Three more herbs!

Lavender 

Taxonomy

Kingdom: Plantae
Phylun: Angiosperms (seed producing)
Order: Lamiales (typically have 5 petals fused into a tube. Four or fewer stamens, fused carpels and fused corollas or petals
Family: Lamiaceae (mint family)
Genus: Lavandula-Lavender

About 39 species of Lavender exist. My favorite is L. angustifolio which is sometimes called true lavender or Old English Lavender.

Description and Cultivation

Lavender tends to be a spikey plant topped with lavender-colored (usually purple) flowers that look like stalks of petals. The flower grows in a spiral or whorl pattern atop a stalk. The leaves are far below the flower although there is often one little set of flowers about an inch or two before the main group of flowers a the top. All parts of the plant have a distinctive aroma of lavender from the oil in the plant. The flowers are especially potent.

Lavenders tend to grow about 15 to 30 inches high in bushy clumps.  A small lavender plant will produce quite a tidy little bush in just a year or two if left to its own devices.  Lavenders like it dry and hot.  Sandy or gravelly soil with good drainage is much preferred.  Too much water will tend to give the plant root rot. On the other hand, they thrive in Seattle which is quite wet, so go figure.

Lavenders can be found all over the world and can become invasive if people introduce them into environments they don’t belong in but grow anyway.  It is in the mint family and mints can run amok.  Fortunately for lavender, it is used by many people in many ways.

Harvesting

Harvesting lavender is actually fairly simple. It is hard to really hurt the plant until you pull it out of the ground totally.  For the homeowner (rather than a commercial grower), cut the lavender when the flowers are just about to pop open or have just done. As with most herbs, harvest them about mid-morning after the dew is off the flowers but the sun is not yet blazing away their essential oils.  Snip the stalks down about 10 to 12 inches, depending on the size of the plant.  If you wish re-flowering, it is important to harvest the plants early so the plant can produce another 3-7 harvests in the season.

It is also possible just to harvest the flower itself. Cut the blooms about ¼ inch below the colored part of the flower, leaving the green base. The base will then produce another flower in a few weeks.  Eventually, as the season wears on the plants gives up and you can then cut into the green area for the final harvest of the year.

It is okay to prune back the bush after final blooming or very early in spring (late winter) before it starts to grown again. It will get new growth in spring.

Once cut, bunches of lavender stems can be hung from the ceiling of a cool, dark place to dry or they may be spread out on drying screens. Just don’t clump them together into a mass that might get wet unless you want moldy lavender.  Once dried, the scent of lavender will radiate for quite a while. It will decrease, but if one gets right into the dried flower, the smell is still there long after harvest.

The flowers may be further crushed for culinary use and pressed and distilled for oil which the home gardener usually doesn’t have the time or space or equipment to bother with.

Ethnobotany

As with most things that have been used for thousands of years, it is hard to pin down the true source of the word lavender or lavandula. The Latin word Lavare –to wash, is the most likely source in my estimation because they tended to name things after the use. However, it could also be named for its color livendula which means livid or bluish.  It had another name in biblical times. The word Spikenard also refers to lavender, no doubt from the spikes on which the flower grows.

Still the lavare word seems best to me. It is the name that is most attach to what people did with lavender through the ages.  Laundry (a word close to lavare and from the exact same root) “Lavenders” became a term for the women who washed clothes and they often used lavender as a scent to make the clothes sweet.

The ancient world used lavender as a perfume and preservative. It was found in the tombs in Egypt and seemed to be used for both the embalming process and cosmetic use.  The Greeks also used it as a perfume.  One must remember how things probably smelled back then, so any perfume would be popular.

It was the Romans who really began to understand the uses of lavender.  They saw that it not only smelled great, it seemed to repel nasty insects.  Using lavender as part of a treatment for cuts and abrasions and other small wounds make it popular with soldiers.  It was also beneficial to those who suffered sore throats, had a headache, indigestion and generally felt bad.

As with many herbs, lavender fell out of use in the middle ages except by the learned men and women who were in the church, but when Henry VIII abolished the Catholic Church, lavender came out of the cloister and into the mundane gardens all over England.  It was used to sweeten things up.  It was folded into bed linens, strewn on floors with the rushes, used to make furniture polish and eventually scented soaps, potpourris and used in water for a bath.

