Aloe Vera for General Feedback

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The comments below reflect the personal experiences and opinions of readers and do not represent medical advice or the views of this website. The information shared has not been evaluated by the FDA and is not intended to diagnose, treat, or prevent any disease or health condition. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional for medical concerns.

Jo (Abq, Nm) on 04/11/2014:
5 out of 5 stars

High in the mtns of NM, I can't grow Aloe outside, but keep great pots of it inside. Have to throw it on the compost, it multiplies so fast.
REPLY   5      

Aubergine (Washington, Dc) on 02/02/2012:
0 out of 5 stars

Bad experience with aloe juice: After reading here about people's good experiences with Aloe, I figured I would try some. My grocery store sells the stalks, but I didn't want to bring one of those home - one of my kids would probably try to use it as a weapon, if my husband didn't put it in the trash first - so I looked at the aloe products on the shelf with the supplements. I was a bit confused by all the choices but I ended up getting a juice product that uses a formulation called "ActivAloe. " Without mentioning the actual brand name (which does have the word "aloe" in it), it comes in a 32-oz bottle and there are three flavors - the original "gold" as well as "cherry berry" and "orange papaya. " I chose the orange papaya. The label says it's 7% orange and papaya juices, and the rest is "whole leaf aloe vera juice concentrate. " I tried some that evening. The label said to take 2 Tablespoons (1 oz) so that's what I took. During the evening I was very gassy, but I have that problem when I eat certain sugars or processed foods so I figured it was something I had snacked on earlier. Later that night I felt like I was getting a cold. I took a little extra ACV plus some extra vitamin C, did a sinus rinse (which I routinely do anyway) and gargled with a hydrogen peroxide oral cleanser.

In the morning I felt a little worse with congestion in my sinuses and chest. I did my normal breakfast routine (a green superfoods bar plus ACV, lecithin, coconut oil, turmeric and oatmeal) plus a 1-oz dose of the aloe juice. I made sure to stick with alkaline foods throughout the day - this normally eliminates any cold symptoms for me within half a day - but I didn't feel better. Also I was still very gassy, which didn't make much sense since I was not eating any of the bad stuff that tends to give me gas. I continued for 2 more days with alkaline foods, ACV and my other regular supplements, plus 1 ounce of aloe juice twice a day, plus extra vitamin C and sinus rinses morning and evening, without any relief of the cold symptoms. (I also felt generally crummy, as with any cold. )

Then last night I noticed that an old case of thrush was back - but not just in the one little spot where I had it before. This time, seemingly overnight, the pockets between my cheeks and gums were inflamed on both sides of my mouth. I was also gassier than ever. By this time I had figured out that the gas was the worst shortly after I drank the aloe juice. I thought, "how can anything that makes me this gassy actually be healthy for me?" It suddenly dawned on me that maybe the aloe juice was actually making me sick. I poured the rest of the bottle down the drain.

Today I did an oil pull and I'm continuing the alkaline food routine with ACV and plenty of water to try to flush out whatever's bothering me. 24 hours after stopping the aloe (which I only took for 72 hours in the first place) I feel somewhat better, but I still have some of the congestion and the thrush. (The gas, thank goodness, is gone. ) Hopefully there will be more improvement tomorrow.

It occurred to me that the aloe might be bringing out some sort of toxin that was locked up in my cells somewhere, but that seems unlikely. I started taking ACV every day 5 months ago, and since then added sunflower lecithin (