The incredible aloe vera offers multiple benefits. This family of plants has over 200 varieties; Aloe Vera Barbadensis Miller is of the greatest use medicinally. This perennial member of the lily family flourishes in warm climates and has been valued for over 4,000 years.
The aloe vera leaf consists of three parts: an outer thick dark green rind, the mucus layer (aloin) and the inner leaf (the gel). The substance found within the leaf (which has been used primarily as an OTc laxative) is the aloe latex. it is found between the rind and inner leaf material, and is a bitter, yellow-brown to reddish substance that contains anthraquinones, including a powerful constituent called aloin that acts as the laxative.
Manufacturers remove this substance during raw material processing. The IASC standard for aloin in products for oral consumption is less than 10ppm (parts per million). in products for topical usage, the cosmetic ingredient review established a limit of 50 ppm of aloin, the accepted industry standard.
Scientists have not yet been able to isolate the component in aloe vera responsible for its healing, moisturizing and cell regenerating powers.
The sum of the parts has the potential to be greater than the whole. in recent times, it has been discovered that the fleshy pulp inside the leaves contains essential nutrients that can alleviate many chronic conditions.
• The most important vitamins in aloe are the antioxidant vitamins c and E, and beta carotene. aloe is also one of the few plant sources of vitamin B12.
• The body requires 22 amino acids – aloe vera gel provides 20. More importantly, it provides essential amino acids that cannot be manufactured by the body and have to be consumed as food. aloe vera helps enhance nutrient absorption and maintain a healthy digestive system.
• Minerals in aloe include magnesium, manganese, zinc, copper, chromium, calcium, sodium, potassium and iron.
• The sugars in aloe vera include the important long chain polysaccharides, which boost the immune system.
• The enzymes lipase and protease break down food and aid digestion; carboxypeptidase is involved in the inflammatory process.
• Three main types of plant sterols act as powerful antiinflammatory agents.
• Saponins exert a powerful antimicrobial effect against bacteria, viruses, fungi and yeasts such as candida or “thrush”.
• Aloe contains anthraquinones, the most important being aloin and emodin. They are strong painkillers, and acknowledged to possess anti-bacterial and viruscidal activity. in their pure form, they are very powerful laxatives.
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