San Ruffino Lab is a project by Dr. Pasquale Palazzo, pharmacist and pioneer of Italian studies on Aloe Vera and its use.

Director of San Ruffino Lab, Doctor Palazzo is responsible for the “Herbs of Health” sector of Herbaria (an international event dedicated to the world of herbs) and president of the Naturalia association which organizes the event of the same name every year.

Originally from Lucania, Dr. Palazzo now lives at the foot of the Sibillini Mountains, in the green heart of the Marche, where, since 1988, he has been the owner of a rural pharmacy and founder of SR Cosmetics, the small cosmetic research and experimentation laboratory that creates the phytotherapeutic discoveries produced by San Ruffino Lab.

Immersed in the greenery and tranquility, Dr. Palazzo and his collaborators carry forward a corporate philosophy based on the exclusive use of natural substances, without the addition of chemical components or preservatives and on continuous research.

In this sense, collaborations with the university clinics of Milan, Perugia and Padua are fundamental: “We have had” - says the pharmacist - “very positive results in all pathologies. “However, we must be clear - underlines Palazzo - Medicinal herbs are not miracle medicines , as some people claim, but can play a supporting role in the body so that the body functions at its best and reacts more effectively to illnesses”.

San Ruffino Lab is all this, love for nature and for man, knowledge, tradition and respect for the environment.

The memory of the natural vocation that this territory (the Marche) has for personal care is still strong and today finds significant testimony in the life choice of a pharmacist of Lucanian origins, Dr. Pasquale Palazzo, who near the abbey and a short distance from an ancient water mill, in a place where time seems to stand still, opened a phytotherapeutic and cosmetic research laboratory, San Ruffino Cosmetics, where numerous Aloe Vera-based preparations are created using rigorous traditional methods.

Called the queen plant, the source of youth, the silent healer, the plant of the burnt, aloe has been known since ancient times for its marked soothing and anti-inflammatory properties.

Mentioned in Mesopotamian and Egyptian sources, it was one of the plants most studied by the 11th century mystic Degard of Bingen, the first woman to write about natural medicine, and by the founder of Anthroposophy, Rudolph Steiner.

The juice contained in the leaves, which appears in the form of a transparent gel, is rich in polysaccharides.

Currently, the use of this plant is particularly widespread on the market and from the herbal sector it has also been transferred to the food sector, even to the point of being proposed by some local companies in the basic recipe of the Marche pasta par excellence, tagliatelle.

But why approach this plant to the point of making it a reason for living and experimenting with its use in various ways on a daily basis?

Let's talk about it with Dr. Palazzo.

When did your encounter with aloe occur?

Eighteen years ago I had the opportunity to meet a doctor of African origins

Sioux, Dr. Aline Vergano. I had a major trauma to my right leg and had to deal with a painful bruise that prevented me from moving.

Aline suggested that I try an aloe-based gel; the next day I was already feeling much better until I reached complete healing in a short time, since then I have never abandoned this extraordinary plant. After the experience of the pharmacy, opened in 1988, my attention was focused on herbal medicine, to which I have dedicated myself since 2003.

What prompted you to experiment with this plant?

Personal experience was decisive, then came the desire to extend the benefits of aloe to other people, even today after many years I study every day the use of aloe in synergy with other plants of the traditional pharmacopoeia.

I left my country, Scanzano lonico, because in my land there was no way to express oneself through research.

I landed in the Marche for love, the greenery that surrounds the places where I live and work are for me a daily cure and an ideal context to deepen and spread the knowledge of aloe.

What domestic uses can be made of aloe?

Worship it first of all, because it is like having a doctor at home; for its high hydrating power, the gel contained inside the leaves can be applied on burns, raw wounds, abrasions, cuts and even old scars; the external green part has a laxative effect and acts on gastritis and stomach ache: You have to be very careful with regards to internal use, from one gram of the green part you can get 5 laxative tablets!

It is best to take aloe on an empty stomach or away from meals. It can also be used to speed up the healing of cuts and wounds on our pets.

Does taking aloe require a certain continuity?

The important thing is to give the trace to the organism, it is not the dose that matters but the "memory" of the substance.

How have you seen the approach of Italians towards this plant change over the years?

What difficulties did you encounter in introducing it in a pioneering way in the Marche region?

The people of the Marche, notoriously distrustful, have approached it in small steps, while from the beginning the north-eastern Italian regions have shown great openness, aloe is a natural adaptogenic medicine that heals many imbalances in the body that are often the cause of serious pathologies. Despite its widespread use, it cannot be considered an anti-tumor drug, but rather a subsidiary in strengthening the immune system capable of triggering a response to the disease in the body.

What result obtained with aloe gave you the most satisfaction?

Every day this plant fills me with satisfaction, I could mention among the many cases those of patients suffering from Crohn's disease, rheumatoid arthritis and multiple sclerosis, who with the addition of aloe to the therapy in progress have seen progressive improvements in their immune system. There are numerous positive results tested on people who suffer from ulcers, gastritis, psoriasis, arthrosis.

I leave you to your precious work, thank you Dr. Palazzo.