Aloe vera is purported in the natural health community to have many health benefits. The conventional health community does not support those claims. Not enough scientific research has been conducted to definitively prove or disprove the safety or efficacy of oral aloe vera.
The article "Aloe Vera: A Short Review," published in the Indian Journal of Dermatology, states, "Aloe vera contains 75 potentially active constituents: vitamins, enzymes, minerals, sugars, lignin, saponins, salicylic acids and amino acids." Those who wish to drink the juice to receive the nutritional benefits of the plant should do so under a doctor's supervision. Pregnant women, nursing women and diabetics should not drink aloe vera juice.
Step 1
Consult with your doctor before beginning an oral aloe vera juice regiment to determine if it is safe for you to do so. Disclose to your doctor any medical conditions you have and medications that you are taking, including herbs.
Step 2
Purchase aloe vera juice marked for oral ingestion. Aloe vera that is sold for topical use contains preservatives and other ingredients that are not safe to ingest. Decide whether to purchase undiluted aloe vera juice or an aloe vera juice cocktail, which is aloe mixed with other juices. Aloe vera juice has a strong taste that most people find difficult to tolerate. The addition of water and other juices to the aloe vera makes the taste less disagreeable.
Step 3
Follow the directions on the label of the aloe vera juice cocktail drink to determine the manufacturer's recommended amount to drink per day. Different brands of aloe vera juice cocktail drinks contain different concentrations of aloe vera juice.
Step 4
Make your own aloe vera juice cocktail, if you purchased undiluted aloe vera juice. To make your own cocktail, mix 4 oz. of undiluted aloe vera juice with 4 oz. of water, apple juice or other favorite fruit juice of yours, to make one 8-ounce glass of juice. Drink one 8-ounce glass of your homemade aloe vera juice cocktail once or twice a day. If you drink it twice a day, drink one glass in the morning and the other at night.
Tips and Warnings
- A study published in "Phytotherapy Research" tested oral aloe vera on rats and concluded that oral aloe may "be beneficial for the prevention of age-related pathology." The study did not test oral aloe on humans, so safety in human use is still unknown. Aloe vera gel combined with psyllium and celandin reportedly worked better at treating constipation than a placebo, according to a study published in the American Journal of Gastroenterology. Oral aloe vera juice, however, or aloe latex, which contains bitter substances from the whole aloe leaf, is a harsh stimulant laxative that can cause severe abdominal cramping. Because of the cramping reported by some patients when using aloe vera juice for constipation, the University of Maryland Medical Center recommends using "other gentler, herbal laxatives from the same plant family as aloe (such as cascara and senna)" before trying aloe vera juice.
- Discontinue drinking aloe vera juice and contact your doctor if you experience any ill effects, including vomiting, severe abdominal cramping, severe diarrhea, excessive bleeding during menstruation, bleeding between periods and low blood sugar. The ingestion of aloe vera stimulates uterine contractions, potentially causing a miscarriage in pregnant women, according to the University of Maryland Health Center, which also warns that nursing women should avoid ingesting aloe, because the safety of aloe in infants is unknown. The American Cancer Society warns, "Taking aloe internally may cause dangerous interactions with prescription drugs and with other herbal supplements." The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) warns that "people with diabetes who use glucose-lowering medication should be cautious if also taking aloe by mouth because preliminary studies suggest aloe may lower blood glucose levels."
Things You'll Need
- Aloe vera juice marked for oral use
- Fruit juice
References
- Indian Journal of Dermatology 53(4): 163-166; Aloe Vera: A Short Review; Amar Surjushe, Resham Vasani, D G Saple; 2008
- Phytotherapy Research, Vol. 16, Issue 8, Pages 712-718; The Influence of Long-Term Aloe Vera Ingestion on Age-Related Disease in Male Fischer 344 Rats; Yuji Ikeno, Gene B. Hubbard, Shuko Lee, Byung Pal Yu, Jeremiah T. Herlihy; Nov. 28, 2002
- American Journal of Gastroenterology; Efficacy and Safety of Traditional Medical Therapies for Chronic Constipation: Systematic Review; Davendra Ramkumar, M.D., Satish S.C. Rao, M.D., Ph.D.; 2005
- University of Maryland Medical Center: Aloe
- American Cancer Society: Aloe
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