Using lavender as a fresh scent to cleanse things or make them smell clean anyway continued long into the 19^th, 20^th and even now in the 21^st century.  Lavender-filled bags still rest in drawers and closets. Lavender scented soap is one of the most popular kinds.  If you can scent it, lavender will be there.  Lavender is used to calm the nerves, helps with sleep, relieve depression, relieve congestion, help with headaches, tension, exhaustion and generally makes one feel better!

 

Folklore

“Lavender’s blue, dilly-dilly, lavender’s green.
When I am, dilly-dilly, you shall be Queen.”

And thus lavender found its way into English folk songs back in the mid 1600’s.  Lavender’s Green is just one piece of folklore for the little plant.

Lavender has long been associated with protection and cleaning. Here are a few of the folklore claims:

·         If a maid drinks the dew from a lavender plant on St. Luke’s day she will see her true love.

·         Lavender was used in bedding and closest to repel insects.

·         It was said that Mary tossed some of the baby’s Jesus’s clothes on a lavender bush to dry and thus they were scented. So others would do the same to be closer to the holy family.

·          Cleopatra used lavender and apparently Julius Caesar and Marc Antony liked it just fine.

·         Adam and Eve took lavender out of the garden of Eden when they got kicked out.

·         Lavender was used to prevent plague and since it is an insect repellent, it indeed might have helped.

·         It is said to plant a field of lavender above a vineyard and the wine produced will be richer and have a better bouquet.

Constituents

Lavender has over 100 constituents but the main ones include the following:

Linalool—a terpene alcohol which helps produce the scent

Perillyl alcohol—a rapidly absorb monoterpene constituent which might have some anti-cancer properties

Linalyl acetate—an acetate ester of linalool producing a fruity odor

Camphor—a terpenoil with a strong woody scent
Limonene—a hydrocarbon that also helps with scent. A prime mover in the lemon too
Tannins—an astringent biomolecule with good amino acids and alkaloids. Helps protect the plant from preditors

Triterpenes-a type of terpenes, where we get the word turpentine.  The smell nice too and help with protection

Coumarins—produces a sweet smell too and have been used for a long time in perfumes Found in Tonka beans among other plants

Cineole—a cyclic ether and monoterpeniod. Most often seen in eucalyptus, but in other plants too

Flavonoids—help give the plant color, help against disease of the plant and attract pollinators.

Medical and cosmetic uses

As mentioned in Ethnobotany, lavender has several, indeed many, medical uses. Studies have happened involving lavender, unfortunately, they are small studies so the qualitative numbers are not as high as most scientists would like them to be for definitive answers.  Why someone doesn’t just do a big study and answer the question is beyond me.  However, even those small studies seem to show some benefit in using lavender with anxiety, stress, insomnia, and pain.  It also appears to have both antibacterial and antiviral benefits.  Another study shows it might be useful to combat hair loss.

Aromatherapy seems to be the best way to use lavender and it does smell great so that works too!  Using lavender in sachets, sleep pillows, soaps, massage oils, tisanes, tinctures and such are all ways to get that lavender oil to the body part needed.

One should take care in using lavender, although it is quite safe.  I used it as a sleep pillow once and it gave me a stuffy nose. As soon as I took the pillow away, I was fine again.  I might still use the pillow, but I put it on the other side of the bed so I can get a little scent without clogging my nasal passages.  When using lavender oil directly on the skin, care should be given to make sure a rash does not develop.  If taken internally, (lavender flowers can be found in food. Do NOT take the oil internally as it is toxic that way.) it can cause headache, constipation and an increased appetite.

Lavender helps the body relax, so care should be taken if one is already using some medication for relaxation like Xanax or Ativan.

Magickal Correspondences

Need a man? Get some lavender. Lavender seems to attract men and that attraction is one of its magickal properties. Perhaps that’s one reason why it is seen is so many perfumes throughout the ages.  Lavender is all about love, protection, and cleansing things. Ruled by Mercury and associated with Air, lavender can help with lines of communication. I have no problem with its air association as it is chiefly used for its scent and needs a dry climate (airy as opposed to watery) to grow well. 

Astrologically, lavender is associated with Gemini and Virgo, the twins and the virgin. 

Use lavender for spells needing a lovely “kick” to enhance love, attract a love, and encourage love.  Use it also to cleanses things and bring about a calm, restful environment.  Since lavender tends to rid areas of insects and other pests, it is also used for protection spells.  One can’t go wrong with a lavender wand.

