What Are the Benefits of Aloe Pulp Juice?

Aloe may help alleviate symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome.
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Aloe vera, a succulent plant that grows in warm climates throughout the world is also a familiar inhabitant of windowsills in colder climates. Aloe produces thick, spiny leaves and stalks of yellow flowers. Herbalists and traditional medicine practitioners use the central portion of aloe's pulpy, fluid-filled leaves to produce a juice, referred to as a gel, or simply as aloe, to treat minor skin scrapes and burns. You can also consume aloe pulp juice, which is thought to benefit certain health conditions.

Blood Sugar Management

    Aloe may help control blood sugar levels in Type 2 diabetics, notes the University of Maryland Medical Center. Aloe vera in combination with wheat germ oil and coriander lowered blood sugar in diabetic animals in a study published in the April 2010 "Indian Journal of Medical Sciences." Healthy animals showed lower blood sugar levels after 30 days of supplementation with equal parts of the three plant extracts, while diabetic animals showed significant improvements in blood sugar with combinations that included both lower and higher concentrations of aloe juice. Results of the aloe supplement compared favorably to those of a control group that received a conventional diabetes medication.

Ulcerative Colitis Benefits

    Anti-inflammatory effects of aloe may help control symptoms of ulcerative colitis, according to a study published in the April 2004 issue of the journal "Alimentary Pharmacology and Therapeutics." Participants consumed 100 milliliters of aloe vera gel twice a day, made from the pulp, or central portion of the leaf, for four weeks. Aloe improved symptoms in 37 percent of participants while 30 percent experienced complete remission of symptoms compared to a control group that did not receive aloe. New York University's Langone Medical Center notes that, though this study seems promising, larger studies are needed to confirm these results before aloe can be recommended as a reliable treatment for ulcerative colitis.

Irritable Bowel Symptom Relief

    Aloe combined with chamomile decreased symptoms of stress-related irritable bowel syndrome compared to a stress-free control group that did not receive aloe in an animal study published in the December 2012 "Chinese Journal of Integrative Medicine." Equal parts of the two herbs at doses of 150 milligrams per kilogram body weight for seven days slowed stomach emptying and reduced the speed of food through the small and large intestines. Aloe also decreased oxidation, or cell damage from accumulated toxins and waste products, in the study.

Stomach Protection

    Aloe might help protect the lining of the stomach by decreasing acid production in the stomach, according to a study published in the July 2004 "Journal of Ethnopharmacology." Researchers observed that aloe lowered stomach acid production in animals with high acid levels. They concluded that aloe might help prevent damage to the stomach from various chemical irritants. A combination of aloe and an ulcer drug reduced inflammation and promoted healing of ulcers, compared to a control group that did not receive the supplement combination in an animal study published in the April 2006 "World Journal of Gastroenterology."

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