Aloe vera juice has traditionally been taken by mouth as a laxative, but today people also take aloe vera juice for a variety of other conditions, such as diabetes, asthma, and ulcerative colitis, a disease that causes ulcers in the lining of your rectum and colon. There is concern that taking aloe vera juice by mouth is likely unsafe, especially at high doses. Consult with your doctor before using aloe vera juice medicinally.
Treatment
Ulcerative colitis is an inflammatory condition in your colon and rectum characterized by ulcers forming where inflammation has killed the cells that line the colon. It causes symptoms such as recurring abdominal pain, bloody diarrhea, severe tiredness, decreased appetite and rectal bleeding. Many people have mild symptoms and have long periods of remission. Maintaining a healthy diet and taking supplements, including aloe vera, may help to control symptoms. Others need management with medicines or surgery.
Preparations and Dosing
You can buy aloe vera juice supplements in several forms, including, tablets, capsules and juice. Some research studies have evaluated aloe vera in oral doses of 3.5 oz., or 100 ml, two times per day for four weeks to manage ulcerative colitis. Aloe is also taken in doses of 2 tbsp., or 30 ml, three times a day for ulcerative colitis.
Effectiveness
A trial published in the journal Alimentary Pharmacology and Therapeutics in 2004, supported the beneficial effects of oral aloe for people with active ulcerative colitis after four weeks of treatment. In this study, taking aloe vera by mouth caused a decrease in disease activity and symptom improvement in significantly more people as compared to placebo, or inactive medicine.
Considerations
Aloe juice causes side effects such as stomach pain and cramps. If taken for a long time and in high does, aloe juice can cause more serious problems such as muscle weakness, heart ailments bloody urine, and kidney disorders, according to the National Institutes of Health, or NIH. The NIH also warns that taking more than one gram of aloe juice per day for several days can cause death. Some chemicals in aloe juice may also cause cancer, says the NIH.
References
- National Institutes of Health: Aloe
- National Institutes of Health: Ulcerative Colitis
- PaloAltoMedicalFoundation.org: Ulcerative Colitis
- University of Maryland Medical Center: Aloe
- "Alimentary Pharmacology and Therapeutics"; Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of oral aloe vera gel for active ulcerative colitis; L Langmead, et al.; Apr 2004
- PaloAltoMedicalFoundation.org: Aloe
Member Comments