|
WELCOME ! SITTING COMFORTABLY? I AM GOING TO TELL YOU ALL ABOUT THE BENEFITS OF ALOE VERA THERE IS NO PUSHY MARKETING TECHNIQUES ON THIS WEB PAGE- JUST THE HARD FACTS BASED ON CLINICAL STUDIES OF ALOE VERA THERE ARE MANY NATURAL MEDICINAL HERBS, BUT LET ME TELL YOU, THERE IS NOTHING ON THIS EARTH THAT CAN COMPETE WITH THE VAST ARRAY OF HEALING BENEFITS GRANTED BY ALOE VERA.
These benefits are based on clinical studies, which you can find on medline (type in "aloe vera" in the search box) At the time of writing there are 694 studies.
Most people know of the benefits of taking aloe vera topically, but it is just as effective if taken internally. If you have your own aloe vera plant you can fillet one of the leaves and extract the inner gel, which is the source of all the goodness. You can add this gel to a smoothie drink and start reaping some of the benefits of aloe vera. Pure aloe inner gel does not have much taste, but if you mix it with fruits such as blueberries, strawberries, blackberries etc you will create a powerful drink full of natural anti-oxidants. It is the inner gel that i am going to look at. I realise there is a lot of information on this page, but i make no apologies for this. The internet is based on knowledge and information, and that is what you will find here. So please bear with me and take a look.
Aloe vera and skin repair Wound healing is a response to tissue injury that results in the restoration of the damaged tissue. This is achieved by synthesizing the connective tissue, and the main protein involved is collagen. A study in molecular and cellular biochemistry found that aloe vera, when applied directly to the wound or taken internally, increased the collagen content in these tissues, which increases wound strength. This accelerates the healing process. Other studies have shown that aloe vera enhances wound healing by influencing inflammation and wound contraction, in effect, closing the wound shut and preventing bacterial growth and infection. There are hundreds of skin products available these days and the majority contain aloe vera because it works! There is an anecdotal story of a scientist who had studied aloe vera for many years and who always applied aloe vera to the back of one of his hands. Years later, the skin on the back of the hand which he had applied the aloe vera looked many years younger than his other hand. Just applying fresh aloe vera gel to your face and body will be many times more effective than those "miracle" skin rejuvenation products. If you drink the inner gel you will also gain the same benefits as applying directly to the skin There is another study from the Am J of Infect Control that studied the use of a glove that administered aloe vera gel to 30 women who had dry skin disorders caused by their occupations. The women wore the aloe vera glove on one hand for 30 days and nothing on the other hand. The results showed that the aloe vera gloved hands had a marked improvement ( 90-100%) compared to the non gloved hands. The aloe vera gel produced improved skin, less irritation and also decreased fine line wrinkles, in 30 days. The use of aloe coated gloves is being investigated for their potential in healthcare settings. You will also see improvements in your skin like this if you drink aloe vera gel, nourishing and hydrating your skin from the inside-out. Aloe vera accelerates burn healing A study from the Thai medical association compared the application of aloe vera gel and vaseline gauze on 27 patients with partial thickness burn wounds. The average healing time for the aloe vera gel area was 11.89 days compared to 18.19 days for the vaseline gauze area. Aloe vera has been used to treat second degree burns with almost no scarring.
Aloe vera and inflammation Aloe vera administered topically inhibits inflammation in moderate amounts of irritant. A study from the American Podiatric Medical Association found that aloe vera showed a 47% reduction in inflammation in tissue wounds. Aloe vera can also help with inflammation if you drink it, helping to fight inflammation symptoms from inside-out.
Aloe vera and arthritis Arthritis affects 30% of all adults and treatment costs run into billions. It is thought that mast cells are responsible for many inflammatory diseases, especially arthritis. Due to the chronic nature of arthritis, and the potentially bad side effects from prescription drugs, many people are turning to more natural alternatives. Numerous studies have shown that aloe vera can reduce mast cell secretion, and also inhibit mast cell infiltration, helping to ease arthritic inflammation. D-glucosamine is a very popular supplement nowadays ,and is now added with proteoglycan chondroitin, but it is not very well absorbed by the body when taken orally due to its high molecular weight. A study from the European Journal of Inflammation stated that olive oil can be very beneficial in treating rheumatoid arthritis, and in particular kernel olive oil. Another way to help with arthritic pain to eat a Mediterranean diet, with plenty of fresh fruits and olive oil.
