Aloe Vera is a famous medicinal plant that has been used by humans for many centuries. It is popularly known for its use as a form of treatment for skin injuries, but it has many other health benefits that you probably haven’t heard of.
In this article we will list out and explain some amazing benefits of aloe vera:
- The Aloe vera plant is a thick plant with short stems that stores water in its pointed leaves.
- It is widely used in the cosmetic, and food industries, and has an estimated annual market value of $13 billion globally (1).
- The aloe vera plant is widely used in the pharmaceutical, food, and cosmetic industries, and it has an annual market value that is estimated at $13 billion globally.
- The aloe vera plant is one of the easiest plants to identify especially because of its fleshy leaves, which often grows to about 12-19 inches long.
- Each aloe vera leaf is full of a gel-like tissue that stores up water and makes the leaves appear thick. That thick and slimy centre is what we know as the Aloe Vera gel that is mostly used in the making of Aloe Vera products.
- The Aloe Vera gel contains a huge amount of the bioactive compounds that the plant has and this includes antioxidants, minerals, amino acids, and vitamins.
1. Aloe Vera has antioxidants and anti-bacterial properties
Antioxidants are very essential for health especially because of the many toxins that we are exposed to daily. Aloe vera gel contains very active antioxidants, that are known to belong to a broad family of substances called polyphenols.
These strong polyphenols, alongside several other active compounds in the Aloe vera plant, can help to inhibit the growth of some dangerous bacteria that may cause infections in humans.
2. Accelerate the healing of burns
One is the most common uses of Aloe Vera is as a topical treatment, which people rub on their skin as medicine for different skin conditions. For centuries, people have treated burns, sores, and even sunburns using Aloe vera gel or ointment.
Furthermore, the FDA made its first approval of an Aloe vera ointment to be sold as an over-the-counter drug for burns in the year 1959. Several studies have suggested that aloe vera is a very effective treatment for both first and second-degree burns.
A review of four different studies discovered that using aloe vera as a treatment for burns reduced the healing time by as much as nine days, compared to the time it took conventional medication.
However, it is noteworthy that the amount of time it takes an aloe vera to heal any other type of wound is still inconclusive.
3. Aloe Vera reduced dental plaques
Diseases of the gum, as well as tooth decay, are some of the most common oral health problems that people deal with. Even when people brush their teeth as many times as twice daily, there is still a chance that they will have one of these issues.
One of the easiest ways to avoid these problems is to avoid the buildup of plaques which is a key player in a lot of dental issues. In a study of the mouth rinse used by 300 healthy individuals, a comparison was made between the 100% pure Aloe Vera juice and chlorhexidine which is an active ingredient in most mouthwash.
After only four days of using both types of mouthwash, it was revealed that the aloe vera juice mouth rinse was just as effective as the mouthwash containing chlorhexidine when it comes to plaque reduction.
Another study that was conducted also found that aloe vera mouth rinse also provides similar benefit when it is used over two weeks to one month period.
Aloe vera is able to do this by killing the bacterium that produces plaques Streptococcus mutansin. It also will eliminate Candida albicans which is the yeast.
4. Aloe vera helps with canker sores
Many people, at one point or another in their lives, have had to deal with canker sores or mouth ulcers. This can be a very annoying and painful oral condition to deal with.
These sores or injuries usually show up underneath the lips, or inside the mouth, and can last for as long as seven to ten days. Several studies have recently revealed that there is a possibility of Aloe vera treatment accelerating the healing process when it comes to mouth ulcers.
In a one week study of 180 persons who were dealing with recurrent mouth ulcers, the use of an aloe vera patch proved to be effective in the reduction of the size of mouth ulcers.
Nevertheless, there was no record of the aloe vera patch outperforming the conventional treatment for ulcer, which is the use of corticosteroids. Another study also revealed that Aloe vera gel is not only capable of reducing the healing thine for mouth ulcers, it can also go a long way to help reduce the pain that comes with them.
5. Aloe vera reduces constipation
There are different home remedies for constipation and aloe vera is one of the most popular and oldest options. This time, the part of the plant that we have to focus on is not the gel but the latex as it is what provides the needed benefits.
The aloe vera latex is a kind of sticky yellow residue that can be found just under the skin of the leaves. The primary compound that is responsible for the healing effect is known as aloin or barbaloin, and it has reliable laxative effects.
However, this is not a solution that should be used too often as some concerns have been raised regarding the safety issues associated with frequent use.
This is the primary reason why Aloe latex has not been made available in the United state of America as an over-the-counter drug ever since the year 2002.
Although it is believed that aloe vera is an effective treatment against digestive disorders like inflammatory bowel disease and irritable bowel syndrome, this, in fact, is far for the truth.
6. Aloe vera may improve skin and prevent wrinkles
Many women around the world swear by aloe vera to be the secret behind most of their DIY anti-ageing face masks and this is almost looking like a valid claim.
There is some preliminary evidence that suggests that using aloe vera gel on the skin can slow down ageing.
In a study featuring 30 women who were above the age of 45, it was discovered that topical applications of the aloe vera gel increased the production of collagen and also increased skin elasticity over a period of three months.
Aloe vera was also discovered to reduce skin redness which is also known as erythema, but at the same time, it can dehydrate skin cells fast. For skin conditions like eczema, psoriasis, and radiation dermatitis, there is little or no evidence available to back up claims that aloe vera can resolve these problems.
7. Lower blood sugar levels
Aloe vera has been used locally as a treatment for many conditions and diabetes is one of them. It is believed that aloe vera can help with the enhancement of insulin sensitivity and also the improvement of blood sugar management.
Several human and animal studies on type two diabetes have revealed some compromising results from the consumption of aloe vera extract. Furthermore, the quality of the aforementioned studies was fairly poor, so it is not exactly safe to recommend the use of aloe vera for this purpose.
There have also very a couple of reported cases of liver damage that occurred due to long term use or ingestion of aloe vera supplement. Thus if at all anyone has to use these supplements, it must be with a doctor’s prescription and also in modern.
If you find this article useful and educative, please leave a comment below and also remember to share.
