Monday,4 April,2011
Aloe ferox well-earned reputation.
A proud sentinel along the roads and rivers of the Hessequa, the entrance to the Garden Route near Albertinia, the robust Aloe ferox has thicker leaves than it’s famous cousin. These are covered in short and stubby thorns to protect it from herbivores and harbour the valuable gel and bitter sap that are harvested.
Aloe ferox plants grown in this area in particular have been proven to have 36% more total amino acids in its gel and 20 times more of the bitter sap containing the beneficial substance aloin than Aloe vera. Local specimens have the highest aloin content in the country - and therefore the world - at up to 28% of the bitter sap. In contrast, Aloe vera contains very little bitter sap and therefore very small amounts of aloin. For years, the bitter sap has been harvested and exported to Europe and Asia for inclusion in a range of products.
In 1967, a surgeon on Prof Chris Barnard’s first heart transplant team noted how the application of Aloe ferox gel to wounds accelerated the reproduction of the cells responsible for the formation of collagen, which is vital for skin strength and elasticity.
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