Benefits of aloe vera

Aloe Vera is a plant that has been used for thousands of years for its healing benefits. You may have heard of using aloe vera on your skin to soothe a sun burn, but that is only one of the great uses of aloe vera. Aloe vera is a wonderful source of the Vitamin B12. Most sources of B12 come from animal products, but aloe vera offers a vegetarian source of the important vitamin. Not only does it contain B12 but several other minerals that are important for the health of our bodies. Aloe vera also contains calcium, protein, zinc, magnesium, vitamins A, and E, germanium, essential fatty acids and amino acids. It has been studied around the world and results show that aloe vera offers wonderful support for our immune system and helps ward off illness of all sorts.

Aloe vera is a versatile plant that can be used both internally and externally, offering multiple benefits for the skin as well as for the inside of our bodies. The benefits of aloe vera have been broken down into three groups, including, anti-bacterial, anti-viral and anti-inflammatory. When used on the outside of the body, aloe vera can help cure many ailments dealing with the skin. Conditions of the skin that may benefit from the use of aloe vera are minor cuts, scrapes, burns, sunburns, razor burn, acne, dandruff, dry skin, eczema and psoriasis.

When taken internally in the form of a juice, aloe vera can offer even more rewards. Because the aloe vera is so rich in nutrients it is able to serve many purposes. Aloe vera helps the body release pepsin, which is the gastric juice enzyme that we need to digest our food. This helps conditions such as ulcers, irritable bowel syndrome, heartburn, constipation, colitis and any other digestive tract irritations.

Aloe vera has been helpful in many other conditions as well. A lot of people that take aloe vera daily begin noticing an overall increase in energy. They also report that several of the health issues they have been dealing with start to lessen. Some of the other ailments that people have reported relief from include, kidney and bladder infections, yeast infections, leg cramps, insomnia, arthritis, asthma, clearing of intestinal parasites and hemorrhoids.

As you can see aloe vera has so many things to offer and yet there are even more! Aloe vera also raises the white blood cell count which is a wonderful thing for people suffering from cancer and anyone that is trying to fight a virus, tumor or infection. For this reason it can help people fight off common colds, viruses or help those that have been battling a long term condition. Those with HIV or other diseases that cause the immune system to be weakened can benefit from taking high doses of aloe vera.

As with any new supplement you should try a low dose first to make sure you do not have an allergic reaction. The same applies for using aloe vera on the skin. Most people do not have allergies to aloe vera but you should always test a small amount on the skin to be sure you do not have a reaction before applying to a large area of the body. It is also recommended to talk to a medical professional or a dietician before taking aloe internally. This way you can find the right dose for you and make sure it will not react with any other medications you are currently taking. Aloe vera supplements are not recommended for women who are pregnant or lactating.

Last updated on Oct 7th, 2009 and filed under Alternative Medicine. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

1 Response for “Benefits of aloe vera”

  1. Anne says:

    Just to highlight the point made about potential allergic reactions – if you are allergic to plants from the same family such as tuplips, garlic or onions, you should not use aloe vera on your skin, hair or take it internally.

Comments are closed