable proof it was not until the end of the Second World War when the therapeutic properties of this plant were rediscovered. After the devastating effects of the atomic bombs of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, those who suffered from burns healed faster with aloe and in many cases without marks or scars.

In the last part of the 20th century the Aloe Vera recovers its popularity again as well as many of its uses lost in the Middle Age and in the Renaissance. Several studies prove the curative properties of aloe for ulcers, eczemas, burns and a wide range of skin diseases.

QUOTES

"And there came also Nicodemus, which at the first came to Jesus by night, and brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pound weight. Then they took the body of Jesus, and wound it in linen clothes with the spices, as the manner of the Jews is to bury." (Jn 19, 39-40).

"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 forth cures him". Christopher Columbus (1451-1506).

"During the twenty years that I have been treating my patients with aloe, I have found that there are many diseases described by the doctors of antiquity which disappear rapidly when I administer the aloe in the form of granules or powder. Therefore, the good results that I have always obtained, allow me to quote the adage of Roger Bacon: "Do you wish to live as long as Noah? Then take some pills of ALOAH!"
François Vincent Raspail (1794-1948).

"You ask me about the secret powers which sustained me during my long fasts. Well, it was my unshakable faith in God, my simple and frugal life style and the aloe whose benefits I discovered upon my arrival in South Africa at the end of the 19th century".
Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948).

CULTIVATION

It is believed that the name of this plant, as we know it nowadays, has an Arab origin, as alloeh in Arabic means bitter and bright. Its other name sabila is attributed to a distortion of the word cabira which in ancient Arabic means prickly plant. Vera could come from Latin and means truth. That is how it would be a bitter and bright truth that it hides inside.

By its appearance the aloe looks like a cactus but actually it belongs to the Lily Family, like garlic, lilies, asparagus or tulip. It is a species of those named succulent plants, that is to say it contains a great amount of juice. As a matter of fact that succus filled with extraordinary properties turns it into the unquestionable queen of medicinal plants

Among all the species of aloe only a few have therapeutic properties (aloe vera barbadensis, aloe arborescens, aloe ferox, aloe chinensis, aloe socotrina, aloe vulgaris…). In this document we refer to Aloe Barbadensis Miller known also as aloe vera (true aloe), a species which due to its extraordinary qualities is the centre of many studies. It has been proved in numerous essays and in biochemical analysis that aloe has a cocktail of active molecules interacting with synergy and essential to prevent and heal numerous diseases.

The cultivation of the plants of Aloe Vera Plus Lanzarote does not take a scale system but it has been looked after traditionally. No fertilizers or chemical products are used to speed up the plants growth. On the contrary, the same organic matter coming from the processing of the Aloe Vera is reused as a fertilizer.

Aloe Plus Lanzarote produces its products with aloe coming from two organic plantations of more than two million and a half square meters. This land is worked according to the practices of organic cultivation (CRAE) and currently there are more than two million of adult plants of more than five years, the appropriate age for their harvest time.

The conditions for the cultivation of aloe on the Canary Islands are suitable: mild weather, with an average of 22 degrees and a minimum fluctuation during the day. There are plenty of hours of sunlight throughout the year and their volcanic origin offers substratum and groundwater with a variety of nutrients and minerals.

Such features offer the aloe vera of the Canaries health and unique properties: not only we can obtain big amounts of gel from its leaves, but also the amount of substances and active components found on its leaves is much higher than that of aloe in other parts of the world.

APLICATIONS AND THERAPEUTIC USES

The "miraculous" powers of aloe are on its leaves, or rather in the 200 active substances it contains, such us vitamins, minerals, amino acids, polysacarids and enzymes. The synergy between all this components produces some effects impossible to imitate by other known treatments.

CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEM

The benefits of the Aloe Vera for our cardiovascular system have been known long ago. As early as in the Chinese Empire in the XVII century B.C. it was recommended to ingest Aloe Vera to regulate blood pressure, whether for hypertension cases or for low blood pressure cases. The Aloe Vera diminishes the cases of angina pectoris and also reduces the levels of LDL cholesterol and triglycerides increasing the levels of HDL cholesterol (good for health).

It is recommended to take two teaspoon every day before breakfast.

HEPATOBILARY SYSTEM

The hepatobiliary system is part of the human digestive system and consists of the liver, the pancreas, and the gall-bladder.

The Aloe Vera is a powerful purifier which stimulates liver and pancreas cells. The chromium of this plant helps to produce insulin and works as an antibacterial inside the intestine, facilitating digestion and eliminating bacteria from the digestive system. It also helps to prevent hepatic diseases.

Due to its choline content, this plant can help to cure some forms of hepatitis A or B, though in any case medical treatment and strict control must be followed to set up the most appropriate therapy.