Aloe vera reduces blood pressure One of the chemical constituents of aloe vera, namely, aloeemodin, has been shown to be an effective hypotensive agent in current pharmacological investigations and caused 26 %, 52 %, and 79 % falls in mean arterial blood pressure at the corresponding doses of 0.5, 1, and 3 mg/kg in rats. Aloe vera gel contains polymers, some of which are called drag reducing polymers DRP's). These polymers have been tested for their ability to circulate blood during massive hemorrhagic shock, such as those faced by soldiers in battle conditions. There are several studies which have tested these effects using rats. These studies are pretty gruesome as they basically involve the rats undergoing acute hemorrhagic shock, ie removing their blood at a constant rate for 20 mins or so. The rats were then resuscitated with a dextran solution (control group) or the same solution containing DRP's from aloe vera. The rats were observed for 2 hours after resuscitation, or until they died. The 2 hour survival rate of the control group was just 19%, compared to the 100% survival rate of the aloe vera DRP rats. The study found that the DRP's significantly increased tissue oxygenation. The surviving rats from the control group also needed 3 times more fluid to maintain blood pressure than the DRP group. There are over 280 similar studies on medline, here is an extract from one such study. What does this mean? It would appear that these polymers in aloe vera enable the blood to work more efficiently, in turn, maintaining blood pressure and survival time. This is why these polymers are now being tested extensively by the military. Drinking aloe vera will help your blood work better, and regulate your blood pressure!
Aloe vera lowers cholesterol Aloe vera significantly decreases cholesterol and triglycerides safely. A study from the Journal of Vascular Diseases studied patients with angina, who all had high levels of dangerous LDL cholesterols, triglycerides and lipids (fats). Just to make it worse, they also had very low levels of HDL- (good cholesterol). After 3 months of taking 100 grams of fresh aloe vera gel daily the patients in this study lowered their LDL cholesterol levels by 40-80%, with no reported side effects. All measurements had returned to a normal level after 3 months. The study actually lasted for 5 years and not one of the patients had a heart attack during this time. Could aloe vera be an alternative to statins? which have potential side effects such as memory loss and muscle weakness. A study from the Archives of Internal Medicine found that omega-3 reduced the chance of dying from heart disease more than statins did. Of course it does help if can avoid eating fatty foods, but there is evidence that aloe vera can slow down the progression of atherosclerosis. A study from the Journal of Food Hygeine and Safety studied rats who had been induced with cholesterol and vitamin D2 , and another group who had been fed with aloe vera 1%, and cholesterol and vitamin D. The aorta and coronary arteries of the cholesterol and vitamin D group showed artherosclerotic lesions. The aorta of the aloe vera fed rats showed no signs of lesions, and the HDL and triglyceride levels recovered to normal ranges. Furthermore, the researchers state that long term supplementation with aloe vera can slow down the development of artherosclerosis. Abstract of study Can you see the implications of what these studies are showing? Why is everyone not rushing out and consuming aloe vera? Because there is huge marketing pressure from the big pharmaceutical companies to use their drugs to lower cholesterol, which have far more serious side effects than aloe vera will ever have, in fact, in all the studies i have read there is not one case of any side effects. I really think we are being brainwashed by modern society to accept that drugs are the only cure for illness. They are not, and it's time that people get educated, and see through the mass marketing machine. Aloe vera and cancer There have been many studies over the years showing the anti cancer properties of aloe vera. There is a carbohydrate fraction called acemannan which is found in aloe vera gel which has been shown to have positive effects on immune stimulation. Cancer occurs when cells start to replicate and divide without control causing a tumour. If the cells migrate from the tumour and spread throughout the body this can prove fatal. Cancer affects one in three people. The cause is not known but it is established that our immune system fights off cancer on a regular basis. This is the job of our white blood cells, in particular T and B cells. These cells find any foreign bodies and attack them. Acemannan increases the numbers of these cells, which in turn, enhances the immune response. A study from Immunotheraphy found that Lectin ( found in aloe) when directly injected into tumours, activated the T cells to destroy the cancer cells. Aloe vera also helps with the side-effects of cancer treatment such as chemotherapy and radiotherapy, which destroys healthy cells as well as cancer cells. Aloe vera helps the body to heal itself by minimizing the damage done to our white blood cells. This then promotes the immune system and enables healthy cells to grow. Interestingly, aloe vera has been shown to almost double the amount of T and B cells in AIDS patients, within a matter of weeks, and is approved in Europe for stimulating immune response. As yet there have been no clinical trials conducted for the use of aloe vera in human cancer. All the previous studies have been in animals. The reason is that the big pharmaceutical companies cannot patent aloe vera, which means they cannot make any money out of it. Profit is the main driving force for these companies, and i am sure you know about the cost of Herceptin, the breast cancer drug, (which costs around £21000 for a full course), led to many people being denied life saving treatment due to the cost, or puts such a strain on the NHS that other patients will miss out on their treatment because there is not enough money left.
