[Sca-cooks] Aloe

[Suey]

Avenzoar (1091-1161) said:
    "It is hot and dry; it dries excessive moisture in the stomach, 
strengthens and fortifies this organ and is useful against nauseas 
produced by an excess of moisture. It improves the breath, is beneficial 
for the liver, it makes the urine flow and rids the stomach of excess 
moisture and the rest of the body.
    "If used by a patient with too much saliva, it disappears. It is 
extraordinarily beneficial for the elderly, hemiplegics and all those 
with a corporal humor that is too humid.
    "Its fundamental property is the following: it strengthens the 
sensitiveness of the mind, sharpening it and for that it is beneficial 
in cases of difficulties of perceptiveness as in [those who suffer from 
it among] the elderly and hemiplegics. Further it ties the residues of 
excessive moisture existing in the stomach and the rest of the organism."
    I started researching aloe in Texas when visiting my college 
roommate who always has the plant on hand. Her man told me that once she 
burned herself very badly in the oven. He asked what he could he do to 
help her. She told him to cut part of a leaf or whatever you call those 
cactus things and apply the gue to the burn. He kept doing that and she 
was cured in no time.
    After that he started drinking aloe water. It cured his very severe 
psychosis. I followed suit drinking a gallon a day for four months. I 
have not had any bouts with eczema and psychosis since and believe me my 
eczema was bad. This year I had two ulcers due to pain medications and 
started drinking a cup a day. My doctor cannot believe I was cured 
faster than any patient he has ever had before and he is 62 years old!
    From the times of Avenvoar  in Spain who appears to have been a 
primary promoter of aloe Hispano-Arabs kept fast fields of it in 
Andalusia. Fernando the Catholic camped in aloe fields during the 
campaign to conquer Granada from them and his physicians used aloe to 
cure the wounds of his soldiers. In the end it is said that King Ferdi 
burned the fields, don't ask me why, and the multi-uses for aloe 
supposedly became ashes buried with so many facets of Hispano-Muslim 
medical history.
    Yes, it seems that in the 1980's aloe started to come back in 
marketing soaps, creams and lotions but former roommate swears it was 
something her forefathers have always had on hand for internal and 
external use. Here in Chile the plant is as common as a daisy in 
nurserys where we can even buy a cut leaf which yields more than a quart 
of aloe juice. Everyone here knows about its benefits.
     I have never heard of anyone allergic to aloe. For me offering aloe 
syrup only has benefits for you and your guests and it can provide very 
interesting conversation.
    Oh, English culinary historians - pls don't confuse this aloe with 
your birdies!
Suey