Aloe Vera - The Plant
Often called the "Miracle Plant" or the "Natural Healer", Aloe Vera is a plant of many surprises. It flourishes in warm and dry climates, and many people mistake it for a cactus, but in fact it is a member of the Lily family. It stays moist where other plants would wilt and die, closing its pores to prevent the loss of moisture. There are over 200 varieties of aloes, but it is Aloe Barbadensis Miller (Aloe Vera) which has been of most use to mankind because of the medicinal properties it displays.
Indigenous to Africa, today Aloe Vera is grown and harvested in many areas of the world, from Asia through to the Caribbean, Mexico and the United States of America.

Aloe Vera - The History
Ancient records show that the benefits of Aloe Vera have been known for centuries. Its therapeutic and healing properties have survived more than 5000 years.

George Ebers first discovered its antiquity in 1862, in an Egyption papyrus dated 1500 BC. Greek and Roman physicians such as Dioscorides and Pliny the Elder used it to great effect as a medicinal herb. Researchers have also found the ancient Chinese and Indian cultures used Aloe Vera. Egyptian queens associated its use with their quest for physical beauty, whilst in the Philippines it is used with milk for kidney infections. Aloes are referred to in the bible, and legend suggests that Alexander the Great even conquered the island of Socroto in the Indian Ocean so that he had a supply of aloes available to treat the battle wounds of his soldiers. However the rapid improvement of documented medical science in the western world, and the movement towards less temperate climates, led to a decline in the popularity and availability of Aloe Vera and it fell into disuse.

Nowadays, although chemical medicines are very effective in healing, long term use and complicated interactions with other drugs can cause terrible side effects for patients. Consequently more consumers and scientists are turning back to look at more traditional, and often natural, therapies which, for so long, have been neglected. As a result, Aloe Vera is once again attracting attention as it can provide many benefits to our health and lifestyle.

Aloe Vera - The Facts
Aloe Vera "gel" (leaf sap), obtained from the inner core of the spiky leaves of the plant, contains over 75 known ingredients. If you slice an apple and leave it open to the air, the fruit quickly discolours. So it is with aloe; in the wild the inner leaf gel is well protected by the fleshy outer rind that prevents moisture loss and protects it from the atmosphere. Once the leaf is cut, the process of oxidation begins and, if left unchecked, would rob the precious gel of many of its beneficial properties.

Stabilisation is the method of preserving the gel, in a state as close as possible to its original form, without losing the original potency and effectiveness of the fresh leaf. Without stabilisation, spoilage would occur, even under refrigeration. The unique, patented, stabilisation methods used by Forever Living Products are second to none, and ensure that only the freshest and most potent Aloe Vera is used in their products.

The following information is extracted from "Aloe Vera - The Facts" written by Dr Peter Atherton, MB. ChB. D.Obst. RCOG. MRCGP.

What is Aloe Vera?
Aloe Vera, often called the Miracle Plant, the Natural Healer, the Burn Plant, goes by many names which have survived the 4000 or so years during which this amazing medicinal herb has benefited mankind.
Although there are over 200 species of aloe, there are probably only three or four with medicinal properties. Of these, Aloe Vera Barbadensis (Miller), which is also known as Aloe Vera (Linne), is the most potent.

Aloe Vera Barbadensis is a succulent, looking rather like a cactus but is in fact a member of the lily family related to onions, garlic and asparagus. It reaches maturity in four years when the content of its leaves, a mixture of inner gel and outer sap can be harvested, preserved and bottled to produce a product that is as near to the natural plant juice as we can get.
To benefit from Aloe Vera, the gel can be taken internally for its nutritional effect or it can be combined with other ingredients to produce topical creams and lotions to nourish and improve the quality of the skin.

Why does it work?
It works by providing a rich cocktail of nutritional elements whose combined action and balance produce a more powerful effect together than would be expected from the addition of individual components. This is because they work as a team, enhancing each other's effect - known as synergism. It also has adaptogenic properties which means it is a substance which increases non-specific resistance of an organism to adverse influences such as infection or stress.

Where does it work?
Aloe Vera, because of its nutritional qualities and antioxidant properties, helps firstly to prevent injury to epithelial tissues*, and when they are damaged, it promotes healing. Antioxidants fight the destructive "free radicals", the unstable compounds produced by our metabolism and found in environmental pollutants. They are thought to cause various ailments including some cancers as well as contributing towards the ageing process.

