Aloe Vera - Nature’s Gift to Animals?

I get quite excited about working with the highest quality Aloe Vera available, and recently I attended a training by the Vet, David Urch.

Since then I’ve been reading ‘Aloe Vera Nature’s Gift’ - it´s a ‘How to’ guide to using Aloe Vera Gel to help animals achieve good health - and since humans and animals are just variations on a theme, it’s a great general reference guide. Like many Vets and GPs, David Urch was wary until he tested Aloe Vera by drinking it himself - here’s his story…

A Sceptic Converted

When it was suggested to me that I take Aloe Vera to treat the severe migraine and back pains from which I was suffering as a result of a car accident - I viewed the whole idea with a great deal of scepticism.

The ‘cactus juice’, I was lead to believe, could help conditions relating to the skin and immune system. It was described as an ‘adaptogen’ - it helped the body self-heal naturally, taking only those nutrients required. In my search for a cure, I had tried everything that allopathic medicine could offer - plus various forms of complementary therapy.

So what did I have to lose?

Initially I only took the Aloe Vera Gel for a few weeks, and when I didn’t notice any improvement I gave up. After all, it was just confirming my reservations.

Luckily I was persuaded to try again, and this time I drank the Gel for three months. After a time I noticed a dramatic improvement in my quality of life - the migraines became very much less frequent and the back pain improved. If Aloe Vera could human conditions successfully - how could it be used to treat animals?

Since ancient times man has recognised the value of a ‘comparative approach’ to medicine - observing and treating animals as an important factor to learning how to treat people. I was about to tackle the problem in reverse.

Aloe Vera - it’s role in Veterinary Practice

Researching into the background of this spiky cactus-like plant, I discovered that the ancient civilisations of Egypt, Greece and Rome were aware of the healing properties of Aloe Vera. The Sumerians way back in 1750 BC reported its pharmaceutical properties, and Aloe Vera features in Chinese medicine both ancient and modern.

Aloe Vera arrived in the UK in 1693. By the 1800s it was widely used - imported from Jamaica and known as Cape or Horse Aloe it was deemed too impure for use on humans.

In 1844 the Veterinary Schools were granted a royal charter to become the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons. At this time Aloe Vera was a major player in the treatment of animals - so much so that the college chose to depict Aloe Vera in its coat of arms.

This shows Centaur, the mythical healer, carrying a shield bearing a picture of Aloe Vera Barbadensis Miller. However, the use of Aloe Vera, for both animals and humans fell from favour and it’s only in the last 20 years that this gift from nature has been acknowledged.

Source: Aloe Vera Nature’s Gift by David Urch Bsc MA VetMB MRCVS

You can see this article on my blog at http://complementarytherapyblog.com/aloe-vera-natures-gift-to-animals, along with others about horses and animals in general.