Food

Lavender has become a really popular food item in recent years. Its flowers are edible and people make the most of that.  I must say that I’ve had many foods with lavender in it and, well, let’s just as a little goes a long way, so use it carefully and judiciously. Too much lavender is too strong and will make things taste bitter. One may always add more, but it is a pain to remove it once it is in the dish.

Here are just a few of many foods that might use lavender:

Lavender tea cookies

Lavender Tea Cookies Recipe by What’s Cooking America

Yields: 2 dozen cookies
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 15 min

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon dried culinary lavender flowers
1 cup butter, room temperature
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon lemon extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
Lavender Frosting (see recipe below)

Preparation:

In a mortar, grind lavender flowers with the pestle.

In a medium bowl, cream together ground lavender flowers, butter, sugar, vanilla extract, and lemon extract. Add flour and salt; mix until combined (dough should be soft but not sticky.) Refrigerate 1 to 2 hours or until dough is firm.

Prepare Lavender Frosting; set aside.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Remove dough from refrigerator.

On a lightly-floured surface, roll dough approximately 1/4-inch thick with your rolling pin. Cut into desired shapes with your favorite  cookie cutters and place onto ungreased cookie sheets.

Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until cookies are lightly browned around the edges. Remove from oven and cool on wire cooling racks. When cool, frost with Lavender Frosting.

Makes 2 dozen cookies.

Lavender Frosting:
1 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons dried culinary lavender flowers
2 tablespoons milk
2 teaspoons light corn syrup

In a small plastic bag, combine powdered sugar and dried lavender flowers. Let stand at least 1 day before using. When ready to use, sift the mixture into a medium-size bowl; discarding lavender flowers.

Add milk and corn syrup, mixing well. Spread on baked, cooled cookies.

Lavender and Lemon poached chicken from “French Tart” at www.food.com

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
300 ml good chicken stock
10 drops lavender, cooking essence or 1 teaspoon culinary lavender flowers
15 g butter
1 shallot, peeled and finely chopped
2 teaspoons cornflour
3 tablespoons crème fraiche
Salt and pepper 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
fresh lavender flowers (to garnish) Directions:

1 Place the stock and lavender essence in a saucepan and bring to boil. Add the chicken breasts and return to boil and poach for 10-15 minutes until chicken is cooked through.

2 Remove the chicken to a dish and keep warm while making the sauce. Pour the stock into a jug.

3 Melt the butter in the pan and soften the shallot gently for 3-5 minutes. Sprinkle on the cornflour and stir to mix.

4 Gradually add the stock and stir while bringing to the boil. Simmer for 5 minutes then add the creme fraiche, salt and pepper. Simmer for a few minutes. Add lemon juice and season to taste.

5 Pour the sauce over the chicken, garnish each chicken breast with some lavender flowers and serve with wild rice or pasta; new potatoes and mange tout would also be good.

Lavender-Strawberry Spritzer by Joe Coca

Serves 4 to 6

• 1/4 cup orange juice
 • 1 cup fresh strawberries
 • 1 tablespoon fresh lavender buds
 • 3 cups white wine (or one 750 ml bottle)
 • 4 cups mineral water
 • 4 to 6 fresh lavender sprigs
 • 4 to 6 fresh strawberries

1. In a blender or food processor, blend the orange juice, 1 cup of strawberries, and lavender flowers. Transfer to a jug or bowl.

2. Pour wine over the blended mixture and allow to steep for 30 minutes; then strain into a punch bowl, discarding solids.

3. To serve, fill a wineglass half full with this flavored wine and top with mineral water. Garnish with a sprig of lavender and a strawberry.

 

Sources

Photo:

Lavender Fields   Schulman, Jennifer   http://www.jenniferschulman.com/content/lavender-essential-oil-helps-our-baby-sleep-through-night-and-cures-ringworm

 Lavender harvest   Pereira, Mary   http://maid4ugreenville.blogspot.com/2012/08/relaxit-lavender-take-two.html

Lavender flowers Bulgaria http://www.21food.com/products/lavender-flower-honey---gift-jar-104266.html

Lavender Cupcakes   Cassidy, Peter http://www.homesandproperty.co.uk/your_home_and_garden/recipes/lavendercupcakes.html

Bremnes, Lesley Herbs, Smithsonian books, 1994

Lavender  University of Maryland Medical Center  http://www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/lavender-000260.htm

