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8 oz Aloe Shower Gel
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13 Ways Aloe Vera Can Help You
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.
An animal-based study in the Journal of the American Podiatric
Medical Association found that both oral and topical aloe
preparations speed wound healing. Animals were given either aloe
(100mg/kg body weight) in their drinking water for two months or
25% aloe Vera cream applied directly to wounds for six days.
Aloe had positive effects in both cases. The size of wounds
decreased 62% in the animals taking oral aloe compared to a 51% in
the control group. Topical aloe produced a 51% decrease in wound
size compared to a 33% in the control group.
Supports Surgical Recovery
Aloe decreases surgical recovery time, according to a report in
the Journal of Dermatologic Surgery and Oncology. Eighteen acne
patients underwent facial dermabrasion surgery, in which lesions
are scraped away. Dressings were applied to their faces, with half
of each person's face receiving the standard dressing coated with
surgical gel, and the other half with aloe added to this dressing.
The half of the face treated with aloe healed approximately 72
hours faster than the other side.
Dermatologist James Fulton, M.D., of Newport Beach, California,
principal author of the report, uses topical aloe in his practice
to speed wound healing. "Any wound we treat, whether it's suturing
a cut or removing a skin cancer, heals better with Aloe Vera on
it," he states.
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 re-warming)
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, super
oxide
dismutase (an antioxidant enzyme) and glutathione (an amino acid
which stimulates the immune system).
Heals Psoriasis Lesions
In a double-blind, placebo-controlled study published in Tropical
Medicine and International Health, 60 patients with chronic
psoriasis were given a 0.5% aloe Vera extract in a mineral oil
crème. The ointment was applied three times daily for five
consecutive days (15 applications total per week) for four weeks.
When patients were checked after eight months, far more psoriasis
skin lesions had healed in the aloe group (82.8%) than in the
placebo group (7.7%). Further, 83.3% of the aloe group were
considered cured of their psoriasis compared to only 6.6% of the
placebo group.
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.
Reduces Arthritic Swelling
Aloe can help prevent arthritis and reduce the inflammation in
joints already affected by arthritis, according to the Journal of
the American Podiatric Medical Association. Aloe can also inhibit
the autoimmune reaction associated with certain forms of
arthritis, in which the body attacks its own tissues.
Animals were injected with a bacterium to cause arthritic
symptoms, namely inflammation and swelling. To determine if it
could prevent arthritis, aloe (150mg/kg body weight) was injected
under the skin daily for 13 days. Physical measurements were taken
daily to determine the amount of swelling and inflammation.
Several compounds from aloe showed antiarthritic activity,
according to the researchers. One organic acid in aloe reduced
inflammation by 79.7% and suppressed the autoimmune response by
42.4%. Another aloe compound (anthraquinone) reduced inflammation
by 67.3% but had no effect on the autoimmune response.
Curtailing HIV Infection
An extract of mannose, one of the sugars in aloe, can inhibit
HIV-1 (the virus associated with AIDS). In a 1991 study in
Molecular Biotherapy, HIV-1 cells were treated in vitro (outside
the body) with a mannose extract. Aloe slowed virus reproduction
by as much as 30%, reduced viral load (total amount of the virus),
suppressed the spread of the virus from infected cells, and
increased the viability (chance of survival) of infected cells.
Nutritional Support for HIV Patients
Aloe Vera juice proved to be an effective part of a nutritional
support program for HIV+ patients according to the Journal of
Advancement in Medicine. For four months, 29 patients were given
100% pure aloe Vera juice (five ounces, four times daily) along
with an essential fatty acid supplement and another supplement
containing vitamins, minerals, and amino acids. Patients were told
to continue with their normal diet and not to take other
supplements.
After 90 days, all of the patients had fewer occurrences of
opportunistic infections, thrush, fatigue, and diarrhea, as well
as increased white blood cell counts (meaning their immune systems
were responding positively). Their assessment of overall quality
of health also improved. In 25% of the patients, aloe apparently
knocked out the virus's ability to reproduce. Researchers found
that aloe (the mannose extract and perhaps other compounds)
stimulates the body's immune system, particularly T4 helper cells,
white blood cells that activate the immune response to infection.
Stimulates Immune Response Against Cancer
Aloe may help prolong survival time and stimulate the immune
system of cancer patients, according to recent research.
In a 1994 study in the Japanese medical journal Yakhak Hoeji, mice
with cancerous tumors were given aloe orally for 14 days. While
the aloe did not suppress tumor growth, the average life span of
the mice was prolonged by 22% for those given 50mg aloe/kg body
weight and by 32% for those given 100mg/kg daily. A simultaneous
experiment on human cancer cells (outside the body) found that
high doses of aloe significantly suppressed the growth of these
cancer cells.
Researchers writing in Cancer Immunology and Immunotherapy found
that a compound (lectin) from aloe, when injected directly into
tumors, activated the immune system to attack the cancer. Killer T
cells, white blood cells that bind to invading cells and destroy
them, began to attack the tumor cells injected with lectin.
Aloe turns on the immune system by activating macrophages (white
blood cells which "swallow" antigens), causing the release of
immune-activating (and anticancer) substances such as interferons,
interleukines, and tumor necrosis factor. In addition, aloe
promotes the growth of normal (non-cancerous) cells, researchers
said.
Benefits 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.The following article
is published in the magazine: Alternative Medicine, The Voice of
Alternative Medicine® (issue 28, March 1999). |
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