Known to herbalists and medical folklorists for centuries as the “medical plant” or “the potted physician”, this cactus-like plant with green dagger-shaped leaves filled with a clear, viscous gel was brought from Africa to North America in the sixteenth century.
But long before this, aloe, whose name means “shining bitter substance,” was widely regarded as a master healing plant. The ancient Egyptians referred to aloe as the “plant of immortality” and included it among the funerary gifts buried with the pharaohs. In recent decades, medical research has confirmed and extended many of the health claims for the shining bitter substance (used topically or consumed as a liquid) that is the heart of aloe. Here is a brief review of its merits.
Helps Heal Wounds
The bulk of the aloe leaf is filled with gel, 96% water with the other 4% containing 75 known substances. Applied to wounds, aloe gel is a mild anesthetic, relieving itching, swelling, and pain: it also is antibacterial and antifungal, increases blood flow to wounded areas, and stimulates fibroblasts, the skin cells responsible for wound healing.
Soothes Burns
In a study in the Journal of the Medical Association of Thailand, 27 patients with moderate burn wounds were treated with a gauze coated in either aloe gel or Vaseline™ (petroleum jelly). The burns healed more quickly in the aloe group, with an average healing time of 12 days compared to 18 days for the group using Vaseline.
Minimizes Frostbite Damage
A study published in the Annals of Emergency Medicine established that aloe works for frostbite as well. Researchers gave standard treatments for frostbite (antibiotics, ibuprofen, and rewarming) to 154 patients with mild to severe frostbite. Of patients who additionally received aloe vera cream, 67.9% healed without any tissue loss (amputation) compared to 32.7% in the control group. Researchers concluded that aloe prevented a decrease of blood flow to the frozen tissues, a common cause of tissue loss in frostbite.
Screens Out Radiation
Aloe protects against skin damage from X rays, according to researchers at Hoshi University in Japan publishing in the journal Yakugaku Zasshi. They found that aloe was an effective antioxidant, mopping up the free radicals caused by radiation and that it protected two of the body’s healing substances, superoxide dismutase (an antioxidant enzyme) and glutathione (an amino acid which stimulates the immune system).
Reduces Risk of Lung Cancer
Aloe’s protective effect was confirmed in a study of 673 lung cancer patients in Okinawa, Japan, published in the Japanese Journal of Cancer Research. This survey looked at the connection between smoking, comparative amounts of 17 plant foods in the diet, and the occurrence of lung cancer over a five-year period.
Aloe was the only one of the plant foods that was protective against cancer. “The results of plant epidemiology suggests that aloe prevents human pulmonary carcinogenesis [lung cancer],” stated the researchers. Further, aloe is “widely preventive or suppressive against various human cancers.”
Eases Intestinal Problems
Aloe vera juice can be effective for treating inflammatory bowel disease, according to a study in the Journal of Alternative Medicine. Ten patients were given two ounces of aloe juice, three times daily, for seven days. After one week, all patients were cured of diarrhea, four had improved bowel regularity, and three reported increased energy.
Researchers concluded that aloe was able to rebalance the intestines by “regulating gastrointestinal pH while improving gastrointestinal motility, increasing stool specific gravity, and reducing populations of certain fecal microorganisms, including yeast.” Other studies have shown that aloe vera juice helps to detoxify the bowel, neutralize stomach acidity, and relieve constipation and gastric ulcers.
Reduces Blood Sugar in Diabetes
Aloe reduced the blood sugar levels in diabetics, as reported in Hormone Research. Five patients with adult (non-insulin- dependent) diabetes were given 1/2 teaspoon of aloe extract daily for up to 14 weeks. Blood sugar levels were reduced in all patients by an average of 45%, with no change in their total weight.
