Aloe Vera

Aloe vera is one plant that has been used since the ancient times as an herbal medication with many uses. It was first recorded six thousand years ago in Egypt as a part of the Egyptians stone carvings. They would refer to it as the plant of immortality, and was revered enough to be buried in the room with a Pharaohs sarcophagus. The uses it served for back then was to heal wounds, soothe skin conditions, and to help the digestive tract. Today, aloe veras uses have expanded to treating multiple conditions such as diabetes, asthma, epilepsy, and osteoarthritis as well as burns. The gel found in the leaves is usually used as a topical, and the green covering the leaves is used as a juice or a dried substance called latex. The aloe vera plant is found to contain 99% water and the other 1% is full of glycoproteins and polysaccharides. The glycolproteins help speed up the healing process by reducing the pain and the inflammation caused by a wound or burn, and the polysaccharides stimulate good skin repair. Other uses for the plant are being explored today as a potential treatment for cancer prevention and helping reduce the negative effects of radiation therapy. The aloe vera gel is primarily used to heal burns and wounds. It has the ability to ease the pain, generate healthy skin cell growth without scarring, and fight off infection and bacteria. When the gel is taken from a plant that has had the time to fully mature, which is four years, it is most efficient in the healing process. The latex is known to contain strong laxatives. Some of the over the counter medications that contain the latex were monitored by the FDA such as the drugs aloin1, aloe-emodin2, and barbaloin3. However, in 2002, the products were removed off the
1

Aloin: an intensely bitter, crystalline, water-soluble powder composed of the active principles of and obtained from aloe, used chiefly as a purgative.
2

Aloe-emodin: an orange-yellow crystalline cathartic compound C15H10O5 obtained from aloes, rhubarb, and senna leaves
3

Barbaloin: also known as aloin

market because the manufacturers were not following the correct procedures regulated by the FDA by not providing the necessary safety information about the drug. Some of the products were reformulated. The side effects of using natural aloe vera arent very risky. Using the aloe vera gel topically does not have any side effects. The side effects of taking aloe vera orally include abdominal cramps, stomach pain, and diarrhea. There have been some cases of acute hepatitis that have been reported after orally taking aloe vera; however, there is no definitive evidence that it is caused by the aloe vera. People with diabetes should exercise extreme caution when taking aloe vera if they already take a glucose- lowering medication because aloe vera is known to decrease glucose levels as well. The dosage of aloe vera gels or creams vary depending on what the herbal medication is being geared towards treating. Creams for minor burns may contain a mere 0.5% of aloe vera whereas those for psoriasis may contain 70% aloe vera. For oral supplements, there is no set amount that a person could take. However, for constipation, it is recommended to take one hundred to two hundred milligrams of aloe vera juice or fifty milligrams of aloe vera extract in order to benefit from the plants healing powers, and for diabetes, one tablespoon of the gel seems to help. High doses of aloe vera are dangerous and therefore should be avoided. There are a few situations in which people should avoid using aloe vera if possible. Those who are allergic to garlic, onions, and tulips should expect to be allergic to aloe vera as well. While using aloe vera topically as frequently isnt dangerous, taking aloe vera orally over a long period of time can be risky and has been found to possibly increase the chance of getting

colorectal cancer. It is also advised to not take aloe vera if the patient is suffering from intestinal problems, heart disease, hemorrhoids, kidney problems, diabetes, or electrolyte imbalances. The uses of the aloe vera plant are too many to count. From healing a simple burn to destroying cancerous tumors, this plant is incredible and needs more recognition. It has earned the name plant of immortality. I do believe that it should be more widely advertised as well as other herbal and alternative medical options because they are more natural and have a smaller chance of having risky side effects. Pharmaceutical drugs seem to pose more danger than natural remedies, and if it can be avoided, it should be.

Bibliography Aloe Vera : Science and Safety | NCCAM . (n.d.). Home Page | NCCAM . Retrieved March 19, 2013, from http://nccam.nih.gov/health/aloevera Adams, M. (n.d.). The aloe vera miracle: A natural medicine for cancer, cholesterol, diabetes, inflammation, IBS, and other health conditions. Natural health news. Retrieved March 19, 2013, from http://www.naturalnews.com/021858_aloe_vera Aloe Vera Information From WebMD. (n.d.). WebMD - Better information. Better health.. Retrieved March 19, 2013, from http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-andsupplements/lifestyle-guide-11/supplement-guide-aloe-vera Aloe-emodin - Medical Definition and More from Merriam-Webster. (n.d.). Dictionary and Thesaurus - Merriam-Webster Online. Retrieved March 19, 2013, from http://www.merriam-webster.com/medical/aloe-emodin Aloin | Define Aloin at Dictionary.com. (n.d.). Dictionary.com - Free Online English Dictionary. Retrieved March 19, 2013, from http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/aloin Contributor, e. (n.d.). How to Use Aloe Vera Gel for its Many Benefits | eHow.com. eHow | How to Videos, Articles & More - Discover the expert in you. | eHow.com. Retrieved March 19, 2013, from http://www.ehow.com/how_5173092_use-gel-its-many-benefits.html