* An epithelium is an anatomical term defined as "A layer of cells that covers the body or lines a cavity that connects it".

Our largest epithelium is our skin but also included are the lining of the gut, the bronchial tubes and the genital tract. No wonder that aloe works just as well on damaged skin as it does, say, on an inflamed bowel or in asthma.

How does it work?
Its natural anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial action combined within its nutritional constituents promote cell growth and therefore healing. However, it is not only helpful for people with problems; most people taking it report a greater sense of well being - they just feel 'better' or they report feeling calmer and less anxious. I believe this last comment is due to aloe's second effect on the immune system which you may say becomes balanced or fine-tuned and therefore more efficient at defending the body from attack.

Inside an Aloe Vera leaf
Aloe Vera gel contains over 75 known ingredients which can be divided into the following groups:-

Vitamins
It contains a wide range, but the most important ones are the antioxidant vitamins C and E and Beta Carotene, the precurser of Vitamin A. It is also one of the few plant sources in the world of Vitamin B12.

Minerals
These include magnesium, manganese, zinc, copper, chromium, calcium, sodium, potassium and iron.

Amino Acids
The human body requires 22 amino acids, the building blocks of proteins and Aloe Vera gel provides 20 of them. More importantly, it provides seven of the eight essential amino acids that cannot be manufactured by the body and which, therefore, have to be consumed as food.

Sugars
These include the important long chain polysacchorides which act on the immune system to boost its effects.

Enzymes
Lipases and proteases which break down food and aid digestion as well as carboxpeptidase that is involved in the inflammatory process.

Plant Sterols
The three main types act as powerful anti-inflammatory agents.

Lignin
This woody substance bestows on Aloe Vera its penetrative ability to reach deep into the skin.

Saponins
These are soapy substances that exert a powerful anti-microbial effect against bacteria, viruses, fungi and yeasts such as candida and thrush.

Anthraquinones
The most important ones being aloin and emodin, but altogether they are strong painkillers, and are acknowledged to possess anti-bacterial and viruscidal activity. In their pure form, they are very powerful laxatives.

Salycylic Acid
This asprin-like compound is anti-inflammatory and topically helps to break down dead tissue.

Which type of aloe
There is no real evidence to suggest that whole leaf aloe, which includes the rind but is filtered and usually concentrated, is any more effective than just the inner leaf gel and sap alone. However, what is most important is the quality and quantity of aloe in the product being sold. Unfortunately, many products on the market labelled as "Aloe Vera juice" may contain only a small amount or proportion of the actual inner leaf gel. If in doubt, look for the Seal of Approval of the International Aloe Science Council. This is an independent American regulatory body which monitors the quality and quantity of aloe products. If their Seal of Approval actually appears on the container (not simply a claim), it is bona fide.

In Conclusion
Aloe Vera is not a panacea for all ills and there is no magic about it. I believe it works primarily in the two areas mentioned previously - epithelial tissue and the immune system. This is largely backed up by anecdotal evidence, as many thousands of people over the centuries have reported benefit for various skin complaints such as eczema, psoriasis, ulcers, burns, acne; even stings and bites. They have found relief for bowel disorders such as colitis, diverticulitis and Irritable Bowel Syndrome. Other conditions resulting from a disordered immune system such as arthritis, asthma and ME (post viral fatique syndrome) and LE (lupus) have improved after a regular ingestion of Aloe Vera gel.

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 advice of their doctor when 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.

About the author
Dr Peter Atherton, MB.ChB.D.Obst.RCOG.MRCGP.
Qualified in 1968 at Leeds University and after six years in the Royal Army Medical Corps, he became a General Practitioner. He is currently the Senior Partner of a training practice with a special interest in dermatology, having spent 3 years working in a dermatology department of a district hospital. This interest combined with an understanding of the power of herbal remedies gained whilst serving in the Far East and India led to his fascination with Aloe Vera. He lectures extensively on the medical aspects of Aloe Vera and is the author of "The Essential Aloe Vera", the definitive work on the subject. He is a Research Fellow of GIFTS of Health and is also currently a Visiting Research Fellow at Green College, University of Oxford.