Aloe Vera: Natural Sources of Antioxidants – A Review

MARZANNA HĘŚ, KRZYSZTOF DZIEDZIC, DANUTA GÓRECKA, ANNA JĘDRUSEK GOLIŃSKA, AND ELŻBIETA GUJSKA 

Studies have proved that the components of Aloe vera have an anti-inflammatory effect,  supports lipids, and antioxidants. The anti-inflammatory properties found can help maintain a  normal, healthy body weight, normal sugar and cholesterol levels, and boost carbohydrate  metabolism. The antioxidants can increase food shelf-life and nutritional value of food, which is  critical to prevent oxidation happening to the food. Because of the high content of antioxidant  vitamins found in the plant like vitamins A, C, E, and B12, enables Aloe vera a source of safe  and effective antioxidant additives that reduce lipid corrosion. The medical uses of the plant  include: wound healing, screening out radiation, reversing aging of the skin and body, helps boost the immune system, treats frostbite and psoriasis, helps to treat tissue burns, and can  prevent damage to the liver. It is an anti-viral, anti-tumor, anti-bacterial, anti-diabetic, anti inflammatory, and contains laxative properties. Foods containing natural properties have become  highly favored. The use of plant extracts as antioxidants have been gaining popularity by  consumers because food containing natural materials are known to be safe.  

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6684795/

Pharmacological Update Properties of Aloe Vera and its major  constituents  

Marta Sánchez, Elena González-Burgos, Irene Iglesias, and M. Pilar Gómez Serranillos* 

 Because of Aloe vera’s antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and wound healing properties, it  has been used to treat digestive problems and skin injuries. However, new recent  pharmacological data has shown to have other therapeutic properties including anticancer, anti diabetic, antioxidant, and cholesterol-lowering agents. Clinical trials have been conducted and  most recent are in vitro and in vivo. A greater number of clinical trials have been encouraged to  test Aloe vera’s main compounds, specifically on cancer, diabetes, and bone protection. The plant  contains more than 75 different compounds including vitamins, minerals, enzymes, sugars, fatty  acids, hormones, and others. Among these compounds, the most major active and researched  focused on are aloin, aloesin, amodin, aloe-emodin, and acemannan. These compounds aid skin  protection, digestive diseases protection, anti-inflammatory activity, bone protection, heart  disease protection, antimicrobial activity, prebiotic activity, and treating reproductive health care  problems.  

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7144722/

Ultrasound meditated accelerated Anti-influenza activity of Aloe  vera  

Enkhtaivan Gansukh, Judy Gopal, Diby Paul, Manikandan Muthu, Doo-Hwan  Kim, Jae-Wook Oh, and Sechul Chun 

 Aloe vera is a well-known and commercialized antimicrobial plant used in beauty  products, herbal medicines, and laxatives; however, Aloe vera also has antiviral activity. In most  recent works, a study was conducted employing a 5 minute ultrasound for the effective removal  of the compounds, aloin and aloe-emodin, from water. The compounds were tested for their anti influenza activity, and the results demonstrated that the removal of the compounds allowed the  water extracts to show excellent for anti-influenza activity. Comparing the Methanol extracts and  the water extracts, researchers proved that the water extracts demonstrated zero cell toxicity  whereas the methanol extracts have shown high levels of cell toxicity. The removals of the  bioactive chemicals found in Aloe vera have been proven to be of vital importance to have access  to all active physiological and pharmaceutical properties.  

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6290770/

The Effect of Aloe Vera Clinical Trials on Prevention and  Healing of Skin Wound: A Systematic Review  

Davood Hekmatpou, PhD, Fatemeh Mehrabi, Kobra Rahzani, PhD, and  Atefeh Aminiyan, PhD 

 Clinical trials were efficiently reviewed aimed to study the effect of Aloe vera on the  healing and prevention of skin wounds. Researchers showed that Aloe vera has been used to  prevent skin ulcers and to treat genital herpes, psoriasis, burn wounds, post surgical wounds,  cracked nipples, and other chronic wounds. In total, 57 articles were studied: 41 studies on  

human subjects;16 studied removed due to animal subjects; and 18 studies excluded due to lack  of access to full texts, lack of transparency of statistical results, and sample sizes having less than  30 cases. As the result, 23 trails were evaluated. The trails conducted included Aloe vera gel,  cream, and byproducts from a control group with placebo and comparisons with other  treatments. Data shows that Aloe vera gel can also change the makeup of collagen, increase the  flexibility, and reduce the fragility of the skin thereby improving wound healing. The positive  effects of more studies have shown aloe vera treat other wounds like mouth sores, ulcers,  diabetes, and bedsores. The results from the research demonstrated that the application of aloe  vera can retain skin moisture and integrity of the skin.  

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6330525/

Aloe vera: A review of toxicity and adverse clinical effects 

Xiaoqing Guo and Nan Mei 

 Aloe vera is used as a dietary supplement in food and as an ingredient is cosmetic  products. Because it has has widespread human exposure, there has been safety concerns due to  its potential toxic and carcinogenic activities. Data shows that the ingestion Aloe vera’s chemical  preparations is linked with kidney failure, diarrhea, potassium deficiency, discoloration of the  large intestine, skin irritation, and hypersensitive reactions. In a research study, there was clear  evidence of cancer potential activity in rats. Adverse clinical effects Aloe vera have been updated  on information on the exposure to toxins including cell toxicity, genetic toxicity, and tumor,  cancer potential in animals and risk in humans.  

