Aloe vera, a succulent plant in the lily family, has been used for its purported medicinal value for centuries. Alexander the Great was said to have ordered cultivation of aloe for medicinal use. Modern scientific research has produced supportive evidence for the use of aloe in preventing and healing some conditions for which it has been traditionally used. Check with your doctor before using aloe to treat a medical condition.
Cancer
A survey of plants used in Brazil for prevention and treatment of cancer reported aloe vera as a frequently used herbal remedy among a field of 84 medicinal plants. The study was published in a 2011 issue of the journal "Evidence Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine." In another study published in 2010 in "Current Medicinal Chemistry," researchers identified three compounds in aloe that showed anticancer effects in laboratory animals. Aloe vera inhibited colon cancer and two forms of leukemia in tissue cultures, in the study.
Ulcers
Aloe vera may protect against stomach ulcers, according to a study published in the April 2011 issue of the "International Journal of Molceular Medicine. In this laboratory animal study, 150 mg per kg body weight of aloe vera protected against alcohol-induced stomach ulcers. Aloe vera exerted its effect on several genes responsible for promoting inflammation, thereby suppressing inflammation of the stomach lining.
Psoriasis
Psoriasis patients experienced relief of symptoms with aloe vera juice supplementation in a study published in the February 2010 issue of the "Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology." Participants with mild to moderate plaque psoriasis used a topical aloe vera preparation for eight weeks. Symptom severity decreased by 7.7 percent in the aloe group compared to a 6.6 percent improvement in symptoms in a group that used a conventional psoriasis medication. Quality of life improvement reported by the volunteers was similar between the two substances. The researchers concluded that aloe vera may be more effective than some pharmaceutical preparations for treatment of mild to moderate plaque psoriasis.
Wound Healing
Researchers at the Department of Dermatology, Jondishapur University of Medical Sciences, Iran, reviewed previously published studies on the health benefits of aloe vera and found that aloe is effective at speeding wound healing and reducing cancerous tumors and parasites in the liver, spleen and bone marrow. Aloe may help protect against genital herpes, human papilloma virus, certain forms of dermatitis, frostbite, burns and inflammation. The researchers cautioned that despite promising preliminary results, there is insufficient evidence for the clinical effectiveness of aloe vera for many dermatological conditions. The study was published in the February 2009 issue of the "Italian Journal of Dermatology and Venereology."
References
- "Evidence Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine"; Medicinal Plants Used as Antitumor Agents in Brazil: An Ethnobotanical Approach; J. de Melo et al.; 2011
- "Current Medicinal Chemistry"; Antitumor Properties and Modulation of Antioxidant Enzymes' Activity by Aloe Vera Leaf Active Principles Isolated Via Supercritical Carbon Dioxide Extraction; H. El-shemy et al.; 2010
- "International Journal of Molecular Medicine"; Polymer Fraction of Aloe Vera Exhibits a Protective Activity on Ethanol-induced Gastric Lesions; C. Park et al.; April 2011
- "Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology"; A Prospective, Randomized Clinical Trial Comparing Topical Aloe Vera with 0.1% Triamcinolone Acetonide in Mild to Moderate Plaque Psoriasis; C. Choonhakarn et al.; February 2010
- "Italian Journal of Dermatology and Venereology"; Aloe Vera in Dermatology: A Brief Review; A. Feily et al.; February 2009
- "Aloe Vera Handbook"; H. Panda; 2001
Member Comments