Lately if you go to any beauty care shop, you will find n number of products in the name of Aloe vera. I decided to investigate little bit on this from the scientific point of view. I just typed aloe vera benefits in pubmed page, and 16 articles came up. Out of which 3-4 are review articles.
To sum up I got the following important information on Aloe vera.
It is an anti inflammatory agent, so in other words, it is known to ease a lot of problems related to inflammation. It is also a natural coolant and hydrating agent. So, this would mean aloe vera can be useful in diseases related to inflammation such as IBS, sun burns and a can be used as a moisturizing agent.
Aloe species are used in the treatment of arthritis, skin cancer, burns, eczema, psoriasis, digestive problems, blood pressure problems, and diabetes. These treatments are based on anecdotal evidence or research findings done almost exclusively on A. vera. Different Aloe species would have various phytochemical contents, health benefits, and possible toxicities.
Compounds present in Aloe vera:
Of all the compounds identified, the groups of compounds best described for their health benefits are the phenolic acids/polyphenols, sterols, fatty acids, and indoles. Apart from these, various alkanes, pyrimidines, alkaloids, organic acids, aldehydes, dicarboxylic acids, ketones, and alcohols were also identified.
Ref: Aloe ferox Leaf Gel Phytochemical Content, Antioxidant Capacity, and Possible Health Benefits. Du Toit Loots,*† Francois H. van der Westhuizen,‡ and Lisa Botes†.J. Agric. Food Chem., 2007, 55 (17), pp 6891–6896
Another interesting article I came across proves that aloe vera juice stimulates collagen production. In skin care industry, this is used as an anti-wrinkle product.(Ref)
And there are many more articles describing Aloe as an effective agent for wound healing, wound cleansing, hygiene, skin care post radiation therapy,
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Monday, March 8, 2010
Expectations are the root cause of stress!!
As I am growing older I am realizing meanings on patience, maturity, expectations in the truest ways.. Earlier these just meant dictionary words, but now it means so much more.
Aren't we living everyday with some expectation or other? That is absolutely true. So, whom are we expecting things from? It may be from job, colleagues, friends, family and most importantly from god!! Why do we pray? Most of us pray to get something done with just a few exceptions.. Having said that how many of us will deny that they have not asked for anything during a prayer and simply said thanks for everything? This is going to be a rarity.
Now I am getting very sensitive to expectations, although I had this trait earlier too but now it is getting stronger with aging process. I simply don't like to do anything if I realize that someone is expecting me to do something for them. If I do, I do very reluctantly and I try to get away from that person. Is it good? I don't know..
For instance my parents expect me to do something for them, my nephews and nieces expect me to do something for them. Well, expecting something ad getting is done is fine as long as you have no other means. But it puts me off if I get a sense that someone is expecting(or should I say exploiting?) something from you which they can otherwise do. Or if they can save some money if you do that for them at the cost of huge inconvenience to you. Should you go for it? I don't know. I am too confused now and now I am in the midst of such a situation where someone demands something from me knowing that I am not willing to perform that duty.
Aren't we living everyday with some expectation or other? That is absolutely true. So, whom are we expecting things from? It may be from job, colleagues, friends, family and most importantly from god!! Why do we pray? Most of us pray to get something done with just a few exceptions.. Having said that how many of us will deny that they have not asked for anything during a prayer and simply said thanks for everything? This is going to be a rarity.
Now I am getting very sensitive to expectations, although I had this trait earlier too but now it is getting stronger with aging process. I simply don't like to do anything if I realize that someone is expecting me to do something for them. If I do, I do very reluctantly and I try to get away from that person. Is it good? I don't know..
For instance my parents expect me to do something for them, my nephews and nieces expect me to do something for them. Well, expecting something ad getting is done is fine as long as you have no other means. But it puts me off if I get a sense that someone is expecting(or should I say exploiting?) something from you which they can otherwise do. Or if they can save some money if you do that for them at the cost of huge inconvenience to you. Should you go for it? I don't know. I am too confused now and now I am in the midst of such a situation where someone demands something from me knowing that I am not willing to perform that duty.
