While this plant is fairly common and well-known for its role in sunburn recovery, Aloe Vera is not content taking care of only one or two issues. This plant is a wonderful healing substance with plenty of uses.
A friend of mine must have been day dreaming last week when he poured hot water on his hand instead of into the tea pot. Needless to say, it really hurt. I immediately had him plunge his hand into a pitcher of ice water for relief, and it did feel a lot better, but the pain returned every time he removed the hand from the ice water. Hot water burns are no fun.
Finally I remembered I had some Aloe Vera plants growing in the back yard for the expressed purpose of treating skin burns and cuts. I walked out to the back yard to inspect the Aloe Vera planter which I found to be far too overgrown. I cut off a nice aloe leaf with my garden knife and split the leaf to expose the inner gel, which we then applied to his hand.
Amazingly, he experienced immediate pain relief, and the burn healed fairly quickly. It got me thinking...
A friend of mine must have been day dreaming last week when he poured hot water on his hand instead of into the tea pot. Needless to say, it really hurt. I immediately had him plunge his hand into a pitcher of ice water for relief, and it did feel a lot better, but the pain returned every time he removed the hand from the ice water. Hot water burns are no fun.
Finally I remembered I had some Aloe Vera plants growing in the back yard for the expressed purpose of treating skin burns and cuts. I walked out to the back yard to inspect the Aloe Vera planter which I found to be far too overgrown. I cut off a nice aloe leaf with my garden knife and split the leaf to expose the inner gel, which we then applied to his hand.
Amazingly, he experienced immediate pain relief, and the burn healed fairly quickly. It got me thinking...
I realized that all these years, I had been ignoring the medicinal benefits of the Aloe growing in my own back yard. The Aloe plant had far more medicinal benefits than I had considered. I remember thinking: "If Aloe can relieve pain that fast, and speed healing of skin burns, what are the other medical benefits of Aloe?"
It was time to start doing some research!
The very first thing I learned about Aloe was that many people were drinking it and seeing wonderful things happen as a result. So, I decided to try drinking the Aloe. I sliced off a few more Aloe leaves, and then ran them through a masticating juicer. The central gel is a transparent slimy substance. Small amounts of the green rind also came out into the mix. I then placed about half a cup of the gel into my blender along with some frozen cherries, protein powder and hemp oil, and made a protein shake smoothie. The concoction had a definite anti-inflammatory effect. Lingering body aches and pains were relieved. There was also a beneficial effect on digestion. So, that was my personal experience with drinking aloe vera, but my research yielded much more interesting information about this true miracle medicinal!
Depending on the exact component of aloe, whether the green skin, or inner gel, other medicinal benefits have been reported. As I discovered, Aloe has an anti-inflammatory effect, but it also has an anti-microbial effect, anti-cancer effect, anti-glycemic effect, and heals skin and bone rapidly. Is it any wonder that the ancient peoples of the Americas considered Aloe Vera as a gift from the sky gods!
It was time to start doing some research!
The very first thing I learned about Aloe was that many people were drinking it and seeing wonderful things happen as a result. So, I decided to try drinking the Aloe. I sliced off a few more Aloe leaves, and then ran them through a masticating juicer. The central gel is a transparent slimy substance. Small amounts of the green rind also came out into the mix. I then placed about half a cup of the gel into my blender along with some frozen cherries, protein powder and hemp oil, and made a protein shake smoothie. The concoction had a definite anti-inflammatory effect. Lingering body aches and pains were relieved. There was also a beneficial effect on digestion. So, that was my personal experience with drinking aloe vera, but my research yielded much more interesting information about this true miracle medicinal!
Depending on the exact component of aloe, whether the green skin, or inner gel, other medicinal benefits have been reported. As I discovered, Aloe has an anti-inflammatory effect, but it also has an anti-microbial effect, anti-cancer effect, anti-glycemic effect, and heals skin and bone rapidly. Is it any wonder that the ancient peoples of the Americas considered Aloe Vera as a gift from the sky gods!
In multiple research studies, doctors have found aloe to be useful in treating eczema, Multidrug-Resistant Pseudomonas in burn wound Infections, and found that the green aloe skin extract had anti-mycoplasma activity. That all sounded like great news, but I was not too sure what anti-mycoplasma activity really meant, so it was back to the computer for more research.
