Aloe Vera: The Health Benefits

Aloe vera is a succulent prickly plant of the Lily Family which grows in warm, frost-free climates and which has been known for centuries as a potent medicinal plant according to various cultures around the world. Any nearly pure Aloe vera liquid product, whether called Gel, Juice or Whole Leaf Extract, comprises the fluid obtained by breaking up the structure of the Aloe leaf and separating off the solid residues to leave a more or less clear solution. These liquid products are mainly taken by mouth. They are the preferred form of Aloe vera to be taken internally for their health-giving effects or for medical problems. These products can be wonderfully efficacious in a large number of conditions, some of them very serious medical conditions, as will be detailed here. Aloe vera is also used extensively in the form of creams to be applied to the surface for treating bites, stings, cuts and abrasions as well as many kinds of strains and sprains affecting muscles and joints.

The Elixir Reputation of Aloe

The complaints that Aloe has been shown to address, with varying degrees of scientific backing, include: Acne, dermatitis, abrasions, boils, carbuncles, cuts, hair loss, headaches, high blood pressure, indigestion, nausea, peptic ulcers, duodenal ulcers, colic, ulcerative colitis, gum sores, other mouth disease, pruritis, burns, AIDS, atherosclerosis and coronary heart disease, cancers, diabetes, allergies, colds, parasites - e.g. protozoan infections, viral infections, infections generally, constipation, dandruff, oedema, chronic fatigue syndrome, genital herpes, gingivitis, haemorrhoids, herpes simplex and zoster, inflammation, insomnia, insect bites including bee stings, jelly-fish stings, menstrual cramps and period irregularity, radiation burns, rashes, seborrhoea, sunburn, oesophagitis, sprains, tendonitis, leg ulcers, ulcerations generally, vaginitis, varicose veins, arthritis, gout, rheumatism, Candida infection, other fungal infections, psoriasis, warts.

What Aloe vera is not

Aloe vera juices, gels and extracts are not to be confused with "Drug Aloes", which is a laxative material derived from the sap of the outer layer of the Aloe leaf. "Drug Aloes" are a prescription medicine, i.e. they cannot be bought over the counter in the UK. The gels, juices or whole leaf extracts referred to above are freely available for purchase by the public as herbal drinks or powders. They are not permitted to contain significant levels of these laxative materials ("aloin" and related compounds), and therefore they do not have, or should not have, laxative action.

How does Aloe vera Work?

The physiological and medicinal effects of Aloe are best understood by dividing them into categories as follows: Anti-inflammatory, Immune stimulatory, Pro-healing, Pro-gastrointestinal, Anti-diabetic, Anti-arthritic, Arterial. The mechanisms of the immune stimulant effect and the pro-healing effect are fairly well understood. Whilst the anti-inflammatory effect is understood in principle, the contributions of the different components have yet to be worked out.

Immune System Stimulation

A prime action of Aloe is to increase the activity and effectiveness of the immune system. Much is written these days about the importance of having one's immune system in good health. A sufficient level of activity amongst the immune cells is a basic requirement.

In a short review J.C. Pittman (1992) cited that "Acemannan has direct effects on the immune system, activating and stimulating macrophages, monocytes, antibodies and T-cells." This is a wide and multifaceted claim. Acemannan is a trade name that has been applied to one part of the especially potent mannose-rich polysaccharide fraction from Aloe. "Glucomannan" is the generic name for the complete polysaccharide fraction. Acemannan comprises the highest molecular weight fraction of the glucomannan. T-cells are one of the major classes of lymphocytes. Pittman also says that Acemannan "has been shown in laboratory studies to act as a bridge between foreign proteins (such as virus particles) and macrophages, facilitating phagocytosis." Phagocytosis is the process in which immune cells engulf foreign and infective particles, including infective micro organisms, and then digesting them. Therefore one cannot be surprised that Aloe vera is widely noted, within the research literature, as being protective against infections. There are many studies showing that resistance to infection is enhanced by Aloe either in humans or in animals, whether the infective agent is a bacterium, virus or fungus. In other cases the immunostimulant effect manifests through increasing the power of the organism to either resist carcinogenic change or to halt or diminish the progression of established tumours.

Anti-Inflammatory Effect

The anti-inflammatory action of Aloe in acute inflammation is one of the best-known actions. Aloe inhibits the complex tissue events that accompany inflammation. The result is that the pain, soreness, redness and swelling associated with tissue damage diminish and pass off much more rapidly than would otherwise be the case. This effect is clearly responsible for all the early benefits from applying Aloe Gel or Whole Leaf Extract, or various ointments and creams of Aloe, to wounds, cuts and abrasions of all kinds. This effect must also be responsible for the early benefits in sports injuries, frostbite, burns and radiation burns, as well as its earliest effects upon arthritis and some infections.

The substances in Aloe with anti-inflammatory properties include the natural steroids lupeol, beta-sitosterol and campesterol, the enzyme bradykininase, which is an enzyme breaking down the stimulatory peptide bradykinin, natural salicylates that bear a relationship to aspirin and probably some other unidentified substances that act as anti-prostaglandins.

