Top 12 Benefits of Aloe Vera

7. Cardiovascular Health

There hasn’t been a lot of studies conducted on aloe’s effect on cardiovascular health, but there has been some research to show that aloe vera extract injected into the blood, greatly multiplies the oxygen transportation and diffusion capabilities of the red blood cells. According to a study published in the 2000 issue of the British Medical Journal, beta sitosterol helps to lower cholesterol. By regulating blood pressure, improving circulation and oxidation of the blood, lowering cholesterol, and making blood less sticky, aloe vera juice may be able to help lower the risk of heart disease.

8. Aloe Helps Boost the Immune System

I think given the stresses of our daily lives, every one can use a boost to their immune systems. The polysaccharides in aloe vera juice stimulate macrophages, which are the white blood cells of your immune system that fight against viruses. Aloe is also an immune enhancer because of its high level of anti-oxidants, which help combat the unstable compounds known as free-radicals, contributing to the aging process. (Free radicals are a bi-product of life itself, it is a naturally occurring process but we can overload ourselves with unnecessary free-radicals by living an unhealthy lifestyle). Aloe is also an antipyretic which means it used to reduce or prevent fever.

9. Aloe Vera is Great for the Skin

Because of aloe’s well-known healing properties for the skin, aloe is one of the primary compounds used in the cosmetic industry. It is a known vulnerary, (meaning it helps heal wounds) and is great for applying topically to burns, abrasions, psoriasis and even to bug bites. Aloe acts as an analgesic, acting to help relieve pain of wounds. It’s feels especially good to cut a stem of aloe, place it in the fridge and rub it on sun burnt skin – the immediate soothing effect feels like an absolute lifesaver. Aloe is also an antipruritic: A substance that relieves or prevents itching. Aloe vera is an astringent: which causes the contraction of body tissues, typically used to reduce bleeding from minor abrasions. Due to aloe’s high water content (over 99% water) it is a great way to hydrate, moisturize and rejuvenate the skin and fits within my general guideline: “Don’t put anything on your skin that you wouldn’t eat!” Aloe increases the elasticity of the skin making it more flexible through collagen and elastin repair. Aloe is an emollient, helping to soften and soothe the skin. It helps supply oxygen to the skin cells, increasing the strength and synthesis of skin tissue and induces improved blood flow to the skin through capillary dilation.

10. Aloe vera is a: Disinfectant, Anti-biotic, Anti-microbial, Germicidal, Anti-bacterial, Anti-septic, Anti-fungal & Anti-viral:

Wow, I think that covers all anti- bases. Okay, I admit, that was just a sneaky way to add in another 8 good reasons why you should keep an aloe vera as a handy (to to mention beautiful) house plant and incorporate it’s uses into your healthy lifestyle. Aloe vera’s active ingredients are sulphur, lupeol, salicylic acid, cinnamic acid, urea nitrogen and phenol which are substances that prevent the growth of disease-causing microorganisms and act as a team to provide antimicrobial activity thus eliminating many internal and external infections, also active against bacteria. It also helps to treat fungal and viral infections.

11. Aloe Helps Reduce Inflammation

Aloe Vera contains 12 substances, including B-sisterole, which can help to slow down or inhibit inflammation.  This may be able to help with painful joints due to stiffness and help improve joint flexibility.

12. Weight Loss – A Secondary effect

Improving your digestion, and detoxifying your body will have a secondary effect of promoting weight loss because when you start to improve your digestion you naturally eliminate more efficiently, which is a primary way that we all detoxify – through our bowels. This will lighten your toxic load on your body and will give you more energy.

Aloe Vera Intake Precautions

This plant is incredibly medicinal, yet there are some cautions against long-term use. Just because a little is beneficial, doesn’t mean that a lot is more beneficial. This is an incredibly potent plant and should be used with a level of respect for its potency. Long-term use can lead to loss of electrolytes, especially potassium.

Aloe Vera Dosage

I know there are many aloe vera juices on the market and some of them may actually  be great products. Like I already mentioned, I think for what it is, Lily of the Desert organic aloe vera juice offers a great product. However, like I always say: “fresh is best”. Aloe plants can grow pretty much anywhere. When I was living in Canada, I used to have several indoor aloe plants and they did really well. Now that I live in Hawaii, aloe grows everywhere, so I don’t need to buy the juice, I just make it myself. Some companies selling aloe juice recommend that we should take it ‘regularly’ but I don’t necessarily agree. We need to treat this plant as the medicine that it is and by tuning into our bodies we can really start to notice if we’re pulled to this plant for some level of healing. Would we take medicine unnecessarily without our bodies really needing it? Probably not, and that’s the same with plant medicines. If you’re experiencing a digestive ailment or have a sun burn, use it for a short period of time for its course in treatment (1-2 weeks) and then stop and wait at least a month before starting again. When I was living in Vancouver, I bought a big jug of the aloe juice and was taking shots of it in the morning. One of the ways that we can tune into our bodies is to simply notice immediate reactions. When I first started taking it, my body was totally fine with it, the taste didn’t bother me, and I could tell it was ok for my body. After a couple of weeks, I would take a shot and I would get a bit of a gag reflex. Our bodies are incredible at communicating with us. This was my sign that the aloe medicine had run its course in treatment and so I stopped taking it and I didn’t start taking it again for at least another month or two. Oftentimes, when people see a product that promotes weight-loss on it, people tend to by-pass their intuition and forget that their body is really their best guide. I don’t think in any culture, aloe was used internally every single day – most traditional cultures understand that more isn’t always necessarily better and use it when it is actually needed. This way, it ensures the use of the effectiveness of the constituents of the plant when we are in need of it. One last note about aloe vera juice; it does have a strong pungent taste, so if you can’t cope with taking it straight,mix it in your smoothie or add it to a green juice. Enjoy the many benefits that Aloe Vera has to offer! Want to try fresh aloe vera right here with us in Hawaii? Check out our Raw Food Hawaii Retreats! We offer both group and private raw food retreats that are super fun and absolutely life changing. Aloha from the Big Island of Hawaii. Laura Dawn   Sources