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6349368/

9 Healthy Benefits of Drinking Aloe Vera Juice  

Katherine Marengo LDN, R.D 

 Aloe vera has been commonly used to treat sunburns, but drinking the juice can provide  other health benefits. Aloe juice is a way to prevent and treat dehydration by helping the body  detox. It provides a way to flush out impurities of the blood and urine thereby keeping the  kidneys and liver function healthy. Drinking aloe juice increases the water content in the  intestines which can relieve constipation, helping pass stool normally. Because of the hydration  benefit, it may reduce acne in the skin because of the rich source of vitamins and antioxidants;  and it has helped improved skin conditions like dermatitis and psoriasis. It contains important  vitamins like A, B, C, E, B-12, and folic acid that provide a nutritious boost and can be a key  factor is preventing diseases. Relief can be provided to heartburn attacks, help control acid in the  stomach, and fighting off stomach ulcers. Aloe vera juice can combat irritation of the stomach  and intestines because of the supply of enzymes that are known to help the breakdown of fats  and sugars. The plant juice is also used for a number of beauty hacks including makeup primer,  makeup remover, sunburn soother, lightweight moisturizers, and scalp irritation. A study  conducted using concentrations of purified aloe vera proved to have no adverse effects from the  juice.  

https://www.healthline.com/health/food-nutrition/aloe-vera-juice-benefits

Aloe Vera Juice: The Gut-Friendly, Detoxifying Drink  Christine Ruggeri, CHHC 

The three layers of aloe vera, crushed, ground, and filtered, have been used from fighting off  infections, improving health of the skin to aiding detoxification and digestive problems. The  juice has become a popular way of boosting hydration and nutrition of the body. The 75 organic  compounds of the plant leaf including vitamins and minerals have been proven to be beneficial 

for the body. The benefits of the detoxifying drink include it is rich in nutrients, promotes  digestive health, supports skin health, increases immune function, improves detoxification, and  promotes dental health. To get the full benefits of aloe juice, consumers will want to opt for a  purified, organic tested product. The only risk of the juice is digestive issues like diarrhea if too  much of the juice has entered the body.  

https://draxe.com/nutrition/aloe-vera-juice/

Evaluation of the Nutritional and Metabolic Effects of Aloe Vera  Meika Foster, Duncan Hunter, and Samir Samman 

The use of Aloe vera has been used for traditional use. In other cultures like Indian,  Chinese, Mexican American, it is used as a treatment for type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure,  fungal diseases, constipation, skin diseases, worm infestations, stomach pains, and infections. In  modern society, it is used in the pharmaceutical, cosmetic, and food industries. The usage of  Aloe vera for therapeutic claims cover a wide range of conditions. Clinical trials have begun to  increase exploring the effectiveness. Researchers tested the benefits of applying Aloe vera  topically, resulting in benefits in skin conditions and wound healing, including burn injuries,  surgical wounds, dermatitis, psoriasis, and tissue swelling of the mouth. For oral applications of  Aloe vera, researchers determined it can be used as a laxative, treating diabetes, cancer that  spreads, and inflammation of the stomach and ulcers.  

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK92765/

Aloe Vera: A Systematic Review of its Clinical Effectiveness  B K Vogler and E Ernst 

 Aloe vera is used for treating many conditions. To determine the clinical effectiveness of  Aloe vera, four independent literature searches were conducted. As the result, ten studies were  included. Researchers suggested that orally administrating Aloe Vera can be a useful addition for  lowering glucose in the blood in diabetics and reducing blood lipid levels for patients with  abnormally high levels of fats in the body. It was determined that applying Aloe vera topically is  not effective in preventing radiation-induced injuries; however, it can be effective for skin  psoriasis and genital herpes. At present time, even though the results are encouraging, clinical  effectiveness of orally or topically applying Aloe vera has not been clarified sufficiently.  

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1313538/

Aloe Polysacchardides Inhibit Influenza A Virus Infection—A  Promising Natural Anti-Flu Drug 

Zhenhong Sun, Cuilian Yu, Wei Wang, Guangfu Yu, Tingting Zhang, Lin  Zhang, Jiguo Zhang and Kai Wei 

 The Influenza A virus causes annual epidemics, occurring pandemics, acute respiratory  distress syndrome, and seriously threatens human health Aloe polysaccharides or APS, an  extraction from the Aloe vera plant leaves, have promising effects on the therapy of virus  infection. Researchers conducted an in vitro test, determining that APS could restrain the  duplication of the subtype of influenza virus, H1N1. The test revealed that APS was directing  interacting with the virus particles. In the demonstration on mice, the H1N1 virus showed that  APS greatly improved the clinical symptoms, lung damage, reduced the virus loads, and  mortality rate of the infected mice.  

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6170609/