Lavender Bioactive products found in Lavandula angustifolio http://www.sigmaaldrich.com/life-science/nutrition-research/learning-center/plant-profiler/lavandula-angustifolia.html

 Perillyl Alchohol ttp://www.mskcc.org/cancer-care/integrative-medicine/disclaimer?msk_disclaimer_herb=1&destination=%2Fcancer-care%2Fherb%2Fperillyl-alcohol

Lavender Folklore Lavender Enchantment  http://www.lavenderenchantment.com/History_Lore/lore.htm 2004

Drew, A. J. A Wiccan Formulary and Herbal, New Page Books, 2005

Lavender Tea Cookies What’s Cooking America  http://whatscookingamerica.net/Cookie/LavenderCookie.htm

Lavender and Lemon Chicken http://www.food.com/recipe/elegant-lavender-and-lemon-poached-chicken-breasts-240610

Lavender Spritzer, Coca, Joe  Mother Earth Living http://www.motherearthliving.com/cooking-methods/8-lovely-lavender-recipes-lavender-strawberry-spritzer.aspx

Dunlap, Marilyn. Wine arch in a Tuscan Landscape  http://www.compassionatearts.com/nationally-acclaimed/wine-and-lavender-2/

 

Western Yarrow

Achillea millefolium occidentalis

Taxonomy

Kingdom         Plantae – plants
Division           Magnoliophyta –flowering plants
Class                Magnoliopsida – Dicotyledons
Subclass          Asteridae
Family             Asteraceae – Aster family
Genus              Achillea L. – Yarrow
Variety           Achillea millefolium L occidentalis –                       

  Common Western Yarrow

            Description and Cultivation

Many types of yarrow exist in the world. It is an old and revered plant, but Western Yarrow is a variation that has its origin the North America and is somewhat different from common yarrow. An herbaceous perennial, this is a great choice for a xeriscape garden in my part of the world.  Western yarrow doesn’t require much water; it will thrive in land that gets between 8 and 15 inches of rain a year.  It has hairy looking small leaves which give the plant a lacy appearance.  Also called Woolly Yarrow because of the fine hairs on the leaves and stem, Western Yarrow is usually between 10 and 36 inches tall (25-90 cm), compared to common yarrow, which is far more aggressive, taller and smoother.

The flowers of the Western Yarrow are not unlike all the yarrows in the world, they are small and plentiful. The word millefolium means thousands of leaves/flowers and indeed the flower heads of the yarrow are a bunch of smaller flowers gathered together in an umbel-shaped flower head.  Western Yarrow tends to the white to cream range of color and blooms from May to September.  After the first bloom, one may deadhead the flowers and another full bloom will occur.

Western Yarrow isn’t too fussy as to where it lives.  Give it a little dirt, a bit of water now and again and some sun and it is happy to grow just about anywhere.  It makes it an ideal plant for water conscious gardens and roadside rehabilitation of native plants in our state.

Planting Western Yarrow could not be simpler.  Just take the small seeds and sprinkle them on the ground, then shift a fine layer or dirt over them so they are in a shallow plot.  Leave it alone, avoid walking around on it and it will most likely grow just fine.  The first year it needs to get established and the flowers might be few and small, but after that it should come back year after year.  The soil should be well drained or root rot may develop and while some insects enjoy munching on yarrow, such as leaf bugs and flea beetles, they don’t usually hurt the plant too much and since yarrow attracts other insect that feed on the former, it all usually works out fairly well in the circle of life.

Harvesting

Yarrow should be harvested when the plants are in blossom, about half of the flowers open, the rest will open after cutting. Deadheading the plant will keep it in blossom for at least one more round of flowers.  After the initial bloom, cut the plant down to the ground and one should get another crop in fall.

To dry yarrow, one merely gathers up the stalks from the base of the plant, hangs them in a bunch upside down to dry out in an airy place out of the sun.  The flowers may then be removed and stored in air-tight jars out of the sun for quite some time.