Tissue Healing Effects

A third major action of Aloe is increasing the healing powers of tissues that have been damaged. This is most obvious at the surface, where one can easily watch the acceleration of wound healing. This has long been studied by creating wounds and observing the rate of healing with and without Aloe as a wound dressing. This action has been fully authenticated by scientific studies in which the strength of the wound repair is tested at set intervals after the injury. However, it is clear that, whilst one can see only the surface, the healing action of Aloe, just like the anti-inflammatory effect, is capable of acting through the whole body, in the deep organs as well as the superficial tissues. It works by stimulating the surviving cells to multiply rapidly to replace damaged cells. The mechanism by which the repair is accelerated is through the stimulation of fibroblasts. These are the cells that produce the protein fibres that form part of granulation tissue, providing strength to the wound repair.

The combination of anti-inflammatory and pro-healing effects makes Aloe vera outstandingly suitable for many First Aid applications.

Gastro-Intestinal Effect

A fourth major action of Aloe tones up the principal functions of the digestive system. Experiments have shown that after using Aloe the output of digestive enzymes and the bacterial population of the intestines is improved. There is then less putrefaction of food in the intestines and gastric and control of intestinal acidity / alkalinity is improved. These represent potent factors contributing to good trouble-free digestive function. There is very good scientific evidence supporting the use of Aloe vera against peptic or duodenal ulcer. The immune system and the anti-inflammatory effects are almost bound to contribute to the digestive effects because the immune system is active within the gastrointestinal system and because many gastrointestinal symptoms are caused by inflammation.

The very best evidence for improvement of function through use of Aloe comes from well-known nutritionist Bland (1985). He gave Aloe vera juice to volunteers who were not necessarily suffering digestive problems. Nonetheless, he showed that the blood levels of a substance called "indican" were much reduced by taking Aloe vera. Indican is absorbed into the blood when digestive function is sufficiently compromised to allow undigested protein to pass down into the lower gut to be broken down there by bacteria. This is not something we should want to happen. Indican and its relatives are toxins, but indican is also an indicator of just what is happening to our insides. Dr. Bland's work showed that Aloe improved control over gastrointestinal acidity and alkalinity. The physical consistency of the stools was also much better.

Anti-Diabetic Effect

It has been clearly established that Aloe vera counters the excessively high blood glucose levels that are characteristic of adult diabetes (non-insulin-dependent diabetes or Type II diabetes). In many cases Aloe brings the blood glucose down within the normal range. This is based upon several studies.

Research from Saudi Arabia, Ghannam et al (1986), reports effects of Aloe on human diabetics. The study concerned five patients only, all of whom had non-insulin-dependent diabetes (NIDD), i.e. Type II. The fasting serum glucose levels were reduced from a mean of 273mg/dl before treatment to a mean of 151mg/dl after treatment. The insulin levels of these patients were unchanged. Interestingly, insulin levels in the blood of patients with NIDD commonly do not exhibit absolute insulin deficiency and it appears that their problem has much to do with a relative insensitivity of the body tissues towards being influenced insulin. The inference here is that treatment with aloes in some manner not yet understood, improves the responsiveness of the body tissues towards insulin, making the insulin which is already circulating in the blood, more effective.

Anti-Arthritic Effect

Hanley et al (1982), Davis et al (1984) and Davis (1997) state, "Aloe vera inhibits inflammation and adjuvant-induced arthritis". Almost every natural health practitioner who uses Aloe at all extensively has come across cases of human arthritis that have responded spectacularly to the treatment. Whether this demonstrates the inhibition of chronic inflammation in the joints or whether there is a more fundamental action involved has not been established. Indeed, there is a real need for human clinical trials on this topic.

Arterial Effects

Agarwal (1985) is the main source of data on this topic. Such a large study involving levels of recovery from arterial disease and, apparently, prevention of many expected deaths, has to be taken very seriously. Quite obviously more research is needed. Some other researches also touch upon the effect of Aloe upon arteries at the tissue level. One example is Lee et al (1998), who showed a stimulatory effect upon the pulmonary artery tissue of calves.

Powerful Herbal Medicine

This author considers that there is no other herb like Aloe vera. The roots of this certainty are the multiple different physiological effects of Aloe recounted in this Newsletter. Most herbs have only a limited range of effects. These effects may make the herb sought-after and valuable in medicine. But because in most cases the effects of the herb are limited and not multifarious, the herb will need to be either used in a simple symptom-related way as a folk medicine or over-the-counter medicine or prescribed by expert herbalists who understand exactly what it can do. Aloe vera gel or juice does not have these limits. It is very free from side effects and disadvantages. There are times when practitioners should oversee its use, especially when Aloe forms part of an overall nutritional/herbal/ naturopathic prescription. Nonetheless, great amounts of Aloe are in use around the world on a self-prescribed basis and we see little if any disadvantage or difficulty arising. On the other hand the benefits appear to be great.

Aloe is perhaps unique in the way in which its multifaceted actions interact and support each other. The combination of anti-inflammatory and healing actions is especially fortunate because it allows a wide range of conditions to benefit that call for both relief from swelling and pain and also the healing of wounds or tissue damage. That combination is powerful medicine. The stimulation of immune system actions is one generic effect. However, immune stimulation is expressed in a number of different ways within the complexity of the immune system, with its different cell types and its different chemical messengers responding in different ways. The resulting improvements in immune function are of many kinds and benefit many organs. Moreover, the immune system is deeply involved in the body's reactions to injury in ways that clear the way for the subsequent repair. Thus, it seems that all three of the most major actions of Aloe focus together on a myriad of conditions that all require anti-inflammation, healing and an active immune system. Synergy becomes the order of the day. This would appear to explain why the effects of Aloe upon so many conditions can be so dramatic.