The Aloe Arborescens Farm
The agricultural farm Il Pucino started its activity in 1997 with an experimental cultivation of Aloe Arborescens on the coastal lands of the north-eastern city of Trieste.
Due to climatic reasons, in 2000 it was transferred to Valderice, Sicily (in the province of Trapani), a few metres from the sea, in an optimal environment, far from any possible contaminations.
Since then, thanks to an attentive selection of the best varieties of the plant and to an ever growing market demand, the cultivation has expanded greatly, so much so as to become the largest open-air cultivation of Aloe Arborescens in Italy, with 10.000 plants and yielding aproximately 2000kg of fresh leaves per month.
Both cultivation and production comply with the European law on organic farming and are certified as "bio" by the Mediterranean Certifying Institute (IMC).
The farm follows the entire production process: on a weekly basis, immediately after each harvest, the leaves are sent to the laboratories based in Trieste, where production takes place. The commercial offices are situated here also; the product obtained is thus packaged and shipped by means of an express courier within 24-48 to the entire Italian peninsula.
In the past 10 years the farms endeavour has been concentrated on reaching a level of excellence in all the phases of activity, from the crop to the final product, in order to guarantee quality and freshness.
The Aloe Arborescens Plant
Aloe arborescens Miller, belonging to the Aloe genus (Liliaceae family), is one of the main varieties of Aloe used worldwide. It is commercially grown in South America (Brazil and Uruguay), South Africa and some Asian countries.
The plant has a woody stem and in its natural state grows into a multi-headed shrub, up to 3-4m high bearing deep red-orange flowers (December-January).
Although less recognised than the more common Aloe vera, primarily due to its slower growth and development, and the smaller quantity of gel in its leaves, Aloe arborescens is known to be richer in benefcial phytotherapeutic, anticancer, and radio-protective properties. It is commonly used as a pharmaceutical ingredient for its effect in burn treatment and ability to increase skin wound healing properties.
The concentrated active extract from Aloe arborescens shares some therapeutical properties with the well-known and studied Aloe vera and is commonly used in medicinal applications to treat burn wounds and help accelerating the healing process of the skin.
Recent studies have demonstrated that Aloe arborescens has immunostimulating activity in animal trials, and it was found to have benefcial phytotherapeutic and anticancer properties.
It is known that the anticancer properties of Aloe arborescens depend not only on its immuno-modulatory effect, but also on a direct inhibition of cancer cell proliferation.
It remained little known and used in only some cultural alternative therapies until the 1990s when Father Romano Zago, an Brazilian priest of Italian origins, found an old Brazilian recipe.
The recipe used the entire leaf of Aloe Arborescens grounded and mixed with honey and a grain distillate.
After sharing it with people in his local community with positive results, he begun to share his findings through interviews and conferences that culminated with a book which stated emphatically that cancer can be cured.
Some of its most important properties are:
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- anti-inflammatory and pain-killing
- anti-oxidant/anti-ageing
- anti-bacterial, antimycotic, anti-viral
- immunomodulating/immunostimulating
- hypoglycaemic
- blood detoxifying
- possible anti-carcinogenic activity