Aloe Vera as Paper Glue Essay

Abstract This research work is about creating a new invention out of Aloe Vera. Thereare hundreds of products made from this plant but we have to think of a unique one thatcan be useful in our everyday lives. We decided to make an â€Å"Aloe Vera Paper Glue† thatis combined with additives that have a sticky effect to come up with our desired product.This discovery is eco-friendly because it doesn’t contain harmful chemicals thatwill have negative results or side effects. Aloe Vera is extracted and blended withunprocessed, natural substances unlike any other paper glues which contain chemicalsthat can affect the sensitivity of a person using it.Can we make paper glue out of Aloe Vera extract? It is a question than was givenan answer on this research. We successfully made this work valid by giving explanationsto queries and discussing the uses of Aloe Vera plant, methods used and many other things that require thinking, experimenting and analysis.Because of the substances found within the plant, we were able to make a fineglue out of it. With the help of resources like internet, encyclopedia and old highschoollectures, we searched for substances, mixtures and ingredients that can help improve thestickiness of our product.People should embrace the birth of this newly-discovered product because of itseffectiveness and cheapness. Aside from that, it has no effects in the environment, it isdifferent, and it helps support the use of Aloe Vera plant in the industry Introduction Aloe Vera as the Main Component of the Product Aloe Vera has been widely used today in the form of lotions, soaps, astringents,ointments and other kinds of products. In this study, we will use Aloe Vera to create asticky and fine paper glue that can be used at home and school. This study leads to theenrichment of Aloe Vera and discovery of a product that will replace the kinds of gluecurrently available in the market.Aloe Vera, the main component of the product holds the scientific name,Aloe barbadensis miller liquid. It is an herb, which is known mainly for its cosmeticfunctions. However, this plant is also rich in substances that aid in several illnesses andailments. The aloe Vera plant has been found to have great contributions to health, bothinternally and externally. Research studies have shown that it has properties comprisingof inhibitory, anti-inflammatory, regenerative, and anti-bacterial functions.Preparations made with Aloe Vera as the primary ingredient have been effectivein reducing pain and allergies. In the same way, some of its properties are responsible for cell regeneration that causes close cuts and hemorrhages to heal easily and more rapidly.Its purgative properties, brought about by the existence of six antiseptic agent substancesin the plant (that is, cinnamic acid, lupeol, sulphur, salicylic acid, phenol and ureanitrogen), make it ideal in eradicating parasites, harmful bacteria, and fungi in theintestinal tracts. Sabila can be used externally for the treatment of acne, pimple burns,insect bites, and for moisturizing and hydrating the skin.There’s a reason Aloe Vera is trusted in products you see every day and thatreason dates back thousands of years. Aloe Vera is being used by human being for morethan 5000 years now. The earliest civilizations revered this extraordinary botanical for itsastonishing properties. Aloe Vera uses are legendary and this information has beenpassed down through time, enhanced by scientific innovation and centuries of experience. Research Objectives and HypothesesOBJECTIVES This study aims to create a cheaper and more effective type of paper glue from theleaves of Aloe Vera that is processed in a natural way and mixed with natural substancesthat can contribute to the stickiness of the product.It also aims to show the utilization of Aloe Vera not only in medicinal andcosmetic purposes but for school use as well. HYPOTHESESNull Hypothesis: Aloe Vera, when extracted, will not form a gel-like substance called â€Å"drug-aloe†which gives the stickiness of the glue made out of Aloe Vera. Alternative Hypothesis: Aloe Vera, when extracted, will form a gel-like substance called â€Å"drug-aloe†which gives the stickiness of the glue made out of Aloe Vera. Literature ReviewHistory of Aloe Vera Plant Aloe Vera is a species of Aloe, native to Northern Africa. It is a stem less or veryshort-stemmed succulent plant growing to 80-100 cm-tall, spreading by offsets and rootsprouts. The leaves are lanceolate, thick and fleshy, green to grey-green, with a serratedmargin. The flowers are produced on a spike up to 90 cm tall, each flower pendulous,with a yellow tubular corolla 2 to 3 cm long.Many ancient works, including the Bible, refer to the use of aloe. One of the firstdocumented users of aloe vera was Cleopatra, who lived from 68 to 30 B.C. She is said tohave used the gel on her skin as protection from the sun, and to have thought the gelhelped to keep her skin young-looking. In fact, the Egyptians may have used aloe vera intheir embalming of bodies, among other uses. For over 3,500 years, tales of â€Å"healing Aloe Vera† plants have been handed downthrough centuries by