* Please Note: This information is based partly on Traditional Medicine which uses natural materials to support health. This information has not been evaluated or approved by the FDA. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). These products are intended to support general well being and are not intended to treat, diagnose, mitigate, prevent, or cure any condition or disease. If conditions persist, please seek advice from your medical doctor.
Description
Aloe Vera Aloe Vera (L.) Burm. f. (= Aloe barbadensis Mill.).
Family: Asphodelaceae.
Other Names: Curaçao aloe; aloès vrai, laloi (French); Echte Aloe, Aloe vera (German); aloe vera (Italian); sábila, zábila (Spanish).
Description: This aloe is a stemless plant with one to several rosettes of thick, fleshy, non-thorny leaves and erect, yellow or red flower clusters.
Origin: North Africa. Aloe vera is an ancient cultigen and forms the basis of a very large industry, mainly in Central America and the southern USA.
Parts Used: The gel is the non-bitter, slimy inner leaf pulp, nowadays the main product. This should not be confused with the extremely bitter, yellow leaf exudate, which is dried to a crystalline substance known as Curaçao aloes or Barbados aloes. Pure gel is obtained by cutting away the outer aloin-containing layers of the leaf. Known as "filleting", the process can be done by hand (the best quality) or mechanically. Alternatively the whole leaf is pulped and the aloin removed by filtration (so-called "whole leaf extract").
Uses and Properties: Curaçao aloes is still used to some extent to treat constipation and as a bitter tonic. Millions of litres of gel are used annually for health drinks and dietary supplements. It is assumed to be beneficial in treating burns and other skin disorders, infections and inflarnmations, the immune system, diabetes, high cholesterol, and even cancer.
Active Ingredients: Curaçao aloes has aloin (an anthrone C-glucoside) as main laxative compound (up to 38%). The gel contains 0.5-2% solids, including complex polysaccharides (glucomannans), glycoproteins, amino acids, minerals, salicylic acid and enzymes. An acetylated mannan (acemannan, Carrisyn™) is used in wound therapy. Gel used for health drinks is often bitter and mildly laxative, with aloin present at levels of 10 ppm or more.
Pharmacological Effects: Apart from the laxative bitters, the gel has anti-inflammatory, wound-healing and immune stimulatory properties (though not scientifically established in detail).
Status: Pharm.; Comm. E+; WHO 1 (gel).
Preparation and Dosage: The minimum dose to maintain a soft stool is used (20 - 30 mg aloin per day), while 50 - 100 mL of the gel may be taken three times a day as a tonic.
User Group Forum
Share your questions and information with the ZooScape community!
Be the first to post!
Directions
Take 1-3 capsules at bedtime.
Cautions
Aloe should not be taken internally by pregnant women or anyone with gastrointestinal problems, such as colitis, Crohn's disease or inflammatory bowel syndrome. Do not use for more than 10 days consecutively without professional medical attention. Chronic laxative use is potentially dangerous.
Additional Information
Herb-Xtra is committed to the manufacture of high quality, standardized and guaranteed natural health products and supplements.
These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Products are intended to support general well being and are not intended to treat, diagnose, mitigate, prevent, or cure any condition or disease. If conditions persist, please seek advice from your medical doctor. The essence of the current American rule on Traditional Uses is, as stated by FTC, "Claims based on historical or traditional use should be substantiated by confirming scientific evidence, or should be presented in such a way that consumers understand that the sole basis for the claim is a history of use of the product for a particular purpose."
