FEATURE
Aloe aloe
By Dr Leow Chee Seng, Fellow of British Institute of Homeopathy
Recognised for its medicinal values for centuries, aloe vera is still inspiring new
discoveries into its curative effects.
T he very first record of the aloe vera plant in
history was written by Dioscorides, a famous
Greek physician from the first century AD. He wrote
that aloe vera had the power of “inducing sleep and
of thickening the body…it helps loosen the belly
and cleanses the stomach when drunk with warm
milk or cold water”.
By the 2nd century AD, aloe vera had become
indispensable to Roman physicians – the most
notable of which was Galen, the personal physician
of the Roman Emperor, Marcus Aurelius. Galen
was said to have drawn his knowledge from the
writings of Aristotle and Hippocrates, who got their
knowledge of aloe vera from Indian and Egyptian
“medical writers”.
52 SEPT/OCT 2009 • OH!
Most botanists agree – and historical evidence
suggests – that the aloe vera plant originated in
the warm, dry climates of Africa. But, in the East,
Chinese physicians were already writing about how
aloe vera helps treat sinusitis, skin disorders and
internal problems such as convulsions in children
and worm fever.
In a Smith and Stenhaus (1851) review, it was said that
aloin or anthraquinone glycosides was the principal
ingredient responsible for aloe’s laxative effects and
an ever-increasing number of biologically active
compounds have been identified.
To date, research has proven that aloe vera contains
a unique spectrum of micronutrients and the
natural chemical constituents of aloe vera can be
categorised in the following main areas:
• Amino acids;
• Anthraquinones;
• Enzymes;
• Lignin;
• Mono and polysaccharides;
• Salicylic acids;
• Saponins;
• Sterols; and
• Vitamins.
Multiple applications
The aloe vera plant is characterised by long, hard,
sword-shaped, fleshy, green leaves with sharp
points and an array of barbed spikes on each leaf
edge. Each plant can have between 20 and 30
leaves and these leaves grow in a rosette pattern
straight out the ground.

When the plant blooms, its bright flowers appear on
a central leafless stem high above the gel-bearing
parts. In fact, the fresh leaf gel and latex are used
for many purposes. Aloe latex is the sticky residue
left over after the liquid from cut aloe leaves has
evaporated.
Modern research has proven aloe vera to be
beneficial for many conditions. It has been used
effectively for treating radiation burns, skin
disorders, wounds, sunburn and dermatitis.
Clinical trials have proven aloe vera also helps
with inflammation and ulcers. Test tube studies
suggested polysaccharides such as acemannon,
help promote skin healing by anti-inflammatory,
antimicrobial, and immune-stimulating actions.
Aloe’s effects on the skin may also be enhanced
by its high concentration of amino acids, as well
as vitamin E, vitamin C, zinc and essential fatty
acids. Modern research found that, when applied
externally, aloe vera helps speed up healing in the
case of wounds, frostbite and burns; and restore
skin tissue.
The healing of burns may be due to the moisturising
effect of aloe. It is easily absorbed into the skin,
FEATURE
preventing the air from drying the damaged skin.
Older case studies report that aloe gel applied
topically can help heal radiation burns; and a small
clinical trial found it more effective than a topical
petroleum jelly in treating burns.
However, a large, modern, placebo-controlled trial
did not find aloe effective for treating minor burns
when stabilised aloe gel was applied thinly to the
affected area of skin three to five times per day.
Hence, treatment of more serious burns should
only be done under the supervision of a healthcare
professional.
For intestinal use of aloe gel, two tablespoons
(30ml) should be taken three times per day for
patients with inflammatory bowel conditions such
as Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis.
But. it is very important to remember that the latex
form of aloe should not be used by anyone with
inflammatory intestinal disease – including Crohn’s
disease, ulcerative colitis or appendicitis.
Aloe is known to help increase movement in
the intestines, relieve constipation, promote
menstruation and aid digestion. Anthraquinone
glycosides are split by the normal bacteria in the
large intestines to form other molecules (aglycones),
which exert the laxative action.
Since aloe is such a powerful laxative, other
plant laxatives such as senna or cascara are often
recommended. For constipation, a single 50 – 200
mg capsule of aloe latex can be taken each day for a
maximum of 10 days.
Beyond that, aloe latex intake may lead to
dependency and fluid loss. Extensive fluid loss may
then lead to depletion of important electrolytes in
the body such as potassium.
Preventive powers
Aloe vera has also been found to help prevent the
formation of kidney stones and to help reduce
the size of the stones. It can help clean, soothe
and relieve pain on contact. It rapidly penetrates
through all three layers of the skin to promote
SEPT/OCT 2009 • OH! 53
FEATURE
healing. It contains salicylic acid and magnesium,
which work together to produce an aspirin-like
analgesic effect.
Two small controlled human trials have found
that aloe, either alone or in combination with the
oral hypoglycemic drug glibenclamide, effectively
lowers blood sugars in people with type 2 (non-
insulin-dependent) diabetes.
In these clinical trials, one tea tablespoon of aloe
juice (15ml) is taken orally twice daily. Note that
treatment of diabetes with aloe should only be
done under the supervision of a qualified healthcare
professional.
Okyar A, et. al. (2001) reported in Journal of
Phytother Res, aloe vera leaf pulp and gel extracts
were ineffective in lowering the blood sugar level
of ND rats. Aloe vera leaf pulp extract showed
hypoglycaemic activity on IDDM and NIDDM
rats, the effectiveness being enhanced for type II
diabetes in comparison with glibenclamide.
On the contrary, aloe vera leaf gel extract showed
hyperglycaemic activity on NIDDM rats. It may be
concluded therefore that the pulps of aloe vera
leaves devoid of the gel could be useful in the
treatment of non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus.
54 SEPT/OCT 2009 • OH!
Aloe vera also been used as a treatment for viral
diseases such as AIDS and may help prevent the
virus from moving from one cell to the other.
According to Dr. Pulse’s published report in the
Journal of Advancement in Medicine: “No adverse
effects attributable to the essential fatty acid
capsules were observed nor any side effects of the
nutritional supplementation powder nor of the aloe
vera juice.”
“Most patients – who were symptomatic – reported
that within three to five days, their energy levels
improved, fever disappeared, night sweats stopped,
cough decreased or stopped altogether, shortness
of breath decreased, lymph nodes decreased in
size, diarrhoea stopped, strength improved, and the
only measurable side effect of this particular study
was weight gain, which is a desirable effect.”
Aloe vera therefore has a complementary role to
play in the management of various conditions. It is
very important however that people should always
seek the advice of their medical professional when
the diagnosis is in doubt or where a condition does
not improve.
Self-diagnosis can be extremely dangerous as many
serious conditions can mimic more simple ones. OH!