I may be making an admission that some will find comical. But I just realized Aloe Vera is not just for external use. It’s a major ‘thing’ in the supplements sphere! And it’s acclaimed by devotées as a cure for all manner of ills…
An Aloe Vera plantation. Each ‘spike’ a fount of healthy goodness…
An ancient ‘balm’…
Aloe Vera has been cultivated for its medicinal properties for thousands of years.
We’re all aware that Aloe Vera’s syrupy juice is a great analgesic. Perfect for soothing skin irritations, poison ivy and sunburn. Some folks even tout it as an effective treatment for acne, psoriasis, eczema and other skin irritations. It is, unquestionably, an excellent moisturizer.
But it’s also rich in anti-oxidants and anti-inflammatories. And it’s recognised by herbal devotées as a treatment for constipation, diabetes, irritable bowl syndrome, heartburn and ulcers.
More than I realized…
Aloe Vera’s Nutrition Facts chart reads like a super food. One 8 oz. / 250 ml serving of juice delivers 3 g of carbs and 2 g of fibre, less than 1 g each of sugar and fat, and negligible sodium. And a total of just 8 Calories.
That same 250 ml also provides significant doses of Vitamin C, Vitamin A,Vitamin E, Beta-carotene, Folic acid, Calcium and Magnesium.
A quick check with the National Institutes for Health (NIH) also reveals that Aloe Vera also offers officially recognised pharmacological heart health, bone health and anti-cancer benefits.
How to use it
WebMD says: “For constipation, some use 100-200 milligrams of Aloe Vera juice – or 50 milligrams of Aloe Vera extract – daily as needed. For diabetes, 1 tablespoon of the gel has been used daily. High oral doses of Aloe Vera or Aloe Vera latex are dangerous.”
If you take too much, you may develop a case of raging diarrhea which could lead to dehydration.
As for the many other applications… Ask your doctor.
Where to get it?
Just Google ‘Aloe Vera Juice’ and click on ‘Shopping’ at the top of the page. Checking out all the possibilities will keep you busy for hours.
Aloe Vera juice comes flavoured or unflavoured, organic or regular, as an extract or drinkable gel, pure juice or in various dilutions as ‘drinks’. Prices for pure juice run around $16 per litre.
You don’t have to order online. A number of brands are apparently available at Walmart and the ‘drinks’ and/or pure juice are on the shelf in many grocery stores. You may have to search a bit to find them, but they’ll be in the refrigerator case near the other juices.
My take
It seems I – for one – have been missing out on the ‘greater good’ offered by Aloe Vera. I’m motivated to do more research…
~ Maggie J.