Ethnobotany

Common yarrow is one of the oldest known plants used by humans.  It was found buried in gravesite in Iraq that dates back to 60,000 BCE.  Since then it has been helping humans with its small flowers and hairy stems in a myriad of ways. It is said that the Greek hero, Achilles was taught how to use yarrow by Chiron, the centaur.  The soldier took that knowledge to the battlefield to stop the bleeding of his soldiers when wounded

In the west, Western Yarrow was/is used by many native  tribes (in our area that would be the Nez Perce, Coeur d’Alene, and Lapwai mainly) pain relief and fever reduction, brewing beer and almost anything else. It can be brewed into a tea to help with stomach complaints, it makes a nice mosquito repellant and it can be ground up with a bit of water and applied as a poultice on an infected injury.  Dried and ground seeds make a nice substitute for pepper as well.  One of its names is “old man’s pepper.” Soldier’s Woundwort and Staunchweed are two other common names for yarrow as are bloodwort, devil’s nettle, nosebleed, snakes grass, thousand seal.

Each of its common names tells a small part of its story.  Soldier’s woundwort and Staunchweed harken back to the Achilles story. Nosebleed might have two meanings: It can be used to stop the bleeding but at one time legend said that if one stuck a piece of yarrow up the nose and the nose bleed, it was a sign of true love. Well, the nose almost always bleeds since yarrow can be an irritant. It is called devil’s nettle, devil’s plaything and bad man’s plaything too. This does not mean it is a plant to attract the devil, but rather to repel him and all bad people.  It was worn in protective amulets by the Saxons and was reportedly used by witches for good or bad intents.

A wonderful forage plant for many animals both wild and domestic, yarrow can supplement the diets of many animals.  Bighorn sheep, antelope and deer love it, so it is not the plant to plant in a garden if one wants to keep the deer out.  Grouse and other birds eat it as do horse and cattle.  The animals are smart enough not to gorge themselves on it which is wise since too much yarrow can be toxic. Some birds line their nests with yarrow for its anti-parasitic properties

Other plants benefit from yarrow when it grows near them. Its leaves make a nice compost and it attaches useful insects more than harmful ones.

Folklore

In China, common yarrow is/was used to help divine the future with its use in the I Ching.  50 yarrow sticks are gathered up. One is set aside and the remaining 49 are separated into two piles.  Then, one stick from one of the piles is tucked in the space between the little and ring finger.  The other pile is then counted out in groups of four sticks at a time.  When zero to four stick remain, they are placed in the space between the middle and ring finger. The other pile is then counted out in the same way and placed between the middle and index finger.  Then the stick in the fingers are counted and depending on what number of stick is found the appropriate Yin or Yang or Old Yin or Old Yang line will be drawn and the whole process starts again for all six I Ching lines.  It is a time consuming process! (Fortunately, Prof. Roue showed me an app for that and it goes much faster!)

    I Ching with Yarrow. Note the single stick between the pinkie finger and ring finger

Constituents

Volatile oils—dark blue oil distilled from the flowers.
Achillein-which is a type of aconitic acid unique to yarrows
Alkaloids
Glycosides—which can help eliminate toxins
Salicylic acid—the same stuff as aspirin which accounts for its pain relief properties
Asparagine—A common amino acid
Sterols---a sort of plant cholesterol which might be used to block bad cholesterol in humans
Flavonoids—a part of plant pigmentation which help the plant attract pollinators
Tannins—which help protect the plant from pests and help regulate growth
Bitters—The constituent in yarrow that help create bitters, the drink.
Cumarins—the common chemical in many plants that helps promote a sweet smell

Medical and cosmetic uses

The leaves, stems, and flowers of the yarrow are used for medical purposes.

To make a skin wash for skin with eczema or for oily skin (which seem like opposite ailments, but yarrow works for both) infuse 1 cup of crumbled yarrow flowers into 2 cups of boiling water. Allow to cool and then strain out the flowers.  Use this infusion on the skin. Pat it on and allow it to seep in. It is good on acne, on a bath, compress, or just as a wash.

For a sudden toothache or headache, chew on fresh yarrow leaves (for the tooth) or rub them on your temple for the headache.  The same can be done for an insect bite. The yarrow will help relieve the itch. Yarrow is also uses its anti-inflammatory properties to treat deep bruises and is safe for cuts and abrasions when used as a poultice.

Yarrow has a heady smell of “summer” to my nose. I love to just rub against it or run my fingers in it to release the oils.  One might use yarrow essential oil to scent household cleaners or a bucket of water.  It looks like in a potpourri although the color does tend to fade.

Magickal Correspondences

Protection is probably its best use since it has been used for that for so many centuries. Given all its healing background, it makes sense that healing and protection would be at the top of yarrows correspondences.

