Aloe vera is a popular sunburn remedy and an ingredient in many lotions and creams. But some people drink aloe vera juice for its reported medicinal value. The Food and Drug Administration has approved aloe vera as an over-the-counter laxative, but most claims about the plant extract have not been scientifically proven. Taking aloe vera internally can cause diarrhea, abdominal pain and electrolyte imbalances.
Properties of Aloe Vera
Aloe vera is a spiky-leaf plant that grows easily in warm climates. The leaves are filled with juice that contain 19 amino acids, including seven of the eight amino acids essential to health, anthrquinones, which are said to relieve pain and aid digestion; eight enzymes known to help break down foods; two hormones, one that has anti-inflammatory properties and another that helps restore cells; salicylic acid, a pain reliever similar to aspirin; and several vitamins, minerals and sugars.
Reported Benefits
Proponents say drinking aloe vera juice can effectively treat irritable bowel syndrome, coughs, ulcers, diabetes, headaches, arthritis, auto-immune diseases and cancer. Jane Clarke, a nutritionist who writes a column for London's Mail on Sunday and who served as David Beckham's personal dietitian and nutritionist during the 2006 World Cup, keeps a supply of aloe vera plant in her fridge and finds it healing both as an internal and external treatment. She uses aloe on her skin to heal wounds and minor burns and drinks aloe vera juice as a digestive aid.
Treatment for Irritable Bowel Syndrome
Clarke cites a study reported in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine that surveyed the effects of drinking aloe vera juice on irritable bowel syndrome. Ten patients each drank 2 oz. of aloe vera juice three times a day for seven days. By the end of the week, none of the patients complained of diarrhea, four reported more regular bowel movements and three said they felt more energetic. Similar studies and anecdotal evidence support these findings, but peer-reviewed clinical studies are largely absent or dated.
Possible Protection Against Cancer
A survey reported in the Japanese Journal of Cancer Research suggests that aloe vera juice might protect against lung and other cancers. The survey involved 673 lung cancer patients studied for five years in Okinawa, Japan. The effects of 17 plants introduced into the diets of patients was studied and, of the 17, only aloe vera was deemed to offer protection. Based on the survey, researchers declared that aloe vera was "widely preventive or suppressive against human cancers."
Diabetes
Dr. Nadia Ghannam, chairman of the Diabetes Center of Excellence at the International Meidical Center, was lead author of a study published in Hormone Research that found that drinking aloe vera juice lowered blood sugar levels in persons suffering from type 2 diabetes. Five patients with noninsulin-dependent diabetes drank 1-/2 tsp. of aloe vera daily for 24 weeks. Their blood sugar levels decreased by an average of 45 percent, although none of the patients lost weight during the time. The study, cited in current articles about the benefits of aloe vera juice, was first reported in 1986. A more recent study conducted in 2006 in Japan by H. Beppu and colleagues at Fujita Health University found aloe vera juice to lower the blood insulin levels of mice.
Precautions
Beth Lulinski and Cathy Kapica, both registered dietitians, contend that science does not support the use of aloe vera juice taken internally as anything beyond a laxative. The authors of " Safety of Aloe a Concern" say that laxatives containing aloe have been known to cause cancer when used as directed. Although the FDA has approved aloe as a laxative, the agency recommends further testing and safety data for aloe, the authors say. Some cancer patients have been treated with injections of aloe vera, but the practice is illegal in the United States, and a few deaths have been reported as a result of the practice.
References
- "Mail on Sunday"; The Potted Physician; Jane Clarke, April 25 2004
- "The Gazette"; Aloe Vera: Your Skin Likes It, But Will You?"; Sarah Musgrave; January 2007
- Help for IBS: Safety of Aloe a Concern
- Aloe Vera Benefits: What is in Aloe Vera?
- "Hormone Research"; The Antidiabetic Activity of Aloes: Preliminary clinical and experimental Observations: N. Ghannam etal; 1986
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