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Experience from my brother's diary
Sometimes we wonder if everything happens for a reason - I betcha it does!! I have a number of experiences that I forgot to document and does not come to me at the moment, but here I will describe one experience that my younger brother had..
My Brother Wing Commander Saroj Ranjan Tripathy works in Delhi. Not so long ago he went to purchase a Kinetic Honda for his wife from Punjab. He downloaded the bike from the train and chose to take the less traveled jungle route to his home - apparently because it was the shortest distance. He also happened to carry a number of books and papers along and those were quite heavy. It was dark night and rainy. His bike seemed to work well till he reached the middle of the road. Just then it stopped working. That was the quietest place of the entire road and was notorious for thieves, murderers etc. Not to mention the dangers of wild animals and to top it all the road was going uphill. Just then he tried to drag the bike as long as he could but soon got tired. His cell phone network was not working and he was totally helpless in the middle of a rainy night. This perfectly sounds like a Bollywood ghost movie, but this happens to be a true story.
Just then to his surprise two men just passed by him in another vehicle, almost brushing him. They were drunk and were looking like criminals by all means. He was terrified and was ready to give off all his possessions and was planning a speech that he wanted to tell these 2 people. To his horror, the 2 men came closer to him and asked him what was the problem. My brother just waiting for the inevitable described all that happened with the vehicle. They inspected the vehicle for a while and instead of robbing him offered if they could push the vehicle uphill while he being seated. As such my brother was not expecting any help, but having no other choice he agreed. He and the bundle of books on the vehicle remained seated on the 2 wheeler and those 2 started pushing him from behind slowly moving the vehicle uphill. After about 2 hours, they managed to come out of that forest area and saw civilization and soon my brother reached his destination. For this 2 hours he was wondering what is this going on not knowing what will be the outcome.
Anyways, after they reached a safe place, my brother being very grateful asked them, brother how may I repay you for this? Soon came the reply : "Please help 2 more people when you see them in problem, that will be our payback". The men vanished and gave a life long experience to my brother and to all of us....
My Brother Wing Commander Saroj Ranjan Tripathy works in Delhi. Not so long ago he went to purchase a Kinetic Honda for his wife from Punjab. He downloaded the bike from the train and chose to take the less traveled jungle route to his home - apparently because it was the shortest distance. He also happened to carry a number of books and papers along and those were quite heavy. It was dark night and rainy. His bike seemed to work well till he reached the middle of the road. Just then it stopped working. That was the quietest place of the entire road and was notorious for thieves, murderers etc. Not to mention the dangers of wild animals and to top it all the road was going uphill. Just then he tried to drag the bike as long as he could but soon got tired. His cell phone network was not working and he was totally helpless in the middle of a rainy night. This perfectly sounds like a Bollywood ghost movie, but this happens to be a true story.
Just then to his surprise two men just passed by him in another vehicle, almost brushing him. They were drunk and were looking like criminals by all means. He was terrified and was ready to give off all his possessions and was planning a speech that he wanted to tell these 2 people. To his horror, the 2 men came closer to him and asked him what was the problem. My brother just waiting for the inevitable described all that happened with the vehicle. They inspected the vehicle for a while and instead of robbing him offered if they could push the vehicle uphill while he being seated. As such my brother was not expecting any help, but having no other choice he agreed. He and the bundle of books on the vehicle remained seated on the 2 wheeler and those 2 started pushing him from behind slowly moving the vehicle uphill. After about 2 hours, they managed to come out of that forest area and saw civilization and soon my brother reached his destination. For this 2 hours he was wondering what is this going on not knowing what will be the outcome.
Anyways, after they reached a safe place, my brother being very grateful asked them, brother how may I repay you for this? Soon came the reply : "Please help 2 more people when you see them in problem, that will be our payback". The men vanished and gave a life long experience to my brother and to all of us....
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