With the summer sun out in full force and many of us opting to take advantage of the holiday season, beautiful beaches and long lazy days soaking up the sunshine I feel compelled to talk about aloe vera.

Reason being is that it is remarkably effective for treating burns, wounds, sunburn, dermatitis, psoriasis, to name just a few. When ingested, it is also known to aid digestion, help increase movement in the intestines, relieve constipation and inflammation, and promote menstruation.

Taking it one step further, aloe vera has also been found to help in preventing the formation of kidney stones as well as being helpful in the treatment of viral diseases such as AIDS , with the possibility that aloe vera may help prevent the virus from moving from one cell to another. For all these reasons and having witnessed and personally experienced the healing benefits, I am very much a fan of this succulent plant.

So, if you're planning on getting out and about in the summer sun, it might be a good idea to pamper your body with a little aloe vera, as it is able to penetrate all three layers of the skin rapidly to promote healing. Aloe vera contains salicylic acid and magnesium which work together to produce an analgesic and anti-inflammatory effect. The properties of aloe vera also help to restore the skin's natural pH, and promote tissue healing as well as removing dead skin cells. Great for those unfortunate sunburn incidents!

Pop in to any store that stocks beauty and skincare products and chances are the shelves will be lined with aloe vera products but it can be difficult to differentiate the high-quality from the not-so-fab products.

Here are the common types of aloe you may encounter:

Aloe vera gel: n undiluted gooey substance found in the centre of the aloe leaf.

Aloe vera concentrate: the aloe gel after the water content has been removed.

Aloe vera juice: a digestible version of aloe vera made from the gel.

One of the deciding factors when purchasing an aloe vera product is to check the amount of aloe vera that the product contains. Aloe vera should be one of the first, if not the first, ingredients listed on the ingredient label.

Better still, head to your local plant nursery and pick up an aloe vera plant for the backyard, so that you have fresh succulent leaves year-round.