Aloe Vera is a medicinal plant full of nutritional benefits. It is a succulent plant and part of the lily family (Liliaceae), the same family that garlic and onions belong to. Sanskrit name for Aloe Vera is Kumari, which means ‘princess’, attesting to its ability to help you maintain youthful beauty and a healthy glow. Different parts of the plant are used for different purposes and Aloe Vera has both internal and external applications.
Vitamins and Minerals
Aloe Vera contains over 200 active components including vitamins, minerals, amino acids, enzymes, polysaccharide, and fatty acids. It is rich on vitamins A, C, E, folic acid, choline, B1, B2, B3 (niacin), B6. B12, calcium, magnesium, zinc, chromium, selenium, sodium, iron, potassium, copper, manganese.
Health Benefits
Alkalizes the Body
Disease cannot manifest in an alkaline environment. Most people are living and subsisting on mostly acidic foods. For great health, remember the 80/20 rule – 80% alkaline forming foods and 20% acidic. Aloe vera is an alkaline forming food. It alkalizes the body, helping to balance overly acidic dietary habits.
Detoxifying
Aloe Vera juice is full of amino acids, vitamins and minerals making it one of nature’s most effective cleansers. It can help strengthen digestion and rid the body of any waste, thus detoxifying the body naturally.
Digestive System and Constipation
Aloe vera juice has natural fiber that aids digestion and improves bowel movements. Being a natural laxative, aloe vera juice can also be used to treat constipation. Aloe vera decreases irritation and enhances healing and repair of ulcers in the stomach and intestines. Aloe vera juice also helps to decrease inflammation in irritable bowel syndrome, colitis and other inflammatory disorders of the gut. Additionally, aloe vera can increase healthy bacteria in the intestines that aid digestion.
Lowers High Cholesterol
Medical studies have shown that beta (β) sitosterol can bring its high levels in your blood under control. This substance is a type of sterol with a similar chemical structure to cholesterol. They helps to reduce fatty deposits and blood clots in the arteries of the heart and body. The research noted that patients with diabetes showed the highest improvement in cholesterol level; however, the exact mechanism of these benefits are not yet determined.
Anti-inflammatory and Immune Booster
The polysaccharides in aloe vera juice stimulate macrophages, which are the white blood cells of your immune system that fight against viruses. Aloe is also an immune enhancer because of its high level of anti-oxidants, which help combat the unstable compounds known as free-radicals, contributing to the aging process.
Weight Loss and Energy Regulation
When we drink aloe vera juice, the body can naturally cleanse its digestive system. Aloe Vera is also great for your liver and healthy liver is vital for weight loss. Aloe Vera increases metabolism and regular intake helps to achieve higher rate of metabolism and thus contributing to the perfect weight loss. Finally, since aloe vera is known to reduce blood sugar levels, it helps sugar slowly enter cells without being stored as fat. It also helps keep your blood sugar levels balanced and as a result keeps you fuller longer.
Helps Acid Reflux
Aloe Vera reduces stomach acid levels so you don’t experience that burning and up all night sensation because of its soothing coating that is immediately applied to your GI tract. Secondly, Aloe Vera helps heal the skin cells that have been burned by excess stomach acid, This acid is so strong that it can melt an aluminum spoon in just minutes. The combination of balancing stomach acidity and healing from the inside out is unique to Aloe Vera, no prescription or pill can replicate this effect.
Healthy Skin
Aloe vera juice can help repair your collagen and elastin, giving you healthy skin. Our skin replaces itself each 28 days or so and when we have nutritional building blocks from aloe vera, our skin is able to use these nutrients each day to help fight aging. It can also help sooth minor skin irritations, scrapes, cuts and burns.
Dental Health
Aloe vera juice can also help your gums and mouth. It not only provides natural anti-microbial and anti-bacterial actions but it also contains several vitamins and minerals that promote cell healing and growth. Because of this you will find some tooth gels that contain pure aloe vera, especially to help with mouth ulcers and bleeding gums.
Side Effects and Cautions
According to the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health
- Use of topical aloe vera is not associated with significant side effects.
- A 2-year National Toxicology Program (NTP) study on oral consumption of non-decolorized whole leaf extract of aloe vera found clear evidence of carcinogenic activity in male and female rats, based on tumors of the large intestine. According to the NTP, from what is known right now there is nothing that would lead them to believe that these findings are not relevant to humans. However, more information, including how individuals use different types of aloe vera products, is needed to determine the potential risks to humans.
- Abdominal cramps and diarrhea have been reported with oral use of aloe vera.
- Diarrhea, caused by the laxative effect of oral aloe vera, can decrease the absorption of many drugs.
- 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.
- There have been a few case reports of acute hepatitis from aloe vera taken orally. However, the evidence is not definitive.