It turns out that Mycoplasma infection is a respiratory illness caused by Mycoplasma pneumoniae, a microscopic organism related to bacteria but lacking a cell wall. The organism is larger than a virus but smaller than a bacterium, thus it is called an “Atypical” bacterium. The typical symptoms include fever, cough, bronchitis, sore throat, headache and malaise (generalized tiredness). Now this was starting to sound very familiar! This is exactly the ‘cold’ I was experiencing.
A common result of mycoplasma infection is pneumonia (sometimes called "walking pneumonia" because it is usually mild and rarely requires hospitalization). Again, this hit home with me, as I have suffered walking pneumonia several times in my life.
I learned that the symptoms may persist for a few days to more than a month! The symptoms generally develop slowly, over a period of two to four days, beginning with upper respiratory symptoms, low grade fever, malaise, and coughing. If the infection is not treated within 7-10 days of onset, a prolonged cough may occur which can last for a long time, as much as 8-10 weeks even after treatment.
So here I was, suffering with a cough and malaise that would not go away and all this time the cure was in my backyard!
That was enough to finally convince me that I needed to investigate Aloe Vera much more than I had done previously. I got started and very soon got hooked! I could not believe all I was discovering, I had to do more research and learn just what else Aloe Vera could do. Guess what? There was even more that this plant offered than I could ever have imagined. Just look at some of what I learned:
Anti-Cancer Activity of Aloe- In a study involving 240 patients with metastatic cancer, those treated with aloe fared better with improved survival. The authors stated:
“The percentage of both objective tumor regressions and disease control was significantly higher in patients concomitantly treated with Aloe than with chemotherapy alone, as well as the percent of 3-year survival patients.”
There is a case report of ocular surface cancer cured with topical aloe drops alone. There are many other plants which have anti-cancer activity, but aloe has been studied and found effective against breast cancer cell lines, neuroectodermal tumors, glioma cells, and lung cancer cells by inducing apoptosis and cell cycle arrest. Okay, stop right there - what the heck does that mean?
Well apoptosis is defined thusly, “In multicellular organisms, cells that are no longer needed or are a threat to the organism are destroyed by a tightly regulated cell suicide process known as programmed cell death, or apoptosis.”
So, what this means is that the phytonutrient called ‘emodin’, that is found in high quantity in Aloe Vera, causes cancer cells to die. Now that is worth knowing!
Inflammatory Bowel Disease- In a randomized trial of 44 outpatients with ulcerative colitis, those treated with Aloe twice daily for four weeks had improvement while the placebo treated patients did not. The authors of this research went on to state:
“Oral aloe vera taken for 4 weeks produced a clinical response more often than placebo; it also reduced the histological disease activity and proved to be completely safe.”
Now this simply means that the aloe vera treatment was effective and caused absolutely no noticeable side effects. Again, this is really important information that we should all know!
Bone Healing, Improving Bone Density- Researchers found that acemannen in aloe significantly increased markers of bone growth, bone density and mineralization, thus serving as natural biomaterial for bone regeneration.
Anti-Diabetes- Doctors found aloe effective as an anti-hyperglycemic and anti-hypercholesterolemic agent for hyperlipidemic type 2 diabetic patients. Which means that this amazing succulent helps control and regulate blood glucose levels in people this type 2 diabetic.
Wound Healing- Aloe accelerates cutaneous (skin) wound healing. This one most of us know already but it is nice to find that modern research completely backs up this knowledge passed down for generation in the American southwest.
What else did I learn?
It turns out that Mycoplasma infection is a respiratory illness caused by Mycoplasma pneumoniae, a microscopic organism related to bacteria but lacking a cell wall. The organism is larger than a virus but smaller than a bacterium, thus it is called an “Atypical” bacterium. The typical symptoms include fever, cough, bronchitis, sore throat, headache and malaise (generalized tiredness). Now this was starting to sound very familiar! This is exactly the ‘cold’ I was experiencing.
A common result of mycoplasma infection is pneumonia (sometimes called "walking pneumonia" because it is usually mild and rarely requires hospitalization). Again, this hit home with me, as I have suffered walking pneumonia several times in my life.
I learned that the symptoms may persist for a few days to more than a month! The symptoms generally develop slowly, over a period of two to four days, beginning with upper respiratory symptoms, low grade fever, malaise, and coughing. If the infection is not treated within 7-10 days of onset, a prolonged cough may occur which can last for a long time, as much as 8-10 weeks even after treatment.
So here I was, suffering with a cough and malaise that would not go away and all this time the cure was in my backyard!
