Health Benefits of Aloe Vera Juice

Aloe vera juice is the latest health and beauty craze and it’s easy to see why.

The benefits of the stuff seem endless. After all, the Sanskrit name for aloe vera is kumari, which means ‘princess’, attesting to its ability to help you maintain youthful beauty and a healthy glow. Sounds good, right?

Sebastian Pole, co-founder of Pukka Herbs and an expert in herbalism, says: ‘Aloe Vera is renowned as a ’heal-all’ that is good for many conditions, both internal and external.

‘It is a great rejuvenator and can help in some of life’s big transitions, from cleansing teenage skin to cooling menopausal hot flushes and soothing dryness.’

Here, Sebastian breaks down the benefits of aloe vera juice:

1. Detoxifying

Aloe vera juice is crammed full of amino acids, vitamins and minerals making it one of nature’s most effective cleansers. ‘It can help strengthen digestion and rid the body of any nasty waste, thus detoxifying the body naturally,’ says Sebastian. ‘Its main property is to be soothing, cooling and moistening which helps to clear inflammatory and irritating heat, such as in menopause, plus inflammatory skin and digestive problems, such as acne, rosacea and IBS.’

2. Supports the immune system

Aloe vera is packed full of immune-boosting polysaccharides which help the immune system to behave properly. ‘Too much inflammation in the body can cause problems within the immune system and can cause conditions like asthma, eczema and Crohn’s disease. Soothing herbs like aloe vera juice can slow the inflammatory cascade and help reorder the immune response to prevent these conditions.’

3. Lowers cholesterol and blood sugar

There is some evidence to suggest aloe vera lowers cholesterol and has a positive effect on blood sugar levels, meaning it can be useful for treating diabetes and obesity.

4. Excellent for digestion

It's worth trying for anyone who suffers with digestion problems like IBS. Its healing and soothing properties can help with the painful symptoms.

5. An easy way to boost your vitamin and mineral intake

Aloe vera juice is packed with vitamins A, C, E, B1, B2, B3, B6, B12 and folic acid. It’s also rich in minerals like calcium, magnesium, zinc, iron, selenium and potassium. Sounds pretty good, right?

6. Hair growth

Full of natural vitamins and enzymes that can directly promote healthy hair.

7. Good for burns, acne and hydrating skin

When used topically aloe vera can soothe inflamed skin and enhance collagen and hyaluronic acid to help rejuvenate skin.

It sounds amazing, but are there any side effects you should know about?

'There are no negative side effects if you use a pure aloe vera inner leaf juice,' Sebastian. 'If you use an aloe vera leaf product it may have high aloin levels and aloin is a laxative which can cause diarrhoea if too much is used.' Of course, you should always consult your doctor before undergoing any complementary or alternative treatments for health problems.

How much aloe vera juice should should we take?

It depends on the potency of the aloe vera. Sebastian recommends taking 3 – 6 tablespoons of Pukka’s Aloe Vera once or twice a day. Mix it in fruit juice or smoothies, or drink on its own.

Many people already know the many benefits associated with using aloe vera. Not as many people are aware of the health benefits associated with consuming aloe vera juice.

All of the nutrients in aloe vera juice are perfectly balanced in a way that is ideal for the body in terms of healing and repair. Although it is not a miracle cure, it contains enough nutrition to significantly help with healing the body, as well as provide other benefits.

Health Benefits of Aloe Vera Juice

1. Detox

Aloe vera juice can be a great natural option for detoxing. Because of the way we live including stress, pollution and junk food, we need to occasionally cleanse our systems. Aloe vera juice is an ideal way to do this because it contains many trace elements, vitamins and minerals that can help the body deal with daily stresses and strains.

2. Digestion Promotion

A healthy digestion system is necessary to ensure that we are able to absorb all of the nutrients found in our food. In addition to its natural detoxifying abilities, aloe vera juice can increase protein absorption and improve bowel regularity. It can also reduce the quantity of unfriendly yeast and bacteria found in our gut. It can also soothe and reduce digestive problems such as heartburn.

