Aloe Vera

'You ask me what were the secret forces which sustained me during my long fasts. Well, it was my unshakable faith in God, my simple and frugal lifestyle, also the aloe whose benefits I discovered upon my arrival in South Africa at the end of the 19th century."
Mahatma Gandhi, in a letter to his biographer Romain Rolland

What is Aloe Vera?  

• Aloe Vera, often called the Miracle Plant, the Natural Healer, the Burn Plant, goes by many names which have survived the 4000 or so years during which this amazing medicinal herb has benefited mankind. 
   
• George Ebers in 1862 first discovered its antiquity in an ancient Egyptian papyrus, dated 3500 BC, which was in fact a collection of herbal remedies. Other researchers have since found it was used by both the ancient Chinese and Indian cultures. Greek and Roman physicians such as Dioscorides and Pliny the Elder used it to great effect and legend suggests that Aristotle persuaded Alexander the Great to capture the island of Socotra in the Indian Ocean to get its rich supply of aloe to heal his wounded soldiers. The Egyptian queens Nefertiti and Cleopatra rated it highly as a beauty therapy.
   
• Although there are over 200 species of aloe, there are probably only four or five with medicinal properties. Of these, Aloe Barbadensis Miller (also known as Aloe Linne), is the most potent. It is the only one entitled to be known as aloe vera or the true aloe.
   
• Aloe Vera is a succulent, looking rather like a cactus but it is in fact a member of the lily family related to onions, garlic and asparagus. When mature the contents of its leaves, a mixture of inner gel and outer sap can be harvested, preserved and bottled to produce a product that is as near to the natural plant juice as we can get.
   
• To benefit from Aloe Vera, the gel can be taken internally for its nutritional effect (nutritional benefits) or it can be combined with other ingredients to produce topical creams and lotions to nourish and improve the quality of the skin.
   
• For a product to work properly, Aloe needs to be a principal ingredient.
   

Aloe Vera - Inside the Leaf

Aloe Vera gel contains at least 75 known ingredients and maybe many more which can be divided into the following groups:

• Vitamins - it contains a wide range, but the most important ones are the antioxidant Vitamins C and E and Beta-Carotene, the precursor of Vitamin A. It is also one of the few plants in the world to contain Vitamin B12.
   
• Minerals - these include magnesium, manganese, zinc, copper, chromium, calcium, sodium, potassium and iron.
   
• Amino Acids - the human body requires 20 amino acids, the building blocks of proteins and Aloe Vera gel provides 19 of them. More importantly, it provides seven of the eight essential amino acids, that cannot be manufactured by the body and which therefore have to be consumed as food.
   
• Sugars - these include the important long chain polysaccharides which act on the immune system to boost its effects.
   
• Enzymes - lipases and proteases which break down food and aid digestion as well as a carboxypeptidase that is involved in the inflammatory process.
   
• Plant Sterols - the three main types act as powerful anti-inflammatory agents.
   
• Saponins - these are soapy substances that exert a powerful anti-microbial effect against bacteria, viruses, fungi and yeasts such as candida or 'thrush'.
   
• Lignin - this woody substance bestows on Aloe Vera its penetrative ability to reach deep into the skin.
   
• Anthraquinones - the most important ones being aloin and emodin, but altogether they are strong painkillers, and are acknowledged to possess anti-bacterial and viricidal activity. In their pure form they are very powerful laxitives.
   
• Salycylic Acid - this aspirin-like compound is anti-inflammatory and topically helps break down dead tissue.
   

Which Type of Aloe?

There is no evidence to suggest that whole leaf aloe, which is filtered and usually concentrated, is any more effective than just the inner leaf gel. In fact, it may be less effective as the powerful filter used may remove ingredients that we are not even aware of. However, what is most important is the quality and quantity of aloe in the product being sold.

Unfortunately, many products on the market labelled as 'Aloe Vera juice' may contain only a small amount or proportion of the actual inner leaf gel. If in doubt, look for the Seal of Approval of the International Aloe Science Council. This is an independent American regulatory body which monitors the quantity of aloe in the products. If their Seal of Approval actually appears on the container (not simply a claim), it is bona fide.

Why Does it Work?

It works by providing a rich cocktail of nutritional elements whose combined action and balance produce a more powerful effect together than would be expected from the addition of the individual components. This is because they work as a team, enhancing each other's effect - known as synergism. It also has adaptogenic properties which means it is a substance which increases non-specific resistance of an organism to adverse influences such as infection or stress.

Where Does it Work?

• Aloe Vera, because of its nutritional qualities and antioxidant properties, helps firstly to prevent injury to epithelial tissues, and when they are damaged, it promotes healing.
   
• Antioxidants fight the destructive 'free radicals', the unstable compounds produced by our metabolism and found in environmental pollutants. They are thought to cause various ailments including some cancers as well as contributing towards the ageing process.
   
• An epithelium is an anatomical term defined as follows:
  'An epithelium is a layer of cells that covers the body or lines a cavity that connects with it'.
   
• Our largest epithelium is our skin but also included are the lining of the gut, the bronchial tubes and the genital tract. No wonder that aloe works just as well on damaged skin as it does, say, on an inflamed bowel or asthma.
   

How Does it Work?

Its natural anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial action combined within its nutritional constituents, promote cell growth and therefore healing. However, it is not only helpful for people with problems; most people taking it report a greater sense of wellbeing - they just feel 'better' or they report feeling calmer and less anxious. This is due to aloe's second effect on the immune system which you may say becomes balanced or fine-tuned and therefore more efficient at defending the body from attack.

Conclusion

Aloe Vera is not a panacea for all ills and there is no magic about it. It works primarily in the two areas mentioned previously - epithelial tissue and the immune system. This is largely backed up by anecdotal evidence, as many thousands of people over the centuries have reported benefit for various skin complaints such as eczema, psoriasis, ulcers, burns, acne, even stings and bites. They have found relief for bowel disorders such as colitis, diverticulitis and Irritable Bowel Syndrome. Other conditions resulting from a disordered immune system such as arthritis, asthma and ME (post viral fatigue syndrome) and LE (lupus) have improved after a regular ingestion of Aloe Vera gel.

Aloe Vera therefore has a complementary role to play in the management of various conditions. It is very important however that people should always seek the advice of their doctor when the diagnosis is in doubt or where a condition does not improve. Self diagnosis can be extremely dangerous as many serious conditions can mimic more simple ones.

 Aloe Vera is a principal ingredient in all Better by Nature 'mother formula'  herbal remedies as it assists with cleansing the gut, boosting and balancing the immune system and naturally delivers all the ingredients throughout the body to where they are needed. The DNA of Aloe Vera closely matches that of a human.

This information is provided for educational purposes and is not an endorsement of any particular products containing Aloe Vera.