Aloe Vera Juice Benefits

The Health Benefits of Aloe Vera Juice

Aloe juice is truly one of the most potent natural healing tonics in the world. It can help with arthritis, acid reflux, ulcers, skin conditions, inflammatory conditions and more. Read on to discover the many health benefits associated with aloe vera...

I have a deep and fundamental trust and understanding of healing plants and herbs. Every plant has a certain magic. A person who is willing to delve deeply into the heart of any single plant will find themselves amazed by the breadth and depth of its application; making food taste better and healing the body. Even smelling a plant (aromatherapy) can stimulate a powerful healing response.

Then there are the superheroes of the plant world. The plants that, when trouble arises, disappear into a medicine cabinet and emerge a shining light of truth, justice, and purest healing potential. Aloe Vera Juice is one of those heroes.

Here's a quick list of aloe vera juice benefits:

• Heals inflammation like arthritis, colitis, acne, rosacea, diverticulitis
• Heals ulcers
• Soothes acid reflux, heartburn
• Balances skin problems like acne, eczema, and dermatitis
• Reduces Pain
• Soothes sunburn, cuts, scrapes, and abrasions
• Eases elimination
• Improves immune function

In looking at Aloe Vera Juice benefits, I'll start with all the cool stuff in it. The funny thing is that aloe juice contains relatively little of most of its ingredients. Aloe juice is an example of synergy. The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.

I think of it like a good recipe: the best tasting broth isn't the one that has the most of something. The best broth is the one that balances all its delicate aromas and flavors into a masterpiece. That's aloe juice.

The ingredients in this masterful broth include:

• Vitamins: Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin E, and Vitamin B12. Yes, B12, the elusive energy vitamin.
  
• Minerals: Calcium, Manganese, Magnesium, Copper, Zinc, Chromium, and Selenium
  
• Enzymes: Protease, Lipase, Bradykinase (found to be a good anti-inflammatory)
  
• Sugars: No, not the sweet stuff. Well, sweet in its effectiveness but not to the tongue. These sugars are monosaccharides, polysaccharides, glucose, and mannose.
  
• Anthraquinones: What? Yes, I know, some of the terms for these magic constituents need to tone down their syllable count. In small quantities, anthraquinones reduce pain, act as anti-bacterial and anti-viral agents, and aid nutrient absorption in the stomach and intestine. Concentrated amounts of anthraquinones act more as a laxative.
  
• Lignin: Lignin is a substance that makes allows aloe juice and anything it is combined with to penetrate deeply into the skin.
  
• Saponins: Aloe Juice helps your body control bacteria, viruses, fungus, and yeast.
  
• Sterols: Aloe Vera Juice benefits to inflammation are largely due to the campesterol, cholesterol, lupeol, and beta-sisosterol, natural plant steroids.
  
• Salicylic Acid: the stuff in aspirin that reduces pain.
  
• Amino Acids: Even more aloe vera juice benefits come from the 22 amino acids found in aloe juice. Seven of which are essential, meaning they have to come from the diet. Plants rarely have such an incredible range of amino acids, all of which perform dozens of actions in the body.

Impressive. Now let's delve into the specifics...

Aloe Vera Juice Benefits and Inflammation

A good place to start when discussing aloe vera juice benefits is its application for reducing inflammation. Inflammation is defined as: a response of body tissues to irritation or injury; characterized by pain, swelling, redness, and heat.

Any agent that helps to reduce inflammation through a healing response has far-reaching potential and aloe is no exception. Almost every form of heart disease is an inflammatory condition. Cancer is an inflammatory condition. Additionally, any dis-ease that ends in "itis" is inflammation. These are bigtime issues. When a natural product addresses the overlooked hidden cause of many diseases, inflammation, it is worth it to look a little closer.

One of the ways Aloe Vera Juice benefits the body and reduces inflammatory conditions is through anthraquinones, sterols and enzymes. In studies, aloe juice reduces pain and inflammation. Arthritis, in particular, seems to respond well to aloe vera therapy. It is also extremely effective for inflammation in the GI tract, such as colitis or diverticulitis. For anti-inflammatory usage, I would recommend fresh, whole leaf aloe vera juice. Running the aloe vera leaf through a juicer would preserve the enzymes and other phyto-nutrients.

Aloe Vera Juice Benefits for Digestion

Aloe juice is great for the digestive tract. It exerts a soothing effect that eases the process of digestion, assimilation, and elimination. I have known dozens of people with digestive issues that have seen great results with whole leaf aloe vera juice. Two ounces taken twice daily, on an empty stomach, yields good results for most of my clients.

Aloe Vera Juice Benefits for Skin Health

Perhaps the most well known health benefits of drinking aloe vera juice is for sunburn. It is great for that. I have lived in Florida through several years of my life and have seen aloe vera work wonders. But it is also extremely effective for skin conditions like eczema, psoriasis, and almost any other form of dermatitis. Aloe vera juice benefits also include healing cuts, scrapes, and abrasions. It stimulates a rapid healing response and prevents infection.

Any time a client comes to me with a skin issue, I suggest aloe vera. My favorite aloe vera gel product is Skin Gel by the company Aloe Life. Genuinely a remarkable product. It also contains some Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin E, and herbal extracts of chamomile and comfrey. I love the stuff and keep a bottle in my medicine cabinet at all times.

Aloe Vera Juice Products

The aloe vera products I am most familiar with are from Aloe Life and Lily of the Desert. That is not to say that there aren't other great products out there. There are many companies that produce fantastic products. I have heard good things about Pure Planet's aloe juice. I have also seen aloe products from Aubrey Organics that looked really good. When looking for aloe vera juice products, do a little research first. The manufacturing methods can be quite different from company to company with varying degrees of aloe vera juice benefits as a result.

You might want to check out the IASC, International Aloe Science Council. They are a fantastic organization dedicated to researching aloe vera juice benefits. They have a rigorous certification program and seeing their logo on an aloe product assures quality.

Juicing your own Aloe Vera Juice

When making your own aloe vera juice through a juicer, try to find aloe vera barbadensis miller. Long name, I know, but it's the best of all aloe species for healing purposes. Thank the plant, cut off 3-4 inches of a thick leaf, and run it through the juicer. It is soft enough that most juicers can handle it.

There are a lot of different opinions about aloe vera juice side effects and whether to juice the whole leaf or the gel. Many will say that the outer green layer is highly laxative. In my experience, I have not found this to be true. I believe if the anthraquinone content were to be concentrated, it would definitely be a laxative. I have consumed as much as 8 ounces of whole leaf aloe vera juice at a time and have never gotten a laxative result.

It is still a good idea to start out slow and see how it is going to affect you. Do some research, find a good product, and try an ounce. If you don't have any ill effects, try a little more. Listen to your body, it'll let you know what's working and what's not working. This habit will also increase your awareness of your body, which is always a good thing. Although many people, including myself, like the taste of aloe vera juice, some find it unpleasant. In this case, it's easy to add an ounce or two of another fruit juice to make it more fun to drink. Fresh pineapple juice, cherry juice, or blueberry juice are particularly good.

The more educated you become about aloe juice and aloe vera juice side effects, the more confidence you will have in deciding if aloe juice is for you.

Related Aloe Vera Juice Pages: