Aloe Vera and its Wonderful Health Benefits

| Modified on Apr 12, 2023
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Aloe Vera Health Benefits

Aloe vera is a unique plant that possesses a number of healing qualities. A member of the lily family, aloe vera is also a relative to garlic and onions. With its unique composition, various parts of the plant are used to treat different health conditions and can be applied both internally and externally.

What is Aloe Vera?

Aloe vera is considered a succulent plant species that is found only in cultivation. Frequently used for medicinal care, the plant is often described as a “wonder plant.” Somewhat short-stemmed and shrub-like, aloe vera possesses succulent leaves from which the well-known gelatinous aloe substance is taken.


Aloe vera is comprised of over 200 active elements including a combination of vitamins and minerals, amino acids, enzymes, polysaccharides and fatty acids. All of these nutrients together make aloe the beneficial substance that it is. The plant is also known as an adaptogen, as it boosts the body’s natural ability to adapt to external modifications and resist disease.

Health Benefits of Aloe Vera

Aloe is effective in a variety of ways and can be used to treat a wide range of conditions. Aside from being an adaptogen, aloe is high in important vitamins and minerals including vitamins A, C, E, B12, calcium, magnesium, zinc and others. The substance also contains a high concentration of amino acids and fatty acids. As such, aloe functions in detoxification, alkalization, oxygenation and immune support.

With its variety of nutritional benefits, aloe is capable of treating a range of health conditions both internally and externally. Acid reflux, acne, cancer, celiac disease, fatigue and gum issues are among the most commonly treated conditions. However, constipation, shingles, sore throat, ulcers, depression, burns and irritable bowel syndrome can also be treated using this compound.

While aloe comes in a variety of forms, fresh aloe straight from the plant is typically best. Aloe can be taken on a regular basis; however, it is most effective when taken for short periods of time as it is needed. With its variety of nutrients and range of health benefits, aloe is one of the most effective health treatments available today.


The comments below reflect the personal experiences and opinions of readers and do not represent medical advice or the views of this website. The information shared has not been evaluated by the FDA and is not intended to diagnose, treat, or prevent any disease or health condition. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional for medical concerns.

Acid Reflux

1 User Review
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Posted by Zinnia (Wappingers Falls, New York) on 06/04/2007
★★★★★

My daughter Stefanie developed an acid reflux. She was given an anti acid Rx. It temporarily stopped. I researched the wonders of Aloe Vera and found that it treated her. Since then whenever it occurs, I give her juice mixed with Aloe Vera juice. It works wonder.


Acne

1 User Review
3 star (1) 
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Posted by NADIA (LONDON, UK) on 03/24/2008
★★★☆☆

BETTER BUT WITH SIDE EFFECTS

I HAVE TAKEN ALOE VERA JUICE FOR NEARLY 2 YEARS...EVERY MORNING AND NIGHT.. IT HAS TOTALLY CLEARED UP MY TERRIBLY PERSISTENT ADULT ACNE.MY SKIN IS VERY RARELY BLEMISHED NOW AND IS PLUMP AND YOUTHFUL.

HOWEVER RECENTLY I HAVE HAD QUITE EXTREME HAIR LOSS FROM ALL OVER MY HEAD. MY MOTHER THINKS IT COULD BE FROM THE CITRIC ACID USED AS A PRESERVATIVE IN THE ALOE VERA JUICE.

HAS ANYONE COME ACROSS THIS, OR HAS ANY THOUGHTS?:)


Acne Scars

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Posted by K (Chicago, IL) on 07/02/2009
★★★★★

I have been using fresh aloe juice/gel/flesh topically overnight on my chest and back to try to heal scarring due largely to acne. I had been dealing with acne and scarring for months now. Just two nights of applying aloe liberally and directly onto my skin, letting it dry a bit, and then putting on a pajama top overnight has produced surprisingly good results. I am so relieved and amazed. I recommend this very simple, inexpensive, and natural method to everyone.


Aloe Side Effects

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Posted by Roma (New York) on 09/26/2017

I was reading all these wonderful remedies using the aloe leaf but I must caution you on other effects. I would use a sliver of the leaf in my smoothie but a blood lab result showed that my hemoglobin levels lowered. Some people don't mind that happening but I did. It can act as a blood thinner. I abstained for a few weeks and took another blood test and my levels increased. Proving my point.

Replied by Mary
(Nebraska)
09/27/2017

This study seems to confirm the risk of lowering the hemoglobin with the use of aloe.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4399423/

Olissima
(Md)
03/25/2021

Mary, are you referring to lowering A1C? I looked at the article and it's about diabetes. A1C (or H1AC) is a marker for monitoring blood sugar. It is NOT hemoglobin level. You need to look at Hb, which is different from A1C.

Replied by Tim
(Minnesota)
04/12/2023
8 posts

A1c is the glycated blood protein, a measure of blood sugar levels. Lower hemoglobin A1c is good!


Aloe Vera Oil

Posted by Earth Clinic (USA) on 07/12/2011

Hello Everyone,

Ted is writing a lot about Aloe Vera Oil lately, so we decided to do an internet search to see if it is available and where it's sold. Here is it on Amazon, selling for $6.45 a bottle: http://www.amazon.com/100-Pure-Aloe-Vera-Oil/dp/B000S6V8CU

According to 1 reviewer, "This is Aloe Vera Oil - Which by my understanding is a carrier vegetable oil in which mashed-up aloe Vera has been soaked. Then it's separated and you get Aloe Vera Oil. It comes in a flip-top squeeze bottle labeled "Pure Aloe Vera Oil."

If anyone on Earth Clinic has located additional sources, please post them in this thread! Thanks.

Replied by Grannyof2
(Texas, Usa)
04/16/2014

This message is for Ted: Searching the internet, the only aloe vera oil I have found is aloe vera gel mixed with different oils like almond oil or safflour oil. I haven't found a way to extract oil from the aloe vera plant. I grow aloe vera and would rather make my own aloe vera oil, but I don't know which oil to use. Ted, can you please clear up which oil to mix with the aloe vera gel to get the aloe vera oil you recommend? Or a source for the aloe vera oil? Thank you.

Replied by Ted
(Bangkok, Thailand)
04/17/2014
392 posts

There IS aloe vera oil. It is found in Australia suppliers and Texas where they make aloe vera oil. My friend also sells aloe vera oil here in Thailand. No oils is mixed in, only aloe oil. Ted

Replied by Yogananna
(France)
02/13/2018

Just wanted to remind/inform that OLD Aloe leaves can be very bad for sensitive skin. If you break open an old leave and smear you skin with it you're in big trouble if you have sensitive skin. It happened to my daughter. Raised red itchy everywhere the aloe touched. I believe the lavender oil we put as soon as she noticed it helped a lot to clam it down. Just make sure you use young leaves.

Replied by Shay
(Cape Town, S Africa)
08/02/2018

Oh interesting, Yogananna. Especially as I'm the perfect guinea pig for everything as a hypersensitive. I've been using Aloe Ferox/ aka Bitter Aloe (supposedly 20x more potent all around than the Vera variety) on and off for a couple of years. As often as I can harvest it and blend in our summer as a sunblock and ingest it also. Never once have I had anything but soothed and calmed facial skin and I apply 2/3 times. I harvest big and small leaves, from the bottom and top of the stem.


Aloe Vera Preparation and Recipe

Posted by Frank (Perth and Mindarie, W. Australia) on 06/07/2013

I am a big believer, use Aloe Vera for years already, and do not understand why would anyone use/trust any Aloe product, when it is so easily available in its God created natural form? One can easily grow it in the garden, or in pots. It multiplies endlessly. Every year at least double the amount you've planted. I do one 4 to 6 weeks course 2x a year. To increase its benefits and to prevent/heal other problems I have, I use it in the following manner:

I take one stick of Aloe, wash it, gently cut the thorns off and slice it into the blender. Add 1 washed sliced lemon (all included), add 4 sticks of asparagus, 10 flowers of Dandelion, 1 banana and a tbs of honey, (for taste). If you find it too strong, you can thin it up with water or milk. I use it first thing in the morning, my wife after a meal. It is our most important home remedy.

To keep it interesting please spend a few minutes and search the healing effects of Aloe Vera, Dandelion flowers plus roots (it grows wild in any part of the world), Asparagus. Like I mentioned banana and honey I add mainly for better taste. It has a bitter taste, but remember! Anything good in life tastes bitter.

Replied by Franko
(Perth, Mindarie, W. Australia)
06/14/2013

Like I said I grow my own Aloe Vera, it is as organic as possible. I just can't go wrong in there. On the other hand I've noticed, if I use/add other goodies from unreliable sources my body indicates/protests nearly immediately. The same applies if I eat something good, with healing qualities, my body indicates/communicates "keep doing it, I love it". Therefore keep communicate/listen to your body/organism. It is the very best indicator, your best advisor. No Doctor can beat that communication/advise. Unlike medications herbal/home remedies act pretty much immediately, and unlike medicatios/drugs have no or minimal side effects. Probably the biggest problem with the common use of everyday medications is the fact that they damage your bodies/organisms capacity to warn/communicate/indicate you are on the wrong path. In conclusion try to selfeducate yourself and use herbs, home remedies wherever and whenever possible. It might be time consuming, but extremely rewarding. "Its about your health! " Just about anything could be grown in your garden or in a pot. Good luck, Franko from Perth

Replied by Franko
(Perth/mindarie, W/australia)
06/21/2013

Franko again! Do not be afraid to experiment. I never ever follow anything blindly any longer. Things have to be adjusted to YOU! . Your body/organism communicates with you, so listen to it. When you try anything with Aloe Vera, first try it only simple! - like 1 stick of (I use a large/old) Aloe Vera, 1 banana, some lemon juice, (maybe half of a lemon), and a tbs of honey. It adds up to around 1/2 litres of drink. I drink it all at once. My wife drinks only a small glassful. And finally the benefits: Makes me feel full of energy. There are lots of necessary/beneficial minerals in Aloe, just like in Lemon, Dandelion, Asparagus, other herbs you can add, you may experiment with. Cleanes my digestive system out! Although I didn't check, but my bloodpressure isn't bothering me any longer. I was diagnosed with chronic gastritis, suffering from heart burning, (all this as the consequences of the drugs/medications I was given, never even slightly improving whatever it was given for, but causing a truckload of other complications), dissappeared, or eased up to a level that I live a pretty normal life. My body totally rejects even the simpliest medications. In contrast to my problems caused by medications, I do tolerate all the above mentioned, in spite of the bitter taste etc. I am also a huge believer/user of Kefir. (See my comments on Kefir). You can become "with an ease" your own very best DOCTOR, as long as you are willing/learn to listen to the needs of your body, and not to someone whose existence dippends on you being sick/treated and never ever cured. The less Doctors you see the less problems you have. The only time my grandma was seen by a Doctor, when she died in the arms of my grandfather. The only person who could give him a Death Certificate was the Doctor. My grandma always managed to cure/treat herself with simple herbs, home remedies she made at home. She had no medical training or education of any kind. Used only her simple/pure logic/honesty in approaching anything in life. Always worked!

Replied by Samantha
(Hawaii)
06/01/2022

The whole lemon peel adds quinine to the mix!!! Peel the green part off if too bitter but it's unclear if the peel is the antihelminthic part of the leaf.


Aloe Vera Side Effects

Posted by Sunny (Los Angeles, Ca, Usa) on 06/29/2013

Does Aloe Vera have any negative side effects?

Replied by Sara
(Sacramento, Ca)
06/29/2013

You cannot take Aloe Vera for a longer period of time because your body will be depleted of Potassium.

Replied by Bachcole
(Colorado Springs, Colorado)
04/01/2014

Where did you hear this about potassium?

Replied by Lyn
(Ohio)
09/04/2018

@Sara: That makes no sense because aloe vera supplies potassium along with other important minerals (calcium copper selenium chromium manganese magnesium sodium and zinc) that are essential for proper functioning of various enzyme systems in different metabolic pathways as per Dr. Josh Axe.


Aloe Vera Tip

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Posted by Janise (Los Angeles, Ca) on 09/23/2009
★★★★★

Some comments on Aloe Vera. As the first poster suggested using the fresh aloe leaf is best. Most all bottled aloe vera juices use Citric Acid to preserve it. This is acidic and could be counter productive to the aloe juice. To get away from this use fresh aloe leaf blended with water. I tried the bottled aloe for my stomach Gerd and reflux and it upset my stomach but the fresh aloe did not.

For women using aloe vera juice, I was told by Dr. Deepak Chopra in a consultation to not drink aloe during a women's menses or period. It can stop your cycle.

Aloe is best drunk after meals or on an empty stomach between meals or a quarter cup before bed.


Broad Benefits

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Posted by Yvonne (Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico) on 08/28/2012
★★★★★

Editor's Choice

I can vouch for the aloe lemon drink. I discovered that when I start my day (best to do it first thing for highest potency and absorbability) with a fresh aloe vera leaf blended in a glass of water with a lemon or two, I lose weight without changing anything else.

I did this for about four months and had lost 6 pounds, when I went for my yearly dental exam. My gums had been receding for years, and I could always count on a scolding for not taking care of my teeth (which was not accurate). This time, not only did I have no cavities and no further gum disease, but the dentist congratulated me for doing such a great job of my oral hygiene! Ha!

I have read it is best to pick the aloe fresh each morning before the sun comes up (it has higher nutritients at that time), so I now grow my own aloe plants organically, rise early, and drink my fresh aloe and fresh lemon before eating anything else. I have also discovered it lowers both my blood sugar and blood pressure, both of which were beginning to concern me. Blessings.


Broad Benefits
Posted by Ujosh (Dubai, Uae) on 04/20/2012
★★★★★

Editor's Choice

Hi, I am travelling so could not post a video but will definitely make it as soon as I can. I thought to pen my recipe.

I take AloeVera leaf that is thick. I have observed that it makes better juice. I normally cut 5 leaves and put it in the refrigerator. (One of the nearby places has put AV plants as part or decoration on road and do not mind me taking it!!! ) I use one leaf a day & weekend off. The length from tip to my cut is nomally around 25-30 cm or 1 foot and thicknes of more than 1/2inch around 20cm (3/4") is really good.

First, wash it throughly with water, occasionally rubbing with fingers. take out thorns - just cut few mm aways from both sides.

Now take your blender jar and make slits at 10 mm distance (5 -6 cuts vertically) on leaf and then cut horizontally to get 2-5 mm thick nice slices of aloe vera leaf dropping them directly to the jar. Repeat the process till end of the leaf. I add one lime (juice only no seeds & not whole lime) and little honey may be a spoon just for taste. There is no harm in adding any of your favorite juice or berries. use what ever make it tasty! .

Blend it - (i have 3 speed blender so do it at fast, then medium followed by low) It should become light greenish-whitesh colour thick shake - this is the best leaf & juice. Sometimes if I add water it becomes runny so I avoid. I may put 3-4 icecubes after first blend just to get the mixture smooth.

Pour in a glass and drink it in one go - bottoms up to get best coverage on your digestive track. I put water in jar and then same liquid in glass to make sure that I have consumed last drop of av. Science is still not sure on which part works the most so I donot want to take chances!!

taking this juice should give you regular smooth motion from day 2-4 depending upon your cronic constipation. This is first sign of aloe working in the body!! The more you keep on taking it will get rid of toxin. It is not only aloevera but your faith in the AV that makes miracles! If you are not sure then donot waste your time. when you have full faith in AV and strong desire to become healthy, please try this.

I drink this after my 40 minute run and one glass of water.

During the day, I take normal tea or green tea which ever is handy.

AV has balanced my water intake as well. I think I have dropped 2 inches for sure may be more in last 3 months.

i started with 1 hour brisk walk on asphalt (no greens here) slowy added running starting from 100 m a piece and now I am able to run 4 Km a day and completed one 10km single strech run... all thanks to AV.

Good health everyone!


Broad Benefits
Posted by Ujosh (Dubai, Uae) on 04/08/2012
★★★★★

Editor's Choice

Aloevera leaf without thorn, half lemon juice, little honey to taste = perfect recipe for getting rid of any illness - specifically high BP, diabetes and even high chelostrol. This simply works because aloevera coats your digestive track with its sticky stuff and there is no reabsorption of toxins - no toxins then body does not have to produce extra elements that increase pressure, sugar, etc.

Add 30 minutes walk/run a day to this and forget about any illness that you may had before. I make this juice everyday. good health everyone.

Replied by Jenny
(Sydney, Australia)
04/08/2012

Hi Ujosh. That sounds great and I haven't heard of using aloe Vera in that way. Thank you - are you able to give the details of how to make/take it on Earth Clinic? Many thanks in advance!


Broad Benefits
Posted by Dianne (Tampa, Fl) on 07/08/2009
★★★★★

Editor's Choice

I apologize in advance for how lengthy this is. I am writing to let everyone know about the incredible benefits we have experienced with Aloe. About one and a half years ago our whole family came down with whooping cough. I decided to try Aloe, as a friend I had known had had great success with it for treating a serious prolonged cough and my mother also told me that in Colombia SA they would use a beaten concoction of Aloe and egg whites to treat whooping cough when she was a little girl. I researched Aloe on the internet, and though I didn't find the egg white recipe, I found many things Aloe is good for. It did work very well for whooping cough, especially helping to calm the nightime attacks, and a friend tried it for her daughter's whooping cough and had the same results. When I looked Aloe up on the internet, the treatment for the ailment that interested me the most was asthma. My son had been struggling with it for several years- not severe, but mostly sports induced and it greatly hindered his ability to play sports. I have tried most home remedies for asthma and have had so-so results. He began drinking it every day and by the end of the second month his attacks were completely gone. As long as he continues to drink it daily, he has no attacks. If he stops it entirely he begins having attacks again after a couple of months.

I found that one of the reasons that Aloe works for asthma (and other conditions like arthritis and lupus) is because it is anti-inflammatory. So, it keeps the airways from getting inflamed. Another reason it works is because it is also excellent for treating allergies which many times are a trigger for asthma. One of the reasons it works for allergies is because of the collagen it causes your body to produce which thickens the the mucus linings of your respiratory system and intestinal tract (heals leaky gut) which in turn helps you not to be so sensitive to allergens. Another reason is that it treats systemic candida which is usually the root of asthma and allergies.

The funny thing I noticed, which is not mentioned in any literature I have researched about Aloe, is that it has also helped with his stunted growth. My son is really short for his age and in the two years before taking Aloe, he only grew six inches total. Once he began taking Aloe for his asthma he grew almost six inches in one year. The growth spurt coincided exactly with time he first began the Aloe. I've tried my own "experiments" to see if his growth is related to the Aloe or if it is just his time to start growing, and I've found that if he has a period of a couple of months where he doesn't take his Aloe at all or only takes it once a week or so, he only grows about a quarter of an inch per month or less. When he takes it every single day, he grows about a half inch per month.

My father has been really inspired about my son's story and began taking it himself about four months ago for his prostate. He has been on prostate medication for the past ten years and still gets up to urinate about four times per night. He has tried different prostate medicines as well as his own share of home remedies, and nothing has worked. Well, after drinking Aloe daily for a couple of months, he was able to get off of his prostate medicine completely. Now he only gets up once or twice per night and he's not on any prostate medicine.

