Medicinal Uses of Aloes
 Aloe vera |
Aloes is a medicinal substance used as a purgative and produced from various species of aloe, such as A. vera, vulgaris, socotrina, chinensis, and perryi. Several kinds of aloes are distinguished in commerce--Barbadoes, Socotrine, hepatic, Indian, and Cape aloes. The first two are those commonly used for medicinal purposes. Aloes is the expressed juice of the leaves of the plant. When the leaves are cut the juice flows out and is collected and evaporated. After the juice has been obtained, the leaves are sometimes boiled, to yield an inferior kind of aloes.
Aloe Vera
Aloe Vera has been used in medicine for thousands
of
years. It was brought to America in the 1500’s by the
Spaniards.
Uses: Aloe gel is used on burns, scrapes, cuts, and
sunburn.
Aloe juice has been used internally for constipation.
How it works: On the skin, aloe turns off the chemicals that cause swelling and pain. It may also fight bacteria and fungus. Fresh aloe gel straight from a plant seems to work better than the aloe gel for sale in stores. The aloe juice that you can drink is a very powerful laxative. It stops the intestine from re-absorbing water.
Dose: Aloe gel may be applied to your skin in whatever
amount is comfortable for you. The amount of
aloe juice to drink is not really known. But it is not
recommended that you drink more than 1 quart per
day.
Safety: Because aloe is such a powerful laxative you
may have diarrhea and cramping.
Aloe juice should never be given to children or elderly
patients. Aloe may affect your absorption of other
medications, and should not be taken within 2 hours
of taking any other medicine. Diabetics should monitor
blood sugars closely after drinking aloe juice.