Sweet re-leaf - How to grow and use aloe vera as a medicinal plant

Using medicinal plants for healing dates back to prehistoric times, with evidence suggesting plant use as far back as 60,000 years. Knowledge about healing plants was gained through observation, experimentation, and lessons passed down by shamans, cultures and family members. Often, people learned which plants were safe by watching what animals consumed.

Archaeological findings, burial sites and autopsies have revealed plant remains — including opium, poppies, ephedra and cannabis — dating back 60,000 years. Written records such as the Ebers Papyrus in Egypt, Charaka Samhita in India, Pen T’Sao in China and Sumerian clay tablets document plant use for various ailments as far back as 5000 BC.

Ancient civilizations — including Egyptians, Sumerians, Chinese, Greeks and many Indigenous Ameri