I'm getting hits every day on my blog from people searching for worm farms. This must be big business.
In the Philippines, hundreds of rice farmers now use a multi-purpose detergent, which has Aloe Vera as its main ingredient, in spraying their rice fields instead of using harmful pesticides, with amazing results.
JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - A South African man was killed and eaten by lions at a game farm in the country's North West province, police said on Thursday. Samuel Boosen, a 36-year-old caretaker at the Aloe Ridge Lodge at Swartruggens, about 150 km (90...
Eco-Logica is recognized internationally by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), the European Union and the government of Switzerland as an accredited certifying body. To its knowledge, Carrington is the only producer of Aloe vera whose farm is certified organic and manufactured in a kosher and ISO-certified facility that is cGMP by
Currently the company has subsidiaries which provide a full range of products including Aloe Vera, Cactus, Succulents, Jade, Rare and Exotic Palm Trees and Cycads along with produce products that include Aloe Vera, Asparagus, Tomatoes and Wheat grass. In 2007 the company plans to add over 100 specialty niche produce items to it offerings.
Aloe vera , also known as the medicinal aloe , is a species of succulent plant that probably originated in Northern Africa. Aloe vera grows in arid climates and is widely distributed in Africa and other arid areas. The species is frequently cited as being used in herbal medicine. There have been many scientific studies of the use aloe vera, some of it conflicting. Despite these limitations, there is some preliminary evidence that A. vera extracts may be useful in the treatment of diabetes and elevated blood lipids in humans. These positive effects are thought to be due to the presence of compounds such as polysaccharides, mannans, anthraquinones and lectins.
Description
A. vera is a stemless or very short-stemmed succulent plant growing to 60–100 cm (24–39 in) tall, spreading by offsets. The stems are thick and fleshy, green to grey-green, with some varieties showing white flecks on the upper and lower stem surfaces. The margin of the stem is serrated and has small white teeth. The flowers are produced in summer on a spike up to 90 cm (35 in) tall, each flower pendulous, with a yellow tubular corolla 2–3 cm (0.8–1.2 in) long. Like other Aloe species, A. vera forms arbuscular mycorrhiza, a symbiosis that allows the plant better access to mineral nutrients in soil.
Taxonomy and etymology
The species has a number of synonyms: A. barbadensis Mill., Aloe indica Royle, Aloe perfoliata L. var. vera and A. vulgaris Lam., and common names including Chinese Aloe, Indian Aloe, True Aloe, Barbados Aloe, Burn Aloe, First Aid Plant, Wand of Heaven and Miracle Plant. The species name vera means true or genuine . Some literature identifies the white spotted form of A. vera as A. vera var. chinensis , however, the species varies widely with regard to leaf spots and it has been suggested that the spotted form of A. vera may be conspecific with A. massawana . The species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in 1753 as Aloe perfoliata var. vera , and was described again, twice, in 1768 by Nicolaas Laurens Burman and Philip Miller. Burman described the species as Aloe vera in Flora Indica on the 6th of April, 1768 while Miller described the species as Aloe barbadensis some ten days later in the Gardener's Dictionary .
Techniques based on DNA comparison suggest that A. vera is relatively closely related to Aloe perryi , a species that is endemic to Yemen. Similar techniques, using chloroplast DNA sequence comparison and ISSR profiling have also suggested that A. vera is closely related to Aloe forbesii , Aloe inermis , Aloe scobinifolia , Aloe sinkatana and Aloe striata . With the exception of South African species, A. striata , these Aloe species are native to Socotra (Yemen), Somalia and Sudan. The lack of obvious natural populations of the species have led some authors to suggest that A. vera may be of hybrid origin.
