Aloes and Quiver Trees

We get up close and personal with a remarkable succulent plant, the Aloe, and its close relative the Quiver tree and explore the Aloe-Vera's healing benefits, and get insight into God's Character through His perfect Design. But how are species withstanding Climate Change and what can we do about it?

There is a place near Cape Town that is the perfect shopping spot for campers and hikers to stock up for their much-needed rebooting in campsites found sprinkled throughout the Breede Valley, where rivers meander through the Succulent Karoo Biome and wine farmers offer beautiful accommodation alongside river banks and olive groves. Exactly when our perspectives need to be reset, Worcester in the Western Cape of South Africa is the place to go. There's no better therapy than having contact with God's Creation.

Ponder on this with freshness, keeping in mind the magnificent splendor of what we have been blessed with and an open invitation to have an intimate relationship with Him.

In the beginning, was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was at the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him, nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. (John 1:1-5 NKJV)

Aloe season in South Africa occurs during the wet winter months, in the Cape, when the sun seems lazy to rise and eager to set. But there's no dimming of the Aloe flower in full bloom, like flames that light up the starkest landscapes, spreading their bright floral designs that showcase their majesty, attracting sunbirds and bees with their sweet-smelling nectar. And it's not just the birds and the bees that have been drawn to their delicate scent, they were used to freshen and perfume clothing, in days gone by.

Aloes are mentioned six times in the Bible, called "ahaloth", in Hebrew "allal" means "bitter" and vera "true or genuine".

• "All Your garments are scented with myrrh and aloes and cassia, out of ivory palaces, by which they have made You glad." (Psalm 45:8 NKJV)

Aloe and myrrh were used to embalm Jesus' crucified body before he was wrapped in linen and, therefore, they are said to represent grief.

• "And Nicodemus, who at first came to Jesus by night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pounds." (John 19:39 NKJV)

It is one of the seven healing oils mentioned in Scripture and was given special status when documenting The Lord's response to His 'hardy' plants.

• “Like the valleys that stretch out, Like gardens by the riverside, Like aloes planted by the Lord, Like cedars beside the waters." (Numbers 24:6 NKJV)

It's evident that we all have been profoundly blessed with an extravagant amount of beauty that surrounds us in the country, wildlife, eco-systems, bright colorful tapestries of cultures and not to mention all the medicinal benefits that are being discovered daily by plant biologists and scientists.

The Aloe Genus contains more than 500 species of flowering plants with Aloe Vera being the best known, described as a wonder plant for its medicinal and healing properties both internally and externally. According to a recent report the global aloe vera extract market is estimated to be worth US$243 million.

This super gifted plant is mostly water, but about 5 percent of it contains a combination of sugars, vitamins, minerals, enzymes, fatty acids, and 12 anthraquinones better known as laxatives. Incredibly Aloin and emodin act as analgesics, anti-bacterial, and even antivirals.

Aloe Vera Medicinal Benefits

• Vitamins A (beta carotene), C, and E are antioxidants. Vitamin B12, folic acid, and choline are also present.

• It's an anti-worm treatment

• Provides headache relief

• The leaf gel treats skin diseases, burns, gastric ulcers, chest pains, and allergies.

• Other fading scents can also be boosted with it

• As well as rejuvenating skin and nourishing hair, its detoxifying agents help keep skin looking young.

All this is from just one medicinal plant. There's healing in the very fact that we have different seasons, in winter we rest have an excuse to cuddle up with a good book or movie or unwind in a bath of essential oils to rejuvenate on a misty Moorish day.

We wait with expectation for Spring, the season of renewal when Jasmine blossoms perfume our gardens and we get to be childlike at the sight of a field of Namaqualand daisies. But something is different in the air and even the hardiest of the hards are struggling to adjust.

Even these resilient pachyderms are finding it hard to keep up with climate change. Due to warmer nights and less rainfall, forest elephants in Gabon are also losing body weight due to less nutritional foliage. And koala bears are risking their lives by having to climb down from trees more often.

And the impact is reverberating across the globe, the fishers in Greenland are risking their lives daily when they take out their boats, and icebergs are cracking and melting on a daily basis.

It amazed me this iceberg begins to crumble like a gunshot. It's preparing to do something to kill but when you hear like thunder, it's already done. But when you hear endless thunder you think it can't be...

But even this fisherman looks for the positive and says that Climate Change is benefiting the fisheries because they now can build a runway for aircraft to export their catch. The human capacity to see a glass half full as opposed to half empty will ultimately determine how we will react to any circumstance.

Professor Kathrine Hayhoe, of Texas University, is a positive Climate Scientist who has been named by Time's 100 most influential people and Fortune's 50 World's Greatest Leaders. And by the way, she is a lover of Jesus and believes that faith and science are complementary, not contradictory.

Scientists agree: This global temperature increase is entirely human-caused.

When asked what we can do about Climate Change she simply says we need to start talking about it.

People already care about Climate Change - the trick is getting them to realize it.

How many of us love watching wildlife documentaries and experience the same thrill as Biologist, Dr. Lisa-ann Gershwin upon the latest discovery of a new species of jellyfish? In addition, a jellyfish's venom could save lives, laboratory results found that it slowed the growth of lung and liver cancer within just 48 hours. And jellies are now on the menu as our seas become more depleted due to overfishing and Climate Change. Even Pope Francis has appealed to all of us to work together to reduce carbon emissions and confirmed the reality of Climate Change.

