I cook fairly well most of the time, but I definitely have a brown thumb
when it comes to gardening, etc. Afew months ago, I purchased an "aloe"
plant, just to have around, and because I knew its "insides" (the
gel-like stuff) works well for burns. Thankfully, aloe plants also
tolerate a lot of "abuse" and "neglect."

Well, guess what I did tonight? I steamed-burned a part of my hand when
I tried to clean a small 8" cast-iron skillet. Go figure, just a
fraction of a second of exposure to steam can do a lot of damage to
human flesh!

After I ran my injured hand under very cold tap water for quite a few
minutes (about 10 min?) and then some more, I amputated a stalk of the
aloe plant... and as if deveining a shrimp, I split the aloe stalk right
down the center, but not all the way through to the opposite side, then
layed the "butterflied" gel-portion of the aloe plant next to my burned
(er, steamed!) knuckles and fingers.

What a relief! Does anyone else have a story to share about aloe
plants???

Skyhooks
""aahhtt""
s b c g l o b a l
""ddoott""
n e t

Skyhooks wrote:
> I cook fairly well most of the time, but I definitely have a brown
> thumb when it comes to gardening, etc. Afew months ago, I purchased
> an "aloe" plant, just to have around, and because I knew its
> "insides" (the gel-like stuff) works well for burns. Thankfully,
> aloe plants also tolerate a lot of "abuse" and "neglect."
>
> Well, guess what I did tonight? I steamed-burned a part of my hand
> when I tried to clean a small 8" cast-iron skillet. Go figure, just a
> fraction of a second of exposure to steam can do a lot of damage to
> human flesh!
>
> After I ran my injured hand under very cold tap water for quite a few
> minutes (about 10 min?) and then some more, I amputated a stalk of the
> aloe plant... and as if deveining a shrimp, I split the aloe stalk
> right down the center, but not all the way through to the opposite
> side, then layed the "butterflied" gel-portion of the aloe plant next
> to my burned (er, steamed!) knuckles and fingers.
>
> What a relief! Does anyone else have a story to share about aloe
> plants???
>
In Costa Rica (and other latin American countries) they hang an aloe plant
(bare root up) behind the bar in the cantinas.
The plant lives for a remarkablly long tome. I think it is supposedto bring
good luck or health or whatever.

Ken.

Ken Davey wrote:
>
> In Costa Rica (and other latin American countries) they hang an aloe plant
> (bare root up) behind the bar in the cantinas.
> The plant lives for a remarkablly long tome. I think it is supposed to bring
> good luck or health or whatever.

It's the first aid kit for bar fights. :-) -aem

>>What a relief! Does anyone else have a story to share about aloe
>>plants?


I was introduced to the use of aloe as a burn remedy in elementary
school by a childhood friend. Some time in high school, I put it to the
test. I'd gotten a sunburn. I put aloe on my left shoulder, arm and
left side of my back. I put nothing on my right. At first I was
shocked when, 2 days later, my left side started to peel a little.
(These are the gossimer peels, not full blisters which I've never
gotten.) I thought that the aloe didn't work. A day later, my right
side started to peel the the same way. It turned out that my left side
was a full day ahead on healing over my right.


Convinced, I used aloe every time I got a sunburn. If I couldn't get
the long leaf, I bought it in the brown bottle at the health food store.


Some years later, I noticed that I always came down with a sneezing
allergy attack after getting mild sunburns. A friend explained it to me
thus: Allergies are the body's immune system gone amok. When you're
healing from a sunburn, the immune system is called into play. Since
you're allergic in general (to pollens mostly), you sneeze when you get
sunburned. I was satisfied with that explanation and continued using
the aloe.


Fast forward even more years. I'm in conversation with an acupuncturist
about something or other. I mention sunburn, aloe and sneezing. She
says "are you sure you're not just allergic to aloe? Lots of people
are." Sure enough, I stopped using aloe on sunburns and stopped
sneezing. Now I use a little cold water and nothing else. More than
that, I try hard to remember sunscreen and to wear long sleeves in the
water and on the beach.


I still think aloe is useful for mild kitchen burns though I no longer
have it around the house.


--Lia, dropping into this usenet group only occasionally now

On Thu, 30 Mar 2006 01:39:37 -0600, Skyhooks >
wrote:


>What a relief! Does anyone else have a story to share about aloe
>plants???

Many (10?) years ago, on vacation in Antigua, I got sunburned. A Rasta
guy on the beach cut up an aloe leaf and spread the gel on my
shoulders. It felt *really* nice. I think I have a picture of it
around here somewhere, but there's no way I'm posting it for anyone to
see, 'cause I believe I was rather chubby at the time.

Jo Anne