Eternally True, by Lou ; )

Aloe Vera flourishes in warm, dry climates, and may people mistake it for cactus, but in fact it is a member of the lilly family. It stays moist when other plants would wilt and die by closing it's pores to prevent loss of moisture. There are over 200 vaieties of aloe, but it is the Aloe Barbadensis Miller (aloe vera) plant which has been of most use to mankind due to it's benificial properties.
Nowadays, although medicines and drugs can be very effective in treating ailments, long term use often involves side effects from patients. Consequently, more consumers andscientists are turning back to look at more traditional, natural therapies which have long been neglected. As a result, aloe vera is onceagin attracting attention since it can provide so many benifits to our health and lifestyle. Hardly a week goes by without the benifits of aloe vera being highlighted in the 'health' pages of magor national newspapers.
However, the use of aloe vera in climates where it does not grow is only made possible by a process called stabilisation. For example, if you slice an apple and leave it open to the air, the fruit quickly discolours-it is the same with aloe. In the wild, the inner leaf gel is protected by the fleshy outer rind that prevents moisture loss and protects it from the atmosphere. Once the leaf is cut, the process of oxidation begins which, if left would deplete the precious gel of many of it's benificial properties. Stabilisation is a method of preserving the gel, in a state as close as possible to its original form, without losing the original potency and effectiveness of the fresh leaf. Without stabilisation, the product would degrade even under refrigeration.