The King of Houseplants

Are you the kind of person:

• Who aches to have a dash of natural green in her house but has no time to fuss over it?

• Who manages to kill even deadwood?

• Whose fingers are the very antithesis of green?

• Who has bouts of amnesia and forgets to water plants or is a trave bug and leaves plants to fend for themselves?

Then, ladies and gentlemen here's THE plant which is my latest heartthrob from the plant kingdom.

Aloe Vera, also called as Gwarpatha or Ghrit Kumari

High on goodness and low on maintenance, it's a paragon of virtue. When I was away from home for a week and left aloe vera pots standing in a tub filled with water, they were alright after my return. Even if they are left without this arrangement, they turn a little off-color and less succulent but a week's TLC is enough to bring them back to their former glory.

I like to describe aloe vera as a gel that grows naturally, has no expiry date and comes with eco-friendly packaging. You just have to cut a leaf and scoop out the gooey goodness. 

The gel is antibacterial and moisturizing. It has a cooling effect and is very good for cuts and burns. I have regularly used its gel for my face and body. It is good for hair too. When my daughter was in nappies, I used it for her diaper rashes. It works great for urine infections. Aloe vera is good for constipation, inflammation, and arthritis. No doubt, the gel is avidly used both in cosmetic and natural medicine industry.

This gel is edible and is used in various forms. It can be had as a drink or eaten raw. My Mom eats it as a salad. In Rajasthan, where it is found in abundance, it is cooked as a sabzi. I also saw this being used avidly in Singapore where it was sold in supermarket veggie shelves. There were aloe vera yogurts and juices. But the most interesting gastronomical use was as an ice cream topping! 

To top it all, aloe vera has been recommended by NASA as one of the top indoor air cleaning plants. So what are you waiting for? Just borrow a sapling from a friend and get the goodness home!