For more than 3500 years, people have recognized the healing and moisturizing properties of the aloe vera plant. The use of aloe vera has been documented throughout history most notably aloe vera use can be traced back to the ancient Egyptians, when the glamorous Cleopatra considered the aloe plant her personal skin care and beauty secret. Aloe was held in such esteem in ancient Egypt that it was considered the "Plant of Immortality" and drawings of aloe plants have even been found inscribed in the tombs of pharaohs. Through the centuries following the Egyptians, aloe vera was highly valued by the legendary King Solomon, and Alexander the Great. Mentions of aloe vera use on the skin is also found in the Bible, and later Marco Polo recorded the use of aloe vera in the Orient. Spanish Conquistadores discovered the bounty of the aloe plant in South America and exported vast quantities back to Europe throughout the sixteenth century, where the aloe vera plant became part of the foundation of western medicine.