Aloe vera and diabetes There have been numerous studies using aloe vera extract on diabetic induced rats. One study from Clinical and Experimental Pharmacology and Physiology orally administered aloe vera gel extract to diabetic rats over a period of 21 days. The results showed significant reductions in blood glucose, cholesterol, triglycerides, free fatty acids levels, as well as a significant increase in plasma insulin. In addition, after the 21 days the high levels of LDL and low levels of HDL in the diabetic rats had returned to normal levels. More recent research from Japan studied the anti-hyperglcyemic effect of aloe vera gel in type 2 diabetic mice by successfully identifying five compounds, known as phytosterols. After 28 days of administering the 5 phytosterols, the fasting blood glucose levels decreased by almost 64% compared to the control group. The mice who received the phytosterols also suffered no weight loss due to glucose loss in the urine. The researchers concluded that aloe vera gel and the 5 phytosterols have a long term blood glucose level control, and would be effective for the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus. An extract of the study.
Aloe vera and physical endurance Aloe vera can make the blood work more effectively, as seen in the study on haemorrhaging rats. Aloe vera has the ability to oxygenate the blood, and what do the muscles require when working hard? Oxygen!! Clearly, if your blood contains more oxygen then it will have a beneficial effect on the muscles, enabling them to work for longer periods of time, and increasing endurance. There are a few studies on the effect of aloe vera on physical performance, but the one's i have seen usually include aloe vera gel in combination with other substances to increase VO2 max thresholds, the standard measurement used to determine how well the body can utilise oxygen. Results from these studies have shown that aloe vera gel can improve cardiovascular performance.
Aloe vera and the cardiovascular system We know that drinking aloe vera gel lowers bad cholesterol and increases good cholesterol, oxygenates the blood, reduces blood pressure and also makes blood work more efficiently. From this it is easy to see how aloe vera can be of great benefit for cardiovascular performance. We also know that aloe vera can increase your endurance levels whilst exercising, and that regular physical activity improves your cardiovascular system by making your heart work more efficently, your heart will beat less times per minute but still pump the same amount of blood around your body. A good example of this is to relate your heart to a car engine. If you are overweight and do no exercise your heart is like a small engined car that is at high revs all the time. Even at rest, your heart is beating like crazy just to keep your blood flowing through your body. If you exercise and keep a healthy weight then your heart is like a large engined car, and it just ticks over with low revs, under no real pressure. Add the aloe vera to this and you will have an extremely effective cardio system. Training will actually increase the size of your heart, as the heart is a muscle, and every time it beats it pumps a greater amount of blood, so it does not need to beat as many times. Lower cholesterol levels mean that there is less chance of plaque building up in the arteries, enabling the blood to flow freely, reducing blood pressure and reducing the chance of a stroke/ heart attack. Even if you don't exercise and drink aloe vera you will still lower cholesterol and blood pressure so you cannot lose!!