In my research, I set out to find out how I could prove through God's Character that species had been designed with unique built-in features that would enable them to survive Climate Change. I based this on the never shifting personality of the Lord.

“Jesus Christ is the same, yesterday, today, and forever.” (Hebrews 13:8 NKJV)

He is all-knowing, knows our thoughts before we think them, and knew everything about us before we were formed in our mother's womb. So why didn't He design His creation to withstand Climate Change at the beginning? Having read about how many species are struggling to survive, I realized the Lord would not design his creation for us to abuse and exploit without consequences.

Scientists are observing changes in the Earth's climate in every region and across the whole climate system.

According to The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change which met in Geneva in 2021 and opened up with this stark reality.

The report explains the reality of experiencing more frequent heatwaves, longer warm periods, and shortened cold months with intensity and extremes in weather patterns like flooding as opposed to normal rainfall.

So what does this mean when we look at already threatened or critically endangered species mostly due to our mismanagement?

According to Professor Arry Hoffman from Australia Melbourne University's Department of Genetics and Zoology.

Rich biodiversity is fundamental to life on earth, climate change is affecting habitats of several species, which must either adapt or migrate to other regions with more favorable conditions. Even small changes in average temperatures can have a significant effect one ecosystems...

Created to Adapt

The difference between Evolutionary Adaption and the Creation model: Evolutionary adaption is a very slow process as opposed to the fast adaption process of species created to respond to environmental factors. It's interesting how we differ in our beliefs and how we see things. I'm wondering if we would still be playing Pacman and Space Invaders instead of PlayStation 5 (PS5) if we went along with the evolutionary time frame. In 1969, NASA made it possible for the first man to walk on the moon, and only 53 years later NASA has confirmed that there are 5000 exoplanets orbiting stars outside our solar system that could be as large as Jupiter.

And even aloes confirm the Biblical time period of Creation. It is said that Aloe Vera has been used for the past 4000 years and today its popularity is evident in the millions of views on social media, it seems everyone is interested in knowing more about its healing benefits and attributes.

Aloes have unique built-in characteristics that enable them to survive water shortages by folding their cell walls together. Scientists have examined Creation's mysteries in design and have tried to duplicate this in various technologies. Now the aloes Design is possibly holding some clues to assist our food security.

The aloe plant's ability to survive extended periods of drought could contribute to more resilient crops.

Lebogang Madubanga, is a research scientist from South Africa's Agriculture and Research Council, working on Water Efficient Maize for Africa (WEMA) project. He says, "As the world is changing and we have erratic weather patterns, our job as researchers is to utilize our genetic resources to develop superior varieties that continue to yield well but equally address production constraints. I believe as people we will continue to improve the genetics of our maize crops and utilizing biotech tools such as genetic modification will aid with this objective."

But genetic tinkering has always been a heated debate. It's been 35 years since the first GMO field test, so how is biotechnology panning out?

Some see the development and use of GM crops as key to reducing hunger, while others consider this technology as a further risk to food security. Solid empirical evidence to support either of these views is thin.

Arguably the most poetic tree, scattered in arid regions in South Africa and Namibia, the Quiver tree is known mostly for its branches that hold bushmen's arrow quivers. It has a full armor of unique features; Its succulent leaves reach skyward, hoping to catch moisture from cloudy mountain tops. Their floral rosettes dry up and fall to the ground without water, sometimes including branches, never to grow again. To maximize water retention, their bark has the capacity to store water and has a powdery white substance that coats the bark to reflect the sun and is complimented with a shallow root system.

In response to human encroachment, mining, overgrazing, illegal collectors, and climate change, Quiver trees have been pushed to the brink of extinction. They are now on the IUCN Red List of Critically Endangered Species.

The Quiver Tree is a perfect example of how plants have to migrate polewards to cooler regions, including mountain tops in order to escape the heat caused by climate change. But everything has a limit.

The Quiver Tree is maladapting to Climate Change

This is why scientists are considering planting seeds further south to give them a better chance of survival, a red flag for other species.

Recent climate change research indicates that many species of plants could become extinct by the year 2100 and that this could be the fate of the Quiver Tree if climate changes are not kept in check by Government policies.

Scientists and biologists share their knowledge and give us insight into the macroscopic world of living organisms and we get to explore the hidden mysteries and wonders of God's Creation up close and personal.

"And to make all see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the ages has been hidden in God, who created all things through Jesus Christ." Ephesians 3:9 NKJV

So what is God showing us through species that are battling to survive Climate Change? Kathryn Hayhoe shared an informal dinner meeting with Chief Scientist for Polar Bears International, Steven Armstrup, he has studied polar bears for 40 years, and what he told her is profound.

“We care about the polar bears because they’re showing us what’s going to happen to us,” he said. “If we don’t heed their warning, we’re next.”

It's clear that we are not respecting and taking enough care of God's Creation, our temporary home for now. Even so, Kathryn and other scientists are optimistic.

We can fix this...

1. Care and Respect every living creature. Even our soils are alive and are key to our food security.

2. Stimulate conversation

3. Motivate Government

4. Eat Smart

5. Reduce our carbon footprint

6. Shop local and buy sustainable

7. Plant a tree

8. And love one another

Writing and Photography by Nikki Otto, special thanks to Unsplash photographers for additional images.