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Aloe Vera, The
Miraculous Healer
The beneficial healing effects of Aloe vera have been documented in ancient
literature for thousands of years including the Old Testament of the Bible. I learned of the healing
effects of Aloe vera from my grandmother long before I became a board certified internist and cardiologist. My
grandmother kept an Aloe vera plant in her house year round, and when anyone would get a burn or other skin injury, she would cut off an Aloe
vera leaf and open it up and lay it on the injured area of the skin, which prompted rapid
healing. In medical practice, I have used Aloe vera preparations topically to rapidly
increase the healing of burns, lacerations, surgical wounds, and various skin lesions,
including psoriasis, pre-cancerous skin lesions, early cancerous skin lesions, lupus
erythematosis and discoid lupus, and a variety of rashes and contact dermatitis.
Most infectious dermatitis, including bacterial and fungal sources appear to heal more rapidly
with Aloe vera application than with most other treatments topically available. It wasn't
until about 1988 that I learned that Aloe vera could be consumed orally and also had
very impressive healing powers internally.
Before discussing the internal applications of Aloe vera, I think that it is important to say
that I have found that not all Aloe vera products are created equally. Of the various
Aloe vera products that I have tested in clinical practice, both topicaily and orally, whole leaf
Aloe veras appear to be superior to the rest, sometimes by a factor of several
fold. Unlike many of the Aloe vera products, a whole leaf cold-processed Aloe vera
product has the aloin removed from the preparations that are used internally. This type
of Aloe is also stabilized for long shelf life and long effectiveness after opening. It has the highest, or
one of the highest, concentrations of biologically active glycoproteins, which appear to
be very important in the healing process. When inadequate amounts of aloin are remove
from other Aloe products, consumption of those Aloe products orally oftentimes will
result in diarrhea, but I have not found that to be a problem with cold-processed whole
leaf Aloe vera products consumed orally.
I first used the oral Aloe vera products in 1988 for the treatment of
esophagitis, gastritis and peptic ulcer. Since then I've started using whole leaf
Aloe instead of the liquid or tablet antacids for treatment of those dyspepsia symptoms. I have found that patients
that consume one-eighth to one-quarter cup of Aloe twice daily are usually able to reduce
the length of intake of prescription medications for ulcer disease by several weeks. I
have not seen any significant side effects from use of oral Aloe, and have seen many side
effects from the prescription medications. Aloe is also quite good at healing lesions of
the mouth including cold sores and infected gums or post-surgical gum wounds, as well
as sore throats from viral or bacterial causes. When diluted to about one-third to
one-half strength with distilled water, whole leaf Aloe designed for oral consumption can
also be used very effectively for nasal congestion and sinus congestion when dropped in the
nose with an eye dropper. This is preferable to many of the prescription and over the
counter spray nasal decongestants, which in some cases have been shown to cause nasal
cancer. Aloe vera nasally has never been shown to cause any kind of cancer. In using the
Aloe orally for mouth lesions and sore throats and dyspepsia, I discovered that patients
who also had irritable Bowel Syndrome had a significant reduction in their symptoms. I
started using the whole leaf Aloe gel for the treatment of ulcerative colitis and Crohn's
Disease with very beneficial effects. As would be expected, the Aloe vera treatment for
dyspepsia and colitis is more effective when used in conjunction with an appropriate
diet for those conditions.
When using whole leaf Aloe orally for these various conditions, I also noticed that
patients who had sleep disturbance demonstrated an improved quality of sleep while on
the Aloe, and that when tile Aloe was discontinued for the other condition, that
oftentimes the sleep disturbance recurred. This observation has also been made in a
controlled study on alcoholic patients in Washington. Patients who use the Aloe on a
regular basis also appeal- to have fewer episodes of viral infection and allergic
symptoms from both food and inhalant allergies than they had prior to starting the
Aloe products. The patients who have cutaneous manifestations of connective tissue diseases do appear
to improve more rapidly if they receive both topical application of the Aloe products as
well as oral administration of the Aloe. This is true especially of lupus. It is also true of
arthritis conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis. I have found that oral
and topical use of Aloe liniment allows a reduction in the amount of prescription
medication used to control these severe forms of arthritis.
For women with recurrent or severe vaginitis, several of the Aloe products are
beneficial in eradicating and controlling the vaginitis symptoms, including the Aloe gel or liquid;
a douche or the Aloe jelly inserted like an over the counter vaginal cream would be
inserted. In my opinion, it is preferable to use an acidophilus powder mixed into a
douche and inserted into the vagina about ten to twelve hours after administration
of the Aloe products, because the Aloe products do reduce the natural flora of the vagina in
addition to the pathogenic organisms present.
I do not have any ownership in or receive any monies from any company that makes
Aloe vera products, but use them because of their effectiveness in patient care and
because of their apparent absence of significant adverse reactions. As I have said, I do
use prescription medications where indicated in conjunction with the Aloe vera product
for treatment of conditions that warrant such, but in many cases, the various conditions
can be treated without using prescription medications at all if the appropriate Aloe
product is used in an appropriate fashion.
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