Aloe vera’s use can be traced back approximately 6,000 years to ancient Egypt, where the plant has been seen depicted on stone carvings. Referred to as the “plant of immortality” at the time, Aloe was a common burial gift encased alongside deceased pharaohs. It is also cited in the Ebers Papyrus, one of the first known medical texts.
Aloe vera’s long history is something of a mixed blessing for this plant and its nutraceutical applications. On the one hand, it’s safe to say that Aloe vera has tradition very much on its side. On the other, it is all too easy to dismiss the benefits and use of Aloe vera juice, gel and powder as something related to outdated, unscientific folk medicine.
Little by little, however, credible evidence does accumulate, and at this point the regular use of Aloe vera has been definitively linked with at least three key benefits:
§ External Healing—when applied to the skin, ingested orally or both, Aloe vera promotes an average of approximately 35 percent reduction in the healing time of external wounds and abrasions as compared to conventional bandaging. Interestingly, best results seem to occur when Aloe is used both externally as a gel and taken as a juice.
§ Digestive Health—in addition to relieving more superficial discomforts like indigestion, Aloe vera has also been studied for more therapeutic applications. In a 2004 study from the U.K., researchers gave people with active ulcerative colitis, a type of inflammatory bowel disease, Aloe vera gel to drink. After four weeks of drinking Aloe vera gel twice per day, there was a clinical response towards improvement and actual remission of ulcerative colitis, compared to those given plain water as placebo.
§ Blood Sugar Management—Several studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of Aloe for blood sugar management, with fasting levels of glucose in one group decreasing by 17 percent within two weeks and 57 percent after six weeks of treatment with two tablespoons of Aloe vera juice taken daily. Other studies consistently display drops in fasting blood sugar near this 50 percent mark, and in all cases these results are accompanied by a corresponding decrease in triglycerides.
Although few clinical studies have explored the issue specifically, this last correlation between decreases in both fasting glucose and triglyceride levels strongly implies that Aloe vera has potential applications related to Metabolic Syndrome, and by extension those symptoms related to it, including excess bodyweight and hyperlipidemia, in addition to the elevated glucose levels mentioned above.
In terms of how best to use Aloe vera, making the plant into an ingestible form allows both the external and internal benefits of Aloe vera to occur, and therefore appears to be the best single approach—this is especially true by virtue of the fact that raw Aloe can be highly toxic. By drinking Aloe vera juice, individuals can receive the benefits of Aloe vera’s ability to aid in digestion and support healing from the inside, while also regulating blood sugar and thereby maintaining normal insulin sensitivity.
Collectively, the case for aloe is a compelling one. The numerous benefits it offers sometimes appear unrelated because of their diversity. That very characteristic, however, also makes these advantages all-encompassing in the support they can deliver for health and longevity.
Paul Carlotta is the leading expert in Market America and Nutraceuticals. To learn more, visit http://www.isotonicvitamins.com today.
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