Aloe vera and IBS One of the most well known benefits of aloe vera is it's use in treating digestive disorders, and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). There are many testimonials on the net in various forums, that talk of how drinking aloe gel aids the symptoms and pain of IBS. How does it do this? Well a study from Alimentary Pharmacology and Therapeutics found that the production of reactive oxygen metabolites is a main factor in IBS. It seems that aloe vera gel has an inhibitory effect on oxygen metabolites, at a rate of 50% in a 1 in 1000 dilution. The researchers concluded that the anti inflammatory effects of aloe vera gel provide support that it may well have a therapeutic effect in IBS. Many people who have taken aloe vera gel for digestive problems report very good improvements in a matter of weeks.
Aloe vera prevents kidney stones Aloe vera gel contains citrate and tartrate, which are known to inhibit the formation of kidney stones. A study from the far east attempted to calculate the amount of citrate and tartrate present in aloe vera gel and in the urine of subjects after ingesting the aloe gel. The subjects took 100g of fresh aloe gel twice a day for 7 days. Around 80% of kidney stones are composed of calcium oxalate and calcium phosphate. A stone forms when these substances change from a liquid form to a solid. The results showed that the urine contained significant increases in calcium PI and oxalate PI. Now this must mean that if you are passing increased levels of calcium and oxalate, which are the main components of kidney stones, then this must decrease your chances of getting them, which is what the authors of the study concluded. Extract here.
Aloe vera for first aid Burns, cuts , grazes and scrapes can all be treated with aloe vera, which is one the most widely known uses of aloe vera. Before you reach for the first aid kit with all those antiseptic creams, plasters and bandages, you may be better off reaching for aloe vera. We already know how aloe vera can accelerate wound healing by increasing collagen content in damaged tissue, keeping any cuts free from bacteria, and minimizing scarring. The anti-inflammatory effects of aloe can rapidly ease the pain of insect and plant stings, just apply the gel directly on to the affected area, it is much more effective than anything the drug companies have created.
Aloe vera and oxidative stress The relationship between free radicals and disease can be summed up by oxidative stress. The human body is fighting a constant battle to regulate pro-oxidants, in the from of ROS and RNS. These are kept in check by our antioxidant defense. But in todays world we are exposed to pollutants, smoking, chemicals, radiation and UV light, and all of these help to tip the balance in favour of the pro-oxidatives, causing oxidative stress, which is known to cause ageing and various human diseases. There is one way of tipping this balance in favour of the anti-oxidants, and that is to consume more anti-oxidants! There are many dietary sources of anti-oxidants, and here are the top 10 richest sources of anti-oxidants- 1. red beans 2. blueberry 3. red kidney beans 4. pinto beans 5. cranberry 6. artichoke 7. blackberry 8. prunes 9. raspberry 10. strawberry.
This data is from a 2004 study in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. You will also note that most of these foods are fruits. Aloe vera gel is also a powerful anti-oxidant, can you imagine just how much of a health benefit you can gain if you make a smoothie containing aloe vera gel, raspberries, strawberries, blackberries etc? Not only do they taste delicious, but you will be giving yourself the ultimate protection from disease and ageing. Did you know that caffeine, present in tea and coffee is also a very potent anti-oxidant? Aloe vera acts as an anti-oxidant by scavenging free radicals. An active glycoprotein has been extracted from aloe gel, and is known to be a free radical scavenger.
Aloe vera and vitamins C and E Vitamin C is a water soluble vitamin and is one of the most widely used vitamin supplements. Around 60% of US adults take vitamin supplements. There is evidence that vitamin C can reduce the risk of cancer, diabetes, cataracts and Alzheimer's disease. You can get the recommended daily amount of vitamin C by eating 5 portions of fruit and vegetables per day, but not many people adhere to this, and so look for their daily vitamins in supplements. Vitamin E is a lipid soluble vitamin and can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, Alzheimers, cataracts, macular degeneration, and can improve the immune system. Clearly these vitamins are essential to the body. A study from Phytomedicine researched the effect of aloe vera gel on vitamins C and E. This study found that aloe vera gel improved the absorption of both vitamins by slowing the process down, thus making the vitamins last longer in the body. Since vitamins C and E are very popular, you can make them work better by drinking aloe vera gel.