Aloin
Aloin was the common ingredient in OTC laxative products in the United States prior to 2003, when the FDA ruled that aloin was a class III ingredient, therefore banning its use "FDA" . http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12001972 . . It should be noted that processed aloe that contains aloin is used primarily as a laxative, whereas processed aloe vera juice that does not contain significant amounts of aloin is used as a digestive healer. Manufacturers commonly remove aloin in processing due to the FDA ruling. Need more R&D
Distribution
The natural range of A. vera is unclear, as the species has been widely cultivated throughout the world. It has been suggested that naturalised stands of the species occur through North Africa in Algeria, Morocco, and Tunisia, along with the Canary and Madeira Islands. The species was introduced to China, India, Pakistan and various parts of southern Europe in the 17th century. The species is widely naturalised elsewhere, occurring in temperate and tropical regions of Australia, Barbados, Belize, Nigeria, Paraguay and the USA. It has been suggested that, like many Aloes, the species is originally from Southern Africa and that populations that occur elsewhere are the result of human cultivation.
Cultivation
A. vera has been widely grown as an ornamental plant. The species is popular with modern gardeners as a putatively medicinal plant and due to its interesting flowers, form and succulence. This succulence enables the species to survive in areas of low natural rainfall, making it ideal for rockeries and other low-water use gardens. The species is hardy in zones 8–11, although it is intolerant of very heavy frost or snow. The species is relatively resistant to most insect pests, though mealy bugs, scale insects and aphid species may cause a decline in plant health. In pots, the species requires well-drained sandy potting soil and bright sunny conditions. The use of a good quality commercial propagation mix or pre-packaged "cacti and succulent mix" is recommended as they allow good drainage. Terracotta pots are preferable as they are porous. Potted plants should be allowed to completely dry prior to re-watering. During winter, A. vera may become dormant, during which little moisture is required. In areas that receive frost or snow the species is best kept indoors or in heated glasshouses. Large scale agricultural production of A. vera is undertaken in Australia, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, China, Mexico, India, Jamaica, Kenya and South Africa, along with the USA to supply the cosmetics industry with A. vera gel.
Anthropogenic uses
Scientific evidence for the cosmetic and therapeutic effectiveness of Aloe vera is limited and when present is typically contradictory. Despite this, the cosmetic and alternative medicine industries regularly make claims regarding the soothing, moisturising and healing properties of A. vera , especially via Internet advertising. A. vera gel is used as an ingredient in commercially available lotion,yogurt, beverages and some desserts. Aloe vera juice is used for consumption and relief of digestive issues such as heartburn and irritable bowel syndrome. It is common practice for cosmetic companies to add sap or other derivatives from A. vera to products such as makeup, tissues, moisturizers, soaps, sunscreens, incense, razors and shampoos. It has also been suggested that biofuels could be obtained from A. vera seeds. Other uses for extracts of A. vera include the dilution of semen for the artificial fertilization of sheep, use as fresh food preservative, and use in water conservation in small farms.
Medicine
Aloe vera has a long association with herbal medicine, although it is not known when its medical applications were first discovered. Early records of A. vera use appear in the Ebers Papyrus from 16th century BCE, in both Dioscorides' De Materia Medica and Pliny the Elder's Natural History written in the mid-first century CE along with the Juliana Anicia Codex produced in 512 CE. A. vera is non-toxic, with no known side effects, provided the aloin has been removed by processing. Taking A. vera that contains aloin in excess amounts has been associated with various side effects. However, the species is used widely in the traditional herbal medicine of China, Japan, Russia, South Africa, The United States,Jamaica and India.
Aloe vera is alleged to be effective in treatment of wounds. Evidence on the effects of A. vera sap on wound healing, however, is limited and contradictory. Some studies, for example, show that A. vera promotes the rates of healing, while in contrast, other studies show that wounds to which Aloe vera gel was applied were significantly slower to heal. A more recent review (2007) concludes that the cumulative evidence supports the use of Aloe vera for the healing of first to second degree burns. In addition to topical use in wound or burn healing, internal intake of A. vera has been linked with improved blood glucose levels in diabetics, and with lower blood lipids in hyperlipidaemic patients. In other diseases, preliminary studies
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Google Answers: Aloe Vera farming
Subject: Aloe Vera farming Category: Science >Agriculture and Farming Asked by: muchelito-ga List Price: $5.00: Posted: 15 Nov 2005 02:45 PST Expires: 15 Dec 2005 02:45 PST