RESPIRATORY SYSTEM

The Aloe Vera has an immunemodulating and anti-inflammatory bronchodilator effect that can reduce allergic asthma symptoms. It is due to the active principles of amino acids in Aloe Vera, mainly aloemicin and methionine which act as bronchodilators facilitating the exchange of oxygen and carbon monoxide.

Inhalations of aloe can have excellent results for colds, common flu and asthma, since by inhaling its vapours it decongests and helps bronchodilatation.

It can never be used though as the only remedy for sinusitis and severe asthmatic crisis, since it does not have an immediate effect like antihistamines.

DIGESTIVE SYSTEM

From time immemorial the Aloe Vera has been known as a regulator of the digestive system.

Stomach and duodenal ulcers can be treated by taking a tablespoon of Aloe Vera dissolved in water twice or three times a day. It acts as an alkalinizer agent to counteract excessive acidity, recovering internal pH levels in the stomach. Furthermore its regenerative power helps to regain stomach and intestinal mucus, very important for ulcers to attack not only acidity but also to help to regenerate damage tissues.

A spoon of aloe juice before meals facilitates slow digestion as well as bloated feeling in the stomach, etc, since the enzymes and coenzymes function in Aloe Vera helps the digestion.

OSSEOUS SYSTEM

Rheumatism, osteoarthritis and arthritis can also be treated with compresses with Aloe Vera. Its anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties are very useful for this type of diseases. Together with the compresses you can also ingest the flesh of the plant as well as juices elaborated in commercial labs specialized on this type of products.

The enzymatic capacities of the Aloe Vera benefit the complete absorption of nutrients, avoiding the formation of not digested substances responsible for antigen and antibody reactions, very common to these rheumatic and arthritic processes.

The acetylsalicylic acid contained in this plant reduces pains and inflammations.

SKIN SYSTEM

The Aloe Vera and its cosmetic uses are very well known all over the world. Skin care is one of the most popular areas known about the Aloe Vera as it is a powerful cells regenerator, hydrates the deepest skin layers, acts as a small solar filter, delays ageing, relieves pains caused by burns, etc.

It can also be very useful to treat acne. The saponin contained in the Aloe Vera has the ability to turn blackheads (accumulation of grease and dirt) into soap helping their elimination. Furthermore due to the antibacterial properties of the Aloe Vera acne usually disappears when frequently used.

ALOE VERA AND BEAUTY

Aloe Vera and beauty come together from ancient times. There are some ancient writings were Cleopatra and Nefertitis already used the Aloe Vera plant for their beauty and personal care. This plant has been used from time immemorial to preserve natural beauty and it has been described as the plant of eternal youth, a miracle of nature.

ALOE VERA AND SKIN

Many people believe that the Aloe Vera is a natural moisturiser. Quite the opposite it is a powerful astringent which has the property to clean deeply the three skin layers and destroy pores and glandular ducts, allowing the nutritive substances and the water to enter easily into the hypodermic layer. Although it is recommended for all types of skin, it is specially recommended for oily skin and acne. It keeps moisture without getting greasy.

The Aloe Vera is suitable for preventing the appearance of stretch marks (adolescence, pregnancy, slimming diets, etc…) After it had penetrated well in the skin, a body cream can be used to increase its benefits.

ALOE VERA AND THE FACE

away body zone and bombed by outside agents.

It is on our face where the effects of ageing and of outside agents are shown (crow’s feet, wrinkles, bags under eyes, etc…). The Aloe Vera can mitigate those effects on our face through saponification, regulation of ph, nutrition, antibacterial action and astringent properties.

PRODUCCTION

With regard to the production process, we opt for the least aggressive processing of the product from the cut of the leaves till the final product. We can say that the processing method used is practically handmade.

Such process starts with the harvesting, washing and cleaning of the leaves which are cut to extract the aloin, a substance that must be separated completely before processing the leaves.

After that, the bark is separated and the gel, the base of all the products, is obtained from the leaf.

After a previous phase of crushing the leaves, a minimum quantity of additives are added in order to avoid the easy oxidation of the active elements of the aloe.

Once the juice is stabilized, we follow a process to turn it into liquid and another process to filter the cold aloe, to immediately bottle the juice and to be part of the rest of the cosmetic products, such as creams, body gels, shower line, etc. This way it is guaranteed that the juice keeps all its properties intact…

TIMETABLE:

10:00 to 18:00 Hours
Monday to Saturday

LOCATION:

Lanzarote Island
CRUCE DE ARRIETA - HARÍA
C/ El Cortijo nº 2, CP 35541

Telephone: 0034 928848203