Aloe vera is found everywhere from shaving creams to lotions, cosmetics, soaps, facial and toilet tissues, and sunburn creams. SPINS listed aloe vera first in its 2009 five top-selling herbal supplements, and SPINS data from 2010 shows aloe selling $11,695,785 in the natural channel, excluding Whole Foods Market, which was a 6.7-percent increase from 2009.
And rightfully so, as aloe vera gel contains many active constituents, including amino acids, vitamins, minerals, sterols, enzymes and polysaccharides. It flourishes in arid environments, preferring solid sun with an ability to withstand being watered infrequently. Freezing destroys aloe vera crops only about once every 20 years, which results in a shortage where the bad weather hits. Because aloe vera is grown in many areas of the globe, a freeze has never eliminated the entire crop, but it has caused rises in global costs.
While there are more than 400 known aloe species, aloe vera, the common name for the species Aloe vera (L.) Burm f. (or aloe barbadensis) is the primary species used in the majority of products. Whole-leaf aloe for cosmetic products is obtained by grinding the entire aloe leaf, then removing the rind material and aloe latex via filtration. A good filtration process removes the aloe latex down to 10 ppm or 50 ppm or less in cosmetic applications.
Over the years, many manufacturers have been guilty of “fairy dusting" products with aloe vera so efficacious doses are not present. To combat this issue, the International Aloe Science Council (IASC) established a certification program in the 1980s. The IASC program verifies products contain a string of sugars called acemannan, or beta 1-4 acetylated glucomanan, among other components. Acemannan is naturally occurring in the plant and is measured by IASC using a nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) method.
If a product has enough acemannan and other healthy aloe components, and contains a minimal amount of aloe latex, which is used primarily in crude drugs, it potentially has the power to deliver beneficial effects. Most recognizable are its skin benefits. “Aloe vera is calming and moisturizing for the skin, and cumulative evidence supports its use for helping the body heal small wounds and burns," said Marina Linsley, marketing director, NP Nutra. “In fact, a compound present in aloe vera called acemannan can assist the immune system by boosting the amount of T-lymphocyte cells in the body."
A Brazilian study of 20 women found freeze-dried aloe vera extract was an effective ingredient for improving skin hydration and suggested it may be used in moisturizing cosmetic formulations and also as a complement in the treatment of dry skin.1
Expanding beyond dry skin, a 40-study review of dermatology-oriented in vitro and in vivo experiments and clinical trials of aloe vera determined oral administration of aloe vera in mice is effective on wound healing, can decrease the number and size of papillomas, and reduce the incidence of tumors and leishmania parasitemia by more than 90 percent in the liver, spleen and bone marrow.2 The Iranian researchers reported aloe vera can be effective for genital herpes, psoriasis, human papilloma virus, seborrheic dermatitis, aphthous stomatitis, xerosis, lichen planus, frostbite, burn, wound healing and inflammation. However, they noted evidence does not support the topical application of aloe vera as an effective prevention for radiation-induced injuries and has no sunburn or suntan protection.
Post surgery, aloe can also offer relief. A 2010 study from Iran assessed the effects of aloe vera cream in reducing postoperative and post-defecation pain, and its promotion of wound healing after hemorrhoid-removal surgery.3 Researchers found, using a prospective, randomized, double blind, placebo-controlled trial with 49 patients, those in the topical aloe cream group (n=24) had significantly less postoperative pain at 12, 24 and 28 hours, and two weeks after surgery compared to placebo (n=25). Aloe cream reduced the pain after defecation in 24 and 48 hours post surgery (P<0.001). Wound healing at the end of the second postoperative week was significantly greater in the aloe group compared with the placebo group (P<0.001).
Both topical and oral treatments with aloe vera were found to have a positive influence on the synthesis of glycosaminoglycans, which maintain and support collagen and elastin, and thereby beneficially modulate wound healing.4 A review of clinical trials for burn healing examined aloe vera’s effects in four studies with a total of 371 patients.5 The Thai researchers reported the average difference in healing time of the aloe vera groups was 8.79 days shorter than those in the control groups (P=0.006).
Aloe vera has also been tested in its ability to help specific skin ailments, such as psoriasis and erythema (reddening of the skin). A randomized, double blind, placebo-controlled Danish trial that included 41 patients reported aloe vera gel’s effects on stable plaque psoriasis was modest and not better than placebo.6 However, they noted the high response rate of placebo indicated a possible effect in its own right, which would make the aloe vera gel treatment appear less effective. The plant fared better in a German study of 40 volunteers, which found aloe vera gel (97.5 percent) significantly reduced UV-induced erythema after 48 hours, and was superior to the 1-percent hydrocortisone in the placebo gel.7
References available on the next page.