That was enough to finally convince me that I needed to investigate Aloe Vera much more than I had done previously. I got started and very soon got hooked! I could not believe all I was discovering, I had to do more research and learn just what else Aloe Vera could do. Guess what? There was even more that this plant offered than I could ever have imagined. Just look at some of what I learned:
Anti-Cancer Activity of Aloe- In a study involving 240 patients with metastatic cancer, those treated with aloe fared better with improved survival. The authors stated:
“The percentage of both objective tumor regressions and disease control was significantly higher in patients concomitantly treated with Aloe than with chemotherapy alone, as well as the percent of 3-year survival patients.”
There is a case report of ocular surface cancer cured with topical aloe drops alone. There are many other plants which have anti-cancer activity, but aloe has been studied and found effective against breast cancer cell lines, neuroectodermal tumors, glioma cells, and lung cancer cells by inducing apoptosis and cell cycle arrest. Okay, stop right there - what the heck does that mean?
Well apoptosis is defined thusly, “In multicellular organisms, cells that are no longer needed or are a threat to the organism are destroyed by a tightly regulated cell suicide process known as programmed cell death, or apoptosis.”
So, what this means is that the phytonutrient called ‘emodin’, that is found in high quantity in Aloe Vera, causes cancer cells to die. Now that is worth knowing!
Inflammatory Bowel Disease- In a randomized trial of 44 outpatients with ulcerative colitis, those treated with Aloe twice daily for four weeks had improvement while the placebo treated patients did not. The authors of this research went on to state:
“Oral aloe vera taken for 4 weeks produced a clinical response more often than placebo; it also reduced the histological disease activity and proved to be completely safe.”
Now this simply means that the aloe vera treatment was effective and caused absolutely no noticeable side effects. Again, this is really important information that we should all know!
Bone Healing, Improving Bone Density- Researchers found that acemannen in aloe significantly increased markers of bone growth, bone density and mineralization, thus serving as natural biomaterial for bone regeneration.
Anti-Diabetes- Doctors found aloe effective as an anti-hyperglycemic and anti-hypercholesterolemic agent for hyperlipidemic type 2 diabetic patients. Which means that this amazing succulent helps control and regulate blood glucose levels in people this type 2 diabetic.
Wound Healing- Aloe accelerates cutaneous (skin) wound healing. This one most of us know already but it is nice to find that modern research completely backs up this knowledge passed down for generation in the American southwest.
What else did I learn?
Around 1750 BC Hannibal waged war in North Africa. He wanted to control these areas of North Africa for one reason, because it was where aloe vera flourished! It's no wonder he wanted the region when you understand the powerful medicine contained in this plant! Aloe vera is a succulent plant that belongs to the lily family. There are more than 300 species of the aloe plant, but the Aloe barbadensis species exhibits the most proven medicinal properties.
To date, there have been 75 nutrients and countless phytonutrients identified in the gel of the aloe plant. It contains vitamins A, C, E, B1, B2, B3 (niacin), B6, choline, folic acid, alpha-tocopherol, and beta-carotene. In addition, aloe gel and whole leaf extracts improve absorption of both vitamin C and vitamin E.
Aloe vera also provides 19 of the 20 required amino acids and seven of the eight essential ones. And it contains digestive enzymes like amylase to break down starch and sugar, and lipase to help break down fats.
Aloe vera has been used medicinally for thousands of years. It has been used to traditionally to treat burns, hair loss, acne, skin infections, hemorrhoids, sinusitis, and gastrointestinal pain. It also heals bruises, x-ray burns, and insect bites. In modern times, aloe vera has become a home remedy for dry skin, psoriasis, and other skin conditions. Its amazing pharmacological actions include anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antioxidant, antiviral, and anti-fungal.
Just check this out:
To date, there have been 75 nutrients and countless phytonutrients identified in the gel of the aloe plant. It contains vitamins A, C, E, B1, B2, B3 (niacin), B6, choline, folic acid, alpha-tocopherol, and beta-carotene. In addition, aloe gel and whole leaf extracts improve absorption of both vitamin C and vitamin E.
Aloe vera also provides 19 of the 20 required amino acids and seven of the eight essential ones. And it contains digestive enzymes like amylase to break down starch and sugar, and lipase to help break down fats.
Aloe vera has been used medicinally for thousands of years. It has been used to traditionally to treat burns, hair loss, acne, skin infections, hemorrhoids, sinusitis, and gastrointestinal pain. It also heals bruises, x-ray burns, and insect bites. In modern times, aloe vera has become a home remedy for dry skin, psoriasis, and other skin conditions. Its amazing pharmacological actions include anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antioxidant, antiviral, and anti-fungal.