3. Immunity Boost

Aloe vera juice contains many antioxidants which fight the free radicals found in our bodies. Free radicals are unstable compounds that are a side-effect of metabolism and contribute the process of aging as well as cause various ailments. Therefore when you drink aloe vera juice on a regular basis, your body will have the antioxidants it needs to fight these free radicals and boost your immune system.

4. Anti-inflammation

This juice has 12 different substances which are able to reduce and prevent inflammation, all without the risk of side-effects. It can even help with swollen, stiff or painful joints.

5. Healthy Skin

Aloe vera juice can help repair your collagen and elastin, giving you healthy skin. Our skin replaces itself each 28 days or so and when we have nutritional building blocks from aloe vera, our skin is able to use these nutrients each day to help fight aging. It can also help sooth minor skin irritations, scrapes, cuts and burns.

6. Weight Loss and Energy Regulation

When we drink aloe vera juice, the body can naturally cleanse its digestive system. Because our diets have many parts that can lead to exhaustion or fatigue, having aloe vera regularly can fight this. That means that aloe vera juice will give you a better feeling of well-being, help you keep a body weight that is healthy and increase energy levels.

7. Vitamin and Mineral Powerhouse

Every day our body needs to ingest several vitamin and minerals and aloe vera juice contains a great deal of these. It includes vitamin A, vitamin B1, vitamin B2, vitamin B6, vitamin B12, vitamin C, vitamin E, niacin and folic acid. In addition to these, it also contains chromium, magnesium, manganese, zinc, copper, potassium, iron, sodium, calcium and others.

8. Amino Acid Supply

Our body needs 20 different amino acids in order to build protein and it is not able to produce 8 of them itself. Because aloe vera juice contains 7 of these essential amino acids and 19 amino acids in total, it is able to easily fulfill your body’s daily needs.

9. Dental Health

Aloe vera juice can also help your gums and mouth. It not only provides natural anti-microbial and anti-bacterial actions but it also contains several vitamins and minerals that promote cell healing and growth. Because of this you will find some tooth gels that contain pure aloe vera, especially to help with mouth ulcers and bleeding gums.

10. Alkalization of the Body

Disease is not able to happen in environments that are alkaline. In general, people will consume foods that are mostly acidic but the ideal is the 80/20 rule which says you should consume 80% of alkaline forming foods and 20% of acidic ones. Because aloe vera juice is one of the alkaline forming foods, it can help alkalize the body and balance out the acidity in our diets.

11. Cardiovascular Health

Some research has shown that when doctors inject aloe vera extract into the blood, it drastically multiplies the diffusion abilities of red blood cells as well as the oxygen transportation. It contains nutrients that can regulate blood pressure, improve blood oxidation and circulation, lower cholesterol and make blood less sticky.

Precautions and Side Effects of Aloe Vera Juice

1. Recommended Dosage

In her book “Herbal Medicines” Joanne Barnes recommends that children over age 10 and adults have aloe vera juice three times each day in a dose of between 50 and 200 milligrams. She does point out that using it as a laxative is not recommended for over two weeks.

2. Risks of Diarrhea

Because aloe vera juice contains anthraquinones, it can increase your risk of having diarrhea if you consume large quantities. This diarrhea can be severe and include dehydration, stomach cramps and pain.

3. Electrolyte Imbalance

Because of the stimulant laxatives that can be found in aloe vera juice, there may be an electrolyte imbalance or dehydration if you take the juice frequently. This decrease in potassium levels can lead to irregular heartbeats and weakness.

4. Interactions with Drugs

Aloe vera juice can interact negatively with medications, both over-the-counter and prescription especially stimulant laxatives, anti-diabetes drubs, diuretic drugs and sevoflurane (which is used for anesthesia).

5. Precaution for Pregnancy and Breastfeeding

During pregnancy, you should limit your consumption of aloe vera juice due to its purgative and irritant properties. It should not be consumed while breastfeeding as it can cause severe diarrhea for the baby.