Research into Effects of Aloe Vera
The following is an excerpt from Aloe Vera by Deanne Tenney and Rita Elkins (Woodland Publishing) 1997
A study presented in the December 1994 issue of Let's Live looked at 260 radiation patients who were externally treated with aloe juice. The researchers found aloe vera to be more therapeutic than most synthetic remedies commonly used. The aloe helped to speed healing, soothe inflammation and relieve pain from radiation burns. In another study, a group of patients who had undergone full-face dermabrasion it increased healing time by 72 hours compared to a group given oxide gel dressing, the usual procedure.
A group of researchers at the University of Texas in Galveston reviewed many medical studies on aloe vera. Their conclusion was that the aloe gel does promote healing of wounds, burns and frostbite. The aloe is able to penetrate the skin layers to relieve pain, reduce inflammation and increase blood flow to the injured area. In fact, most of the research done with aloe has found that it helps accelerate the healing process of both burns and wounds.
Aloe vera can also be used to help prevent scarring and to heal minor scars. The properties of aloe vera help to promote tissue healing as well as remove dead skin. It contains substances called uronic acids that are natural detoxicants and may take part in the healing process by stripping toxic materials of their harmful effects. Aloe's enzyme action is able to penetrate tissue and promote the healing and normal growth of the tissue.
Aloe in Cosmetics
Aloe vera is used extensively in cosmetics and facial products because it helps to balance the pH of the skin. It aids in feeding the skin with valuable nutrients and moisturisers. The lignins and polysaccharides found in aloe are able to reach the deep layers of the skin and carry nutrients to inner layers of the dermis.
Aloe is also believed to have enzymes that help to slough off dead skin cells and soften the skin. This allows for new cell growth and moisturises even the deep layers of the skin.
Gastrointestinal Tract
Aloe vera has gained attention in recent years for its benefits on the digestive system. The juice may be soothing on internal tissue in the gastrointestinal tract and studies have pointed to aloe juice in improving the digestive process. Well-known authors James and Phyllis Balch suggest using aloe vera to treat stomach disorders, ulcers, colitis, constipation and other colon related problems.
Ivan Danhof, Ph.D, M.D., uses aloe in his gastroenterology practice. He is studying the use of aloe in the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease, including Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. He feels that aloe is helpful because of its anti-inflammatory properties. The aloe juice forms a lining in the gastrointestinal tract that remains intact for forty-eight hours. Aloe vera has been found to help maintain proper pH (acid/alkaline) balance in the digestive system which may be one reason for its beneficial effect in treating ulcers.
A recent study verifies the potency of aloe vera as a digestive healer. The study followed a group of patients suffering from peptic ulcers who were given emulsified aloe vera gel. Every patient fully recovered from the symptoms of the peptic ulcers without any other medication. Another study conducted in Russia involved giving aloe vera juice to ulcer patients. The participants' ulcers were completely healed after using aloe juice. The researchers compared their findings to the results of commonly used anti-ulcer drugs and determined that a natural aloe juice treatment was just as affective as the drugs, but with the added advantage of no toxic side effects.
Immune System
An important constituent of aloe gel is acemannan. It is a complex carbohydrate with immune-stimulating and antiviral properties. Acemannan helps induce the production of interferon which interferes with viral activity and stimulates the immune system. Essentially, it promotes macrophage activity and the production of interleukin-1. It appears to work with the body's own immune system to aid the healing process by enhancing immune cell function. The results of a study done at the Tokyo Women's Medical College corroborated other findings that aloe is indeed an immune enhancer. The study determined that certain lectins found in the aloe gel may help ro stimulate immune response by increasing the production of lymphocytes known to kill bacteria and some tumor cells.
Cancer
Recent research has shown that aloe vera may have properties that work to cure cancer. Mucopolysaccharides (long chain sugars) found in the aloe plant are known to stimulate the immune system. Such stimulation may help individuals already suffering from cancer and also work to prevent cancer.
John Finnegan, N.D., author of Remarkable New Formulas (Elysian Arts, 1994), considers whole-leaf aloe vera to be one of the most effective products he uses in his alternative cancer treatment program.
According to Finnegan, properly processed whole-leaf aloe vera juice can kill pathogenic bacteria, viruses, yeast and parasites. It can promote the growth of new, healthy cells; reduce inflammation and swelling; help break down, cleanse and remove tumors, growths, dead cells and toxic substances; provide joint lubrication; reduce the side effects of radiation and chemotherapy; reduce pain in many illnesses; and limit many types of allergic reactions.
An animal study conducted using mice confirms what Dr. Finnegan believes. One group of mice implanted with sarcoma-180 cells were given injections of acemannan from aloe vera. Another group received no acemannan. The study continued for 60 days, but by the 48th day all the mice in the control group were dead. By the last day of the study, 40 percent of the group given accemannan were still alive. The remaining mice were reimplanted with the sarcoma but they still did not produce tumors. As the healing properties of aloe vera are more fully explored, it will hopefully become more commonly used in the fight against cancer.
Antiviral Activity
Aloe vera has been found to contain antiviral properties effective against the spread of some viruses. The acemannan found in aloe has known antiviral properties. It may be beneficial in reducing the spread of some types of viruses such as herpes, measles and rhinotracheitis.
Researchers at the University of Maryland in Baltimore tested the antiviral activity of a number of plant extracts including aloe vera emodin. The results, according to R. Sydiskis in the December 1991 issue of Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy showed that aloe emodin inactivated herpes simplex virus (type 1 and 2), varicella-zoster virus, pseudorabies virus, and the influenza virus.
AIDS
The acemannan in aloe has also shown antiviral activity against HIV-1. The reproduction of HIV-1 is inhibited using constituents of the aloe plant. Research has found HIV-positive individuals benefit from taking acemannan and aloe vera orally. Studies done at Vanderbilt Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee have found that the mucopolysaccharides in aloe help to change the formation and structure of the envelope surrounding the AIDS virus that causes the infection of lymphocytes.
Aloe has also been found to enhance the ability of AZT in fighting AIDS. The aloe and AZT may work together in combating the virus and inhibiting replication.Some investigations have found that less AZT is required when combined with acemannan which is a benefit in reducing side effects that may occur with the medication. Many of the studies done have had positive results, an average of 70 percent improvement in symptoms.
A study led by ToryL Pulse, M.D. at the Dallas/Fort Worth Medical Center in Texas looked into the possibility of nutritional deficiencies and poor nutrition as factors in the progression of HIV into AIDS. The twenty-nine patients who participated were given a powdered nutritional supplement, essential fatty acids, and aloe vera juice. The research lasted 180 days. By the 90th day, twenty-seven of the patients had shown significant improvement in various areas. By the 180th day, all of the patients had shown some improvement. T-cell function gains were seen in some patients, reduction of antigen levels in others and wasting, common among AIDS patients, was reversed in all suffering from the condition.
Dr. H. Reginald McDaniel is another physician that has done research dealing with aloe vera and AIDS. He followed the symptoms of sixteen AIDS patients who were given acemannan for three months. There was a 20 percent improvement in the six patients in advanced stages of AIDS and a 71 percent improvememt in the less seriously ill cases. Some of the common complaints of these individuals — fever, night sweats, diarrhea, and infections — were greatly reduced. There was also a drop in HIV antibody positive cell cultures and HIV core antigen levels.
Antibacterial/Antifungal Properties
A group of studies have found aloe to contain activity against some common bacteria and fungi.