Just check this out:
- Skin Aging- Aloe is an established topical remedy for skin. But a 2009 study found taking aloe orally reduces facial wrinkles. In the study, 30 healthy women over the age of 45 took aloe vera gel as a supplement. One group took a low dose (1,200 mg/day) and a second group took a high-dose (3,600 mg/day).
- The researchers measured signs of skin aging at the beginning and end of the study. After just 90 days, the researchers found that facial wrinkles improved significantly in both groups. But in the lower dose group facial elasticity also improved. How does it work? The researchers found that the aloe increased collagen production leading to better structural support of the skin and fewer wrinkles. They also found aloe decreased gene activity that causes collagen to become damaged in the first place.
- Psoriasis- Swedish researchers found that a cream containing aloe vera is effective for the treatment of psoriasis. They conducted a double-blind, placebo-controlled study of 60 patients with psoriasis. Patients were given either an aloe vera extract (0.5%) cream or placebo cream to apply three times a day for five consecutive days per week. The study went on for 16 weeks but with only four weeks of active treatment and 12 months of follow-up. By the end of the study, the aloe vera cream cured 25 of 30 psoriasis patients or 83.3%. Only two out of 30 patients in the placebo group were cured or 6.6%.
- Skin Cancer- Consistent with its other skin benefits, aloe vera may also prevent and treat skin cancer. A study from the University of Belgrade School of Medicine found that aloe vera and its constituents inhibit the skin cell proliferation that accompanies skin cancer. The researchers radiated human skin cells to simulate sun damage and trigger the process of proliferation that leads to skin tumors. They found that treating the cells with aloe-emodin, a constituent of aloe, significantly stopped the proliferation process. This confirmed aloe's benefit in halting the progression of tumor formation after sun exposure.
- Cervical Cancer- But its cancer effects aren’t limited to skin. Studies also show that aloe vera may help prevent cervical cancer.
- A study published in the Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention found that a cream containing aloe vera, curcumin, reetha, and amla (brand name “Basant”) is an effective and safe therapy for the clearance of cervical human papillomavirus (HPV) infection. Researchers studied a group of women with HPV that had not yet progressed to high grade cervical neoplasias (i.e. cervical pre-cancer). Of the women who used the Basant vaginal cream for 30 consecutive days, 87.7% cleared the HPV infection compared to 73.3% of the placebo group.
- Chemotherapy- Aloe improves treatment outcomes for cancer patients. In one study 240 patients with metastatic tumors were randomized to receive chemotherapy alone or chemo accompanied by 10 ml of aloe given orally three times a day. The aloe group had significantly better regression of their tumors and better 3-year survival rates.
- Periodontal Disease- Aloe vera has been found effective when added to toothpaste and mouthwash. In one study 15 patients with periodontitis (an infectious inflammatory disease of the gums) received injections of aloe vera gel in the gums around certain teeth. All of the patients had improvements in plaque build-up and their periodontal condition.
- Using aloe vera juice as a mouthwash also reduces plaque buildup on the teeth. In a study of 300 people in India, researchers compared 100% aloe vera juice with a placebo and the chemical mouthwash chlorhexidine.
- Chemical mouthwashes cannot be used long-term because of side-effects like altered taste sensation, staining of the tongue, hypersensitivity reactions, and toxicity.
- For four days, the 300 subjects were randomly assigned to either use the chlorhexidine, aloe vera, or placebo mouthwash. At the end of the study aloe vera juice worked just as well to reduce plaque buildup as the chemical mouthwash but without any side effects. It also worked significantly better than the placebo.
- Other Dental Issues- Aloe vera juice is also effective for a range of other dental problems including gingivitis, mouth sores from radiation therapy, and oral lichen planus (OLP). OLP is a chronic inflammatory condition that affects mucous membranes inside your mouth. It shows up as white, lacy patches, red, swollen tissues, or open sores that can cause burning and pain.
- In a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of 54 patients with OLP in Thailand subjects were given either aloe vera gel or placebo. After eight weeks 81% of the aloe group had a good response compared to only 4% of the placebo group. And 7% of the aloe group had complete clinical remission while 33% had complete resolution of burning pain.
- Topical aloe vera also improves the quality of life for patients with OLP. In a Spanish study 64 patients with OLP were randomized in a double-blind study to either aloe vera or placebo. The aloe vera group received a topical dose of 0.4 ml (70% concentration) three times a day. In the aloe group, 31.2% of patients had complete pain remission after 6 weeks compared to only 17.2% of the placebo group.
