The connection between our islands and this plant goes back thousands of years. Today you will discover the importance of Tenerife aloe vera.
Aloe vera is a plant with peculiar medicinal properties that has found its ideal habitat in the climate of the Canary Islands. These special properties are used all over the world for the production of medicines and cosmetics. Tenerife aloe vera takes on a special significance. Together with our neighbouring islands, we are the main European region for the production of this species.
Our aborigines already knew about the multiple uses of this plant that grows naturally on the islands. Recent research has shown that it has skin-healing, antiseptic, anti-allergic, digestive and anti-inflammatory properties. It also has a high level of nutrients, vitamins, minerals and sugars in its composition.
Origin
Studies have revealed that the origin of aloe is to be found in North Africa or in some of the Arab regions. The Canary Islands with their favourable climate have helped the development of this species in our territory. This plant grows best in arid, slightly humid soils and with warm temperatures that never fall below zero degrees Celsius. The islands of Lanzarote, Gran Canaria and Fuerteventura have specialised in this type of cultivation and export.
As indicated on the CanariWiki website: “It is a perennial plant that can reach 3 m in height. It has a rosette of leaves and inside it has a long rhizome (horizontal and underground stem) and a short stalk. The leaves are succulent and green in colour, lance-shaped, with separate spiny-toothed margins, measuring on average 30-60 cm in length and 5-8 cm in width. Reproduction can be both sexual, in this case by means of flowers, and asexual, by means of a shoot, offshoot or stem that grows from an adult specimen”.
At the beginning of today’s Canary Island civilisation, the explorer Christopher Columbus, on his way to discover the Americas, took a multitude of Canary Island aloe vera specimens with him. Because of its curative properties for the sailors, they were kept in the cellar. Over the years it spread throughout the Americas, giving rise to the expression “Canary Island ointment” for a popular healing remedy.
Tenerife aloe vera
If you want to know in situ the properties of aloe vera you have several options on our island. Processes, crops, plantations and methods of use shown by the best professionals in this sector.
In Aloe Park you will be able to see the whole manufacturing process of the products derived from this plant which has been used for more than two thousand years. A property of more than 40,000 square metres where you can also observe other types of crops and vegetation, as well as the processes and history of our islands. Take advantage of their guided tours and find them in Buzanada, in the municipality of Arona.
In the Aloe Museum, located in the municipality of La Esperanza, you can also learn a lot about this peculiar species. In its more than 500 square metres of exhibition space you will learn techniques for using aloe vera at home and in a natural way, as well as an extensive explanation of its origins and characteristics. You can enter free of charge from Monday to Sunday and buy many of the products made from this precious plant.
Beauty in Vanilla Garden
As we have already mentioned before, cosmetics is the main use of aloe vera nowadays. At Vanilla Garden we also take care of your body and your aesthetics during your stay. You can consult with us to receive your massage and beauty when you visit the hotel
