I love, love, this plant. The glycoproteins and polysaccharides contained in the liquid part of the plant is where the anti-inflammatory, cooling, skin growth and repair properties are. Works wonders for minor burns, sunburns, and those ooooh, so painful steam burns. The thick liquid inside those leaves provide a protective layer over the burn which helps to retain moisture, cool the burn and aide in healing. One of my favorite ways to use fresh aloe is to squeeze the liquid in my hands and gently apply that to my face and neck before bedtime.
Before applying to your face, rinse with warm water as this will open your pores and allow the aloe to soak into your skin better. Then the next morning, rinse your face with warm water, then with some cold- to shrink the pores which helps to keep air borne pollutants out. I just love what this does for my complexion. It doesn't clog my pores or leave my skin feeling dry or greasy. Feels very soft, refreshed and hydrated. Gives the skin a bit of a glow too.
Also increases collagen production which firms the skin and reduces the look of wrinkles. Some people have had good results in using aloe for acne by applying the liquid to areas on their face. Also, my granddaughter had fallen and skinned her knee, it was like a bad rug burn, after applying fresh aloe to the sore for a couple of days, it was already well on it's way to being healed. Yep, most definitely "one" of my favorite plants.
Fill a glass jar with fresh bee balm flowers, slowly add raw honey. Be sure to use raw honey as raw is unprocessed unlike pure or natural honey. Keep poking and gently stirring with a knife until the flowers are submerged in honey. Cover with a lid and let infuse in a cool dark place for 2-4 weeks. The longer it infuses the stronger the honey will taste of the bee balm.
You may have to keep turning the jar on it's side during the process as the flowers do have a tendency to float to the top of the jar. After infusing you can leave the flowers in the honey and use as is or strain the honey through a sieve. If you choose to strain the flowers out it makes it easier to warm the honey first. Keeping in mind to "gently" warm the honey. Too much heat will kill the medicinal properties in the honey. The used flowers added to a warm cup of water alone or with a little honey makes a delicious tea.
Besides tasting amazing, honey is loaded with antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties which makes it great for minor burns, wounds and pressure / bed sores. When used for wound care, the medicinal properties promote healing and new tissue growth. It also creates a protective barrier which helps to prevent infections while the skin is healing. You can either place the honey directly on the skin, or apply the honey to a bandage and place that over the area. If using on burns, be sure to cool the area off first before applying honey. You can do this by running cool water, not cold, over the area for 10-15 minutes, then apply the honey.
Bee balm also has those anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties as well as pain relieving properties which can help soothe sore throats and coughs. So when infused with the honey you're getting even more healing benefits. I've found that taking a teaspoon of the honey 3 times a day really does speed up the healing of my sore throats. Also taste good in a cup of warm tea.