- Inflammatory Bowel Disease- Taking oral aloe vera gel improves irritable bowel symptoms in just four weeks. In a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial 44 patients with mild to moderate active ulcerative colitis were given 100 ml of aloe vera gel or placebo twice a day. Various measures of the disease improved 30 to 57% with the aloe vera compared to only 7 to 14% for the placebo.
- More Diabetes Help- Aloe vera helps lower blood glucose levels. In one study of five patients with non-insulin diabetes, subjects were given half a teaspoon of the dried sap of the aloe plant per day for 4 to 14 weeks. Fasting blood glucose levels fell an average of 122 points in every patient with no change in body weight.
- The researchers concluded that the aloe contains a hypoglycemic agent that lowers blood glucose. Additional research in Australia has since confirmed these finding in repeated double-blind studies.
- Cesarean Section Wound Healing- Dressing cesarean section incisions with aloe vera gel increased healing within 24 hours of surgery according to one study of 90 women in Iran.
- And a preliminary study of 30 patients in Nigeria found that aloe vera gel was just as effective as benzyl benzoate lotion to treat scabies. Aloe vera gel has also been found to be a safe and effective treatment for patients with vulval lichen planus.
- And a preliminary study of 30 patients in Nigeria found that aloe vera gel was just as effective as benzyl benzoate lotion to treat scabies. Aloe vera gel has also been found to be a safe and effective treatment for patients with vulval lichen planus.
I could go on and on. Perhaps I will have to write a book on Aloe Vera sometime soon.
The main point to take away from this week’s Phytonutrient Friday post is that Aloe Vera is or at least should be, an indispensable part of all of our herbal dispensaries. The aloe plant has important medicinal uses making it one of the most respected medicinal plants found on the planet. Modern researchers have identified several reasons why aloe gel spurs wound healing: It has antibacterial, antifungal and antiviral compounds that help prevent wound infections. It also has immune-stimulating and anti-inflammatory compounds, and it stimulates collagen synthesis and skin regeneration after a burn. Aloe gel contains vitamins C and E, plus the mineral zinc. Aloe Vera gel is soothing, anti-inflammatory, and antibacterial – it helps heal acne, improve the appearance of wrinkles, and hydrates damaged skin. Applying a thin layer of this amazing gel will help ease discomfort caused by painful skin irritations, and acne.
Simply put, Aloe vera is quite an incredible medicinal plant full of nutritional benefits. Different parts of the plant are used for different purposes and aloe vera has both internal and external applications.
Aloe Vera contains over 200 active components including vitamins, minerals, amino acids, enzymes, phytonutrients, polysaccharide, and fatty acids – no wonder it’s used for such a wide range of remedies! The bulk of the aloe vera leaf is filled with a clear gel-like substance, which is approximately 99% water.
In my opinion we should be taking advantage of this miracle medicinal, after all, humans have used aloe therapeutically for well over 5000 years – now that’s a long-standing track record!
Happy Gardening!!
The main point to take away from this week’s Phytonutrient Friday post is that Aloe Vera is or at least should be, an indispensable part of all of our herbal dispensaries. The aloe plant has important medicinal uses making it one of the most respected medicinal plants found on the planet. Modern researchers have identified several reasons why aloe gel spurs wound healing: It has antibacterial, antifungal and antiviral compounds that help prevent wound infections. It also has immune-stimulating and anti-inflammatory compounds, and it stimulates collagen synthesis and skin regeneration after a burn. Aloe gel contains vitamins C and E, plus the mineral zinc. Aloe Vera gel is soothing, anti-inflammatory, and antibacterial – it helps heal acne, improve the appearance of wrinkles, and hydrates damaged skin. Applying a thin layer of this amazing gel will help ease discomfort caused by painful skin irritations, and acne.
Simply put, Aloe vera is quite an incredible medicinal plant full of nutritional benefits. Different parts of the plant are used for different purposes and aloe vera has both internal and external applications.
Aloe Vera contains over 200 active components including vitamins, minerals, amino acids, enzymes, phytonutrients, polysaccharide, and fatty acids – no wonder it’s used for such a wide range of remedies! The bulk of the aloe vera leaf is filled with a clear gel-like substance, which is approximately 99% water.
In my opinion we should be taking advantage of this miracle medicinal, after all, humans have used aloe therapeutically for well over 5000 years – now that’s a long-standing track record!
Happy Gardening!!
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