Associated with the goddess Aphrodite/Venus, it also makes sense to use yarrow in any love spell.  Actually, I would say because it was used for love spells it is associated with Aphrodite rather than the other way around.

Yarrow of all kinds is associated with Air and for once I don’t have a problem with that association. (Although one source says its element is water, but I don’t agree there.)  Its lacy feather-like leaves lend themselves to air as does its fragrant flowers.  The use of it with the I Ching, a form of divination also places it in Air’s domain.

It is useful to carry a bit of yarrow around to help with anxiety, repel negativity, and attract pleasant feelings.

Sources

Drew, A. J. A Wiccan Formulary and Herbal, New Page Books, 2004

Garden guides.com Western Yarrow (Occidentalis) http://www.gardenguides.com/taxonomy/western-yarrow-achillea-millefolium-var-occidentalis/

Grieve, Maud . A modern Herbal Botanical.com http://www.botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/y/yarrow02.html

Hunter, Candace, Yarrow: Myth and Magic http://www.thepracticalherbalist.com/component/content/article/53-magical-herbs/266-yarrow-myth-and-magic.html?directory=103

http://itd.idaho.gov/manuals/Online_Manuals/Current_Manuals/Roadside_Revegetation/Roadside_Revegetation.pdf

Plant Fact Sheet Western Yarrow:  http://plants.usda.gov/factsheet/pdf/fs_acmio.pdf

Potterton, David (editor), Stinger, Michael (illustrator)  Culpeper’s Color Herbal.  Sterling Press, 2007. 

Silverman, Maida, A City Herbal: Lore, Legend, & Uses of Common Weeds, Ash Tree Publishing, 1977

Aloe vera

Taxonomy

Kingdom         Plantae—A plant
Order               Asparagales- a monocot (one seed-leaf) that was once the in Liliales order
Family             Xanthorrhoeaceae—a flowering asparagale
Subfamily        Asphodeloideae- usually a plant contain anthraquinones which is a phenolic compound
Genus              Aloe – flowering succulents about 500 species
Species            Aloe vera – the best known

 

Description and Cultivation

The aloe vera looks like a cactus. It has broad leaves radiating out from the base of the plant with smooth green-grey “skin” and sharp barbs about every half inch. Fleshy is a way to describe the Aloe leaf.  A flower of sorts appears from the center of the plant on a long stem.  The flowers are like long tubes, rather like a hyacinth or an odd day lily except a lot bigger and usually yellow. That is probably why it was part of the lily family for so long.  It is the spiny leaf that is the area of most interest to humans for its goopy sap that it holds inside which allows it to go a long time without water.  Aloe vera, unlike its fellow aloes no longer occurs naturally, it is extinct except when cultivated by humans. Aloe vera is usually a bushy houseplant, but it can grow up to 60 feet high if left alone.

Harvesting

Aloe vera is grown for ornamental use and medicinal uses. There is a mother plant and “pups” They like good drainage, sandy soil and water, but not lots of it.  They will dry out and shrivel in really hot sun. They make a great indoor plant, however and love sitting on kitchen windowsills.  The plant should be mature, not a “pup” and in good condition before harvesting. As long as the leaves are about eight inches long, they are mature.  The leaves will not grow back, rather they will be replaced with new growth from the center of the plant.  To harvest the leaf, just cut it with a sharp knife near the base. Cut the outer leaves before cutting any inner leaf.  Rinse the newly cut leaf with water. Cut off the spines around the edges, then “skin” the leaf on both sides.  That leaves you with just the gel from the inside which can be stored in a container (plastic or glass) with a lid in the refrigerator for about a week.  It may also be frozen for longer use.

Ethnobotany

The word Aloe appears to be the name for the plant in ancient Arabic, meaning “shining bitter one”, but the term vera is Latin for “true” meaning this is the “true” form of the plant although it didn’t get that name until the late 1700’s.  Aloe vera has been used by cultures all over the world for many centuries.  It seems to be a native of Africa where the earliest description of the plant occurs.  A cave painting near the Orange River in South Africa shows an aloe plant.  It is quite possible that the ancient people used aloe much like we do. It sooths a burn and although they had tamed fire, they still got burned. Dab some gel on the sight and the sting would disappear and the burn would heal faster. 

The first record of aloe goes back to the 4^th century BCE to relieve inflammation. Alexander the Great even conquered an island because of its aloe supply.

