Even if you’ve never grown an aloe plant, at least once you’ve probably slathered its rather slimy gel over a nasty sunburn during the summertime to ease the itch and pain. And I bet it worked, too! That’s because aloe is a tried and true medicinal plant that has been used all over the world for centuries. These days aloe can be found as a main ingredient in anything from shaving cream to wart remover. In addition to treating skin problems, it has been known to boast your immune system if taken it orally. TheInternational Aloe Science Council http://www.iasc.org/articles.html has some great articles devoted to scientific research about the aloe plant and its medicinal uses.
If you’ve purchased an aloe-based product from a store but you aren’t growing one, having one or two aloe plants at home means you won’t have to buy any of those expensive products ever again. With your aloe plant you can make your own soothing medicinal ointments! Even if you never use aloe for medicinal purposes, you can just grow it as an attractive indoor potted plant. They’re very easy to grow and maintain, so what are you waiting for?
Scientifically speaking, aloe is a monocot from the Lily family (Liliaceae) and is considered a forb or an herb. There are actually about 250 species of Aloes. It’s scientific name is indeed Aloe vera, but you may also find it under Aloe barbadensis. Aloes are related to a lot of plants you’d never think of. For example, Easter lilies, tulips, and asparagus. Find out everything you ever wanted to know about the lily family here: Lily Family Info. http://www.answers.com/topic/liliaceae
Aloes are very easy to grow, and you should more or less treat it as a cactus or a succulent, with well-draining soil, minimal water, and plenty of sun. Temperature is also important as your aloe will start to croak if you keep it outdoors during cold nights when temperatures drop below 40 degrees F. If you live in the tropics or a Mediterranean-type climate, you can keep your aloe outdoors year-round, but if not, your best bet is to grow your aloe in a container and move it indoors when the weather turns cold.
Aloe plants are readily available from your local family-owned nursery, (remember: never buy your plants from the “___marts!”) but if you’ve got a neighbor with an aloe, you can ask to steal a bit of their plant and grow a whole new one! The best way to do this is to take the entire plant out of the container, remove a bit of it with the roots (it should pop off fairly easily, don’t force it and damage your neighbor’s plant! You want to stay friends, right?) and then repot the original plant and give it back to your neighbor. Pot up the cutting with the roots and give it a little water to get it started. As it grows, you’ll want to let the soil get fairly dry but not completely before watering it again. If you’re starting off your plant in the winter, you’ll want to wait until the soil is completely dry as the temperatures are a little lower and you don’t want to over water your plant.