I've heard some people make some type of Aloe tea infusion, but the way we take Aloe is this: We buy a fresh Aloe stalk from the produce section of the grocery store. It has to be at least fourteen inches long, or I've read it's not as beneficial. The Aloe has to be nice and firm. Don't use it if it is soft and squishy as it is too old and may actually aggravate some candida problems. We slice off a three inch section from the base and peel off the thick green skin with a paring knife and discard it. We then take the gel (from the three inch section) and gently blend it with a drink mixer with some orange juice for palatability. The less you blend, the better as you don't want to destroy the beneficial properties.

You can buy bottled Aloe, but I DON'T RECOMMEND IT! While there may be some good Aloe products out there, I've read that sometimes the bottle can say 100% Aloe and it is actually 95% water, but for some reason the FDA allows them to say 100% Aloe even if it isn't. The other reason is that bottled Aloe is usually pasteurized which kills many of the beneficial enzymes that make Aloe so effective. Fresher is always better with Aloe.

Replied by Jane
(Austin, TX)
07/19/2009

Does the three inch section of the aloe vera plant make one drink per person that you use? thanks for the info. Jane

Replied by Dianne
(Tampa, FL)
07/25/2009

Yes, the three inch section is for one person. I also neglected to mention (my post was a little long already) that my father also had the beginnings of glaucoma and when he went back to his eye doctor after taking the Aloe for several months, his eye doctor told him his eye exam came back great, but that the best news he had was that any trace of glaucoma was completely gone. If you do an A-Z search on the internet of the health benefits of Aloe, you will find all the ailments I mentioned in the previous post and this one listed there except stunted growth.

Replied by Sally
(Miami, FL)
07/29/2009

Hello everyone, I love Earthclinic! Thanks so much for keeping this going. My posting is regarding the questions about Diane's Aloe Remedy. I can't speak for Diane, but from I what I understand, the length of the Aloe leave indicates that it is an "adult", full grown, well-developed leave, she must use three inches pieces at the time and as far as keeping it, I noticed that, at the grocery store, the leaves are kept refrigerated (near the berries, salad bags, etc.), so at home I would keep them in the bottom most portion of the fridge. I hope this helps.

Replied by Dianne
(Seffner, Fl)
03/19/2011

I found it!!! I previously posted a piece about Aloe for stunted growth, but said I had no literature to support it. Well, I was researching Aloe for something else and came across a study performed on chickens who were fed increasing quantities of Aloe. The chickens with the Aloe grew more than the ones without. Just google Aloe and chickens for more information.


Broad Benefits
Posted by Dorothee Krien (Cork City, Ireland) on 08/28/2007
★★★★★

I moved to Ireland where the public water supply is fluoridated. A single cup of fluoridated water gives me an extreme headache - I suffer from multiple chemical sensitivity. I try to avoid drinking fluoridated water as much as possible, but sometimes it is simply impolite to refuse an offered cup of tea or coffee. By chance I found that fresh aloe vera helps me to get rid of the headache. I notice the prematurely aged skin of most Irish women, most of whom have the genetic make-up for beautiful skin. A female friend with a very beautiful skin - she is in her fifties - told me that she has been taking aloe vera juice for the past fifteen years.


Broad Benefits
Posted by Barbara (Payson, Arizona) on 08/12/2007
★★★★★

I've been taking Aloe Vera in tablet form 600 mg a day for 3 1/2 months and no more acid reflux, my skin has improved ( I had very dry skin and flakiness, it's gone) and my hair is starting to return to it's natural color, I'm 65 years old. I will continue to take the tablets to see what else it will do for me. I know more will be helped, I have no doubt.


Broad Benefits
Posted by Darryl (Atlanta, GA) on 10/03/2006
★★★★★

I drink Aloe Vera juice for BACK PAIN, ENERGY, REGULARITY, CLEANSING ALL AROUND HEALING. I have been drinking Aloe Vera Juice for the last 13-14 years. 21 OUNCES every morning before I get in the shower and I feel like I should put an S on my chest and fly out the window. If you want just a good feeling overall. This is the best way to start the day. Remember Aloe Vera is a healer. So I suspect my internal organs in my body should be in very good shape!

Replied by Cynthia
(Rosemont, Sacramento)
06/09/2009

you drink 21 oz daily? too much!



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