At one time Aloe was also used as a laxative, until quite recently actually, but modern science suggests this is not a great idea.  It is good to note that the laxative quality of the plant and the burn healing gel are not the same component.  The barbaloin or just aloin is found in the flesh of the stem, not the gel inside.  If one scraps the leaves too closely, they will mix and the gel will then become more of a laxative.   Aloin is a rather rough laxative causing cramping, abdominal pain, and taste bitter.

Folklore

It is said that Queen Cleopatra used Aloe vera on her skin to promote a smooth glowing surface.
Egyptians used aloe as part of the embalming process, but then they used almost every plant for that process it seems to me. They also used it as part of perfumes and lotions.
Jesus is said to have been doused in Aloe vera and myrrh by Nicodemus after he was killed as part of the burial.
Marco Polo learned about aloe’s use in stomach complaints (probably the laxative quality) when visiting China.

Aloe vera is one of few plants that have maintained their primary use (healing burns) over the centuries. It started as a folk medicine, but just kept going from culture to culture.

Columbus also carried it to the new world because it was so useful in treating ache, pains, burns, and scratches aboard ship.

Constituents

Aloe vera has about 75 active constituents and over 200 constituents overall.

Vitamins A, C, E, B12, Folic Acid and Choline

Enzymes including alkaline phosphatase, aliiase, cellulose and Bradykinase which helps with inflammation.

Minerals – Calcium, copper, magnesium, manganese, potassium, sodium and zinc mainly.

Glucose and fructose and muchopolysaccarides which are found in the mucous layer where the gel is.

Barbaloin and isobarbaloin and Aloe-emodin and 12 other anthraquinones which are phenolic in nature and involve that laxative property.

Fatty acids like cholesterol, campersterol and lupeol as well as amino acids, salicylic acid, lignin and Saponin which help clean things and are antiseptic in nature

Medical and cosmetic uses

Aloe vera is sometimes called the Miracle Plant for all its uses.  Help with burns, rashes, skin aliments, the laxative properties. Frostbite damage, tissue pain. It is anti-inflammatory and soothing and may have the ability to help collagen and elastin in the skin maintain their bounce which would help with signs of aging.  The odd thing is, that while Aloe has been used for over 4000 years, science can’t really tell why it works. They might even say it doesn’t.  However, too many people who use the stuff can attest to the fact that is does something!  I, myself, know it helped greatly when I got a nasty sunburn my first day in Mexico on February. (It was so warm, I couldn’t bear to leave the sunshine…ouch!) Without Aloe vera, I would have been in considerable pain and the burn would have peeled much more than it did. So, science keeps looking and finding out things about Aloe vera that does seem to point to scientifically proven results.  It might not yet be the miracle plant, but everyone is looking at it with great interest after all this time.

Most people will use from a teaspoon to a tablespoon of Aloe gel for external use at one time.

Magickal Correspondences

Most associate Aloe vera with water and feminine qualities. I don’t disagree for once!  Obviously, Aloe grows in dry areas, but it has so much liquid inside it that the water association is clear. Because of its protective nature and healing nature, both realms of the feminine aspects of our world, that also seems to make sense.  Aloe is used for good luck, to prevent accidents. (As in, if you have the cure on hand, you won’t need it.)

It is good for beauty spells, peace, success, and protection.  It is also associated with the moon, again from the feminine qualities more than what the actual plant needs to grow.

Food

Don’t eat it.  Aloe vera can be taken internally, but I wouldn’t do it without a doctor’s approval or that laxative nature could come….out.

 Sources

Aloe Plants info, recipes, & tips,  We Love Aloe 2011  http://www.aloeplant.info/harvest-fresh-aloe-gel/

Foster, Stephen, Aloe vera –Every windowsill deserves one, Mother Earth Living, 1995.

Aloe vera – Nature’s Miracle Plant  Uncle Harry’s Natural Products, 2013 http://www.uncleharrys.com/store/article.php?pamphlet=aloe

Drew, A. J. A Wiccan Formulary and Herbal, New Page Books, 2004

Aloes  Grieve, M. Modern Herbal http://botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/a/aloes027.html

Photo of medical uses of Aloe vera   whyflp.com

Photo of Cleopatra http://www.aceshowbiz.com/news/view/00052982.html

Photo of books  Beck, Lu Gaerde der suntheit 1492   http://www.med.yale.edu/library/historical/klebs/5.html