What's in aloe vera? The aloe plant, being a cactus, contains 99-99.5% water, but it is 0.5% solid material that contains all the goodies. There are vitamins A, C and E, vitamins B (thiamine), niacin, vitamin B2 (riboflavin) plus choline and folic acid. There are enzymes in aloe vera. One of these, a carboxy-peptidase, inactivates bradykinins. Bradykinin produces pain, which is how aloe vera has an analgesic effect. Aloe vera also contains many minerals such as sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, manganese, copper, zinc, chromium and iron. Magnesium lactate prevents the formation of histamine from the amino acid, histadine. Histamine is present in various allergic reactions and causes itching and pain, so by preventing it's formation, aloe vera stops the pain. There are sugars present in aloe vera, both mono and polysaccharides, including glucose and mannose. Polysaccharides are absorbed complete and appear in the blood unchanged, where they can enhance the immune system. In the sap of the plant are anthraquinones, which can improve absorption from the gut, have very powerful analgesic properties, and can reduce melanin formation. Saponins, which form around 3% of the gel, have antiseptic properties. Sallcylic acid is an asprin like compound which has anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial properties. If you drink aloe gel, it will also act as a great mouthwash and has been shown to rapidly heal gum disease. Just swill the aloe drink around your mouth before swallowing. Aloe vera gel provides 20 of the 22 amino acids required by the body.
You can pick up an aloe vera plant at most garden centres and cultivate your own. If you are not sure about how to do this click here for a guide. However, if you are unable to grow your own plants, then you can buy aloe vera inner gel products. And when are buying these gel products you want to make sure it is the real thing. You want 100% aloe vera gel. One of the best in terms of value and purification in the US is from "Lily of the desert" who are a company based in Texas. The International Aloe Vera Science Council has certified Lily of the desert aloe vera juice and gel drink for content and purity, so you can be sure you are getting the best quality product. Their aloe drinks are recommended by many clinical nutritionists because, quite simply they are the best. They also produce other aloe gel products including organic aloe gel. In the UK the best aloe vera gel drink i have used has to be the cytoplan inner juice drink . Cytoplan aloe products bear the health food manufacturers kite mark which arguably carries more prestige than the international aloe science council does. With this kite mark you can be assured that the aloe content in this drink is of the highest purity and quality. Remember, all these benefits of aloe vera are based on scientific fact, there is no bias involved. If you need more information just go to medline and type in "aloe vera", all the studies i have included can be found here. You will also find many more studies that are not mentioned here. I hope that you will make an informed decision to boost your health by using aloe vera, it is truly the most beneficial natural healer on the planet. The pharmaceutical companies will always attempt to discredit alternative medicine because they cannot patent them, and therefore cannot make any money out of it. Another line of attack is that there are differences in the quality and purity of natural products in the way they are processed, and to some extent this is true. There are some unscrupulous people out there, who attempt to con consumers. This is why you must do your research before you buy. I have done this for you, the two aloe vera inner gel drinks i recommend are the real thing. I have contacted the suppliers and asked for information about the processing of their products, as well as using them myself. Of course, if you grow your own aloe vera plants, which i also do, then you can be 100% sure that you are getting the real thing. Fillet the leaves to find the inner gel, pop it into a food blender for a few seconds, and enjoy. The most valuable possession you will ever own is your body, and you only get one, so it makes sense to look after yourself. Your health is everything, not money or wealth, just ask any sick millionaire. When you feel healthy you are better able to cope with the stresses and strains of life, as well as feeling good about yourself. I realise you may be a bit sceptical about what you have read, but the scientific studies do not lie, the truth is there. Do you remember the stampede for the Boots no7 Protect and Perfect serum, when a manchester professor stated that his study showed that this serum had anti-wrinkle properties? Why? It was because, finally, there was scientific evidence to back up the claims, so everyone thought it must be true, and went out and bought some. They should have just drank some aloe vera inner gel, which will make your skin glow! The point is that there is a wealth of scientific evidence that clearly shows aloe vera is beneficial to your health, so what are you waiting for? You can find out who i am and what i do at www.varicoseadvice.com I f you have any questions you can contact me at ant@varicoseadvice.com
Do you have varicose veins? why not visit my site at www.varicoseadvice.com you will find helpful and honest information on varicose and spider veins. |