On August 14th, as part of our programme of events The Roots held a series of talks at the InSpire community space in Walworth. These talks spanned the history of the local area, the history of G. Baldwin & Co and herbs and home remedies. We also had a poetry reading, quizzes, hand massages, sarsaparilla tasting and even some plants for people to take home with them at the end of the day!
It was an interesting and informative day, and thank you so much to the speakers (and masseuse!) who made it possible. Thank you Steve Dagnall, Professor Patricia Dark, Lucreta La Pierre, Mala Bissoon, Paula Appleton and Marva Donaldson.
Aloe Vera seems to be everywhere these days, in sun creams, drinks, toothpaste, make up, soaps and even toilet roll! Although there are over 200 varieties of Aloe, it is the Aloe Barbadensis Miller (Aloe Vera) which has been been most commonly used for its medicinal properties. The Aloe leaf is made up of four components: Rind, Sap, Gel and Juice. The Gel (or Mucilage Gel) is the part of the plant most often used for medicinal purposes as it contains the 8 essential Amino Acids that the human body needs but cannot manufacture itself.
