Lanzarote´s latest attraction – The Aloe Vera House – has just opened it´s doors to the public in Arrieta. Providing tourists with an insight into the many uses of this wonder plant – which is cultivated across Lanzarote and Fuerteventura.
The Aloe Vera House is a mini museum and showroom. Providing visitors with plenty of information about the history and uses of the plant, alongside a large range of aloe based products.
Aloe Vera History
Aloe Vera is currently enjoying something of a renaissance. But the plant has been used medicinally for over 3,000 years – as explained by a number of display boards around the museum.
For instance, a papyrus discovered in Egypt dating back to 1,500 B.C. provides the earliest written description. Whilst Aristotle is known to have recommended it to Alexander the Great for treating his soldiers’ injuries. And Marco Polo found that the Chinese court was already in the habit of ingesting the plant for stomach ailments.
There are references to the wounds on Christ’s body being treated with aloe vera and myrrh, according to Nicodemus. More recently, Gandhi came across it during his sojourn in South Africa and was very taken with the therapeutic benefits of its use.
It was amongst the various goods taken to the New World by Christopher Columbus, who embarked on his famous journey across the Atlantic from the Canary Islands.
When he arrived in the Caribbean the first specimens were planted on Hispaniola (now known as Haiti and the Dominican Republic). He counted it as one of four vital substances for the health of his crew, alongside wheat, grapes and olives.
Aloe Vera Production
The Aloe Vera House also provides an interesting insight into who the plant is cultivated. On Lanzarote and Fuerteventura production is totally organic, with absolutely no chemical additives or fertilizers employed. And the mineral rich properties of the volcanic soil on the islands are thought to make locally grown aloe some of the most efficacious available.
The process of extracting the gel from the plant is very labour intensive as it is all carried out by hand, but the quality of the products is far higher as a result.
Some two and a half million square metres of land across the Canaries are used for cultivation of the aloe, which needs to be five years old before it is mature enough to be harvested. The climatic conditions on the islands ensure that the plants grown here have the optimum level of active components that are useful for the treatment of a variety of complaints.
Surprisingly, given its look and feel, the aloe vera is in fact part of the lily family and is not related to the agave, despite visual similarities. Its name derives from the Arabic Alloeh, which means both bitter and bright, whilst Vera is Latin for truth. There are a number of varieties that are grown around the world for pharmacological use, including aloe arborescens, ferox, chinensis, socotrina and vulgaris. But it is specifically aloe vera barbadensis that is cultivated and used in the products available for sale at the Aloe Vera House.
Medical Uses
Whilst aloe’s suitability to treat sunburn and insect bites may already be well known, there is a much wider range of uses for the plant that have so far received less recognition.
For example, the liquid can be taken to treat not only stomach and duodenal ulcers, but it will also purify the liver, pancreas and gall bladder when ingested. Its effect is to rebalance the Ph levels in the stomach and reduce excessive acidity. Digestion is likewise aided by a small dosage of the juice. Not to mention that cholesterol and high blood pressure can be reduced as well.
Then there is the treatment of asthma, as the plant acts as an anti-inflammatory in the bronchial region as well, thanks to the active ingredients of amino acids. Externally, when applied as a compress it is effective at reducing the swelling that is often caused by arthritis, osteo-arthritis and rheumatism.
And lest we forget it has a long history as a beauty product. Forget about asses milk, Cleopatra certainly used aloe to keep her skin youthful looking and clear. One of its many affects on the body is to help with cell regeneration, especially in the skin. Thus it aids in delaying ageing and even assists in filtering some of the harmful rays from the sun. The antibacterial ingredients in the gel mean that it is highly efficacious in the treatment of acne and other skin complaints, such as eczema.
How to get there
The Aloe Vera House is situated just on the edge of Arrieta as you enter the village. Once you have turned off the main road (LZ-1) at the roundabout (with an unmissable Manarique windtoy), take the first left hand turning, drive past the school and the Aloe Vera House is on the right hand side, with parking to the left. Entrance is free of charge and it is open all day from 09.00 to 18.30 Monday to Saturday.