word of mouth. From the Bible’s mention of removing Christ fromthe cross and wrapping his body in aloes and myrrh, (John 19:39), we find Aloe Veramysteriously appearing in every phase of history, with many testimonials to its greatmedicinal values. The earliest documented use of Aloe Vera comes from the ancientEgyptians, but it was also grown and used by King Solomon, who was said to havevalued it highly.Alexander the Great conquered the island of Socotra in order to have the Aloe for his army. During his fabled travels in the Orient, among the many marvels recorded byMarco Polo were his descriptions of the many applications of the Aloe Vera plant. TheSpanish Conquistadors discovered various herbal medicines in use in Tenochtitlà ¡n.At the heart of many of the Aztec cures, it is known that Aloe Vera was theeffective agent. These Aztec herbal medicines were transported back to Europe by theSpanish, during the sixteenth century, where they became the foundation for modernWestern medicine. Aloe Vera has been found described in writings in many differentcultures and as far bask as the Greek, Egyptians, and Roman Eras. References have alsobeen found in writings from the Indian and Chinese Early cultures. Uses of Aloe Vera Aloe Vera plants are readily available and some people keep a potted plant in thekitchen. A leaf spike may be cut open and the gel applied directly to a cut or burn. For other uses, particularly for internal use, commercial gels and juices, which are processedunder strict controls, can be found at most health food stores as well as manysupermarkets.Animal studies and anecdotal reports claim that drinking Aloe Vera juice or taking it as a tablet or capsule can reduce swelling and inflammation in arthritic joints.Drinking Aloe vera juice may also help those asthmatic patients who are not dependenton cortico-steroids. In 1997, University of San Antonio researcher Jeremiah Herlihy,Ph.D., conducted a study to observe any negative effects of drinking Aloe daily. Rather than exhibiting negative effects, however, test animals receiving daily Aloe showed aremarkable reduction in leukemia, heart disease, and kidney disease.Dr. Herlihy concluded, â€Å"We found no indication of harm done to the rats even athigh levels.† In fact, the Aloe-drinking animals actually lived 25 percent longer thanthose in the control group (IASC Conference, Texas, 1997) Adopting aloe products intoour daily nutrition habits is a great way to improve by a natural way, our health, our body’s regeneration and our beautiful appearance. At the same time we acquire balance of the mind and body and overall wellness. When we feel good, healthy, beautiful and overall regenerated –a healthy mind inhealthy body–, we avoid frequent visits to the doctor and acquire positive energy. Our external appearance and image is improved. And all this is apparent in all looks. Theunique and beneficial for our health, components of aloe show that this natural dietarysupplement is essential in our nutrition.It is noteworthy, that so many different products in various categories nowcontain aloe. And there is no wonder why food – health and wellness industries, consider products from aloe as the key to their up growth in the decade 2010 to 2020. Dailynutrition habits, which includealoe Vera juice, bee productsand other natural nutritional supplements, contribute greatly to how healthy we appear, feel and think. Composition of Aloe Vera Plant The active substances of Aloe Vera are found in the leaves whichare composed of the rind, juice and a gel-like substance, the pulp. The active substancesare polysaccharides, amino acids, vitamins, minerals, enzymes, yellow sap (Aloin, or anthraquinones) and Barbaloins (a glycoside), etc. The pulp of Aloe Vera is composed of 96% water and 4% polysaccharides and other substances.The plant contains many vitamins, excluding vitamin D but including theimportant antioxidant vitamins A, C and F. Vitamins B (thiamine), niacin, vitaminB 2 (riboflavin), choline and folic acid are also present. Some authorities suggest that thereis also a trace of vitamin B 12 (Coats1979). Sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium,manganese, copper, zinc, chromium and iron are all found in the aloe plant. Magnesiumlactate inhibits histidine decarboxylase and prevents the formation of histamine from theamino acid, histadine (Shelton 1991). Histamine is released in many allergic reactionsand causes intense itching and pain. The prevention of its formation may explain theantipuritic effect of Aloe Vera.Sugars are derived from the mucilage layer of the plant under the rind,surrounding the inner parenchyma or gel. They form 25 per cent of the solid fraction andcompriseboth mono- and polysaccharides. By far the most important are the long chainpolysaccharides, comprising glucose and mannose, known as the gluco-mannans (Beta -(1, 4) – linked acetylated mannan). Unlike other sugars which are broken down prior toabsorption, the polysaccharides are absorbed complete and appear in the blood streamunchanged. Here, they act as immuno-modulators  capable of enhancing and retardingthe immune response.. Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins. Aloe vera gel provides 20 of the22 necessary amino acids required by the human body and seven of the eight essentialamino acids which the body cannot synthesise. These must be ingested in food. Sallycylicacid is an aspirin-like compound possessing anti-inflammatory and antibacterialproperties. Topically, it has a kerolytic effect which helps to debride a wound of necrotictissue. Plants have sterols which include Campesterol, f3 Sitosterol and Lupeol (Coats1979). Saponins are soapy substances form 3 per cent of the gel and are generalcleansers, having antiseptic properties (Hirat and Suga 1983). It could be said that itworks because the Aloe Vera plant produces at least 6 antiseptic agents: Lupeol, salicylicacid, urea nitrogen, cinnamonic acid, phenols, and sulphur.All of these substances are recognized as antiseptics because they kill or controlmold, bacteria, fungus, and viruses, explaining why the plant has the ability to eliminatemany internal and external infections. The Lupeol and salicylic acid in the juice explainswhy it is a very effective pain-killer.Next, it could be said that Aloe Vera contains at least three anti-inflammatoryfatty acids, cholesterol, campersterol and B-sitosterol (plant sterols) which explains whyit is a highly effective treatment for burns, cuts, scrapes, abrasions, allergic reactions,rheumatoid arthritis, rheumatic fever, acid indigestion, ulcers, plus many inflammatoryconditions of the digestive system and other internal organs, including the stomach, smallintestine, colon, liver, kidney, and pancreas.B-sitosterol is also a powerful anti-cholestromatic which helps to lower harmfulcholesterol levels, helping to explain its many benefits for heart patents.If we add that Aloe contains at least 23 polypeptids (immune stimulators),then we understand why Aloe juice helps control a broad spectrum of immune systemdiseases and disorders, including HIV and AIDS. The polypeptids, plus the anti-tumor agents Aloe emodin and Aloe le ctins, explains its ability to control cancer . Observations and Justification of Research Work In our findings, Treatment A and C are much better than treatment B because itresulted in a sticky glue. The concentration of vinegar affected the low effectiveness of the glue used in Treatment B and the even distribution of substances used in Treatment Aaffected the high effectiveness of glue. The concentration of Aloe Vera glue affected theslight effectiveness of the glue used in Treatment C.Can we make paper glue out of Aloe Vera extract? It is the research problem thatneeds to be solved in this report. Based on the methods performed, the amount of AloeVera gel used should be measured and tested in different trials and treatments in order tomake the research work valid.The research design supports the alternative hypothesis presented in a tablebecause of testing the amount of Aloe Vera gel used to achieve the usefulness of thedesired paper glue. It was tested in an accurate and precise manner because of carefulanalysis and experimenting.The findings were successful and evidence was stated in the previous pages so wedon’t have to test again. The experiment was created in a step-by-step manner and testedin different levels of concentration and mixtures. Conclusion Based on the experiments performed and results obtained, Aloe Vera, whenextracted will form a gel-like substance called â€Å"drug-aloe† that is used in order to achievethe effectiveness and stickiness of the paper glue. During the research experiment, threetreatments were tested with different levels of substances used including the maincomponent, the Aloe Vera gel. Among the treatments (A, B, C), Treatment A, was thestickiest and most effective. Treatment A contains 20 % of Aloe Vera gel, 20 % of water,20% of baking soda, 20% of vinegar and 20% of powdered milk combined to form the100% concentration of the glue.The factors which affected the efficiency of the paper glue are the evendistribution of substances and the careful use of materials and methods involved in theglue making. During the process, we gathered information and listed every essential datato have good findings and results.Aloe Vera, the main component of the product was proven to be a useful kind of plant not only in terms of medicinal and beauty products but in making a paper glue aswell References David R. Caprette (caprette@rice.edu), Rice University 25 Aug Boudreau MD, Beland FA (April 2006). â€Å"An evaluation of the biological andtoxicological properties of Aloe barbadensis (miller), Aloe Vera†. Journal of environmental science and health. Part C, Environmental carcinogenesis & ecotoxicologyreviews 24(1): 103–54.Vogler BK, Ernst E (October 1999).†Aloe Vera: a systematic review of its clinicaleffectiveness†. The British journal of general practice: The Journal of the Royal Collegeof General Practitioners 49Practical Assessment, Research & Evaluation, 6(13). Retrieved February 6, 2011 fromhttp://PAREonline.net/getvn.asp?v=6&n=13Basic Steps in the Research Process, Retrieved fromhttp://www.crlsresearchguide.org/How to Write an A+ Research Paper, Retrieved from http://www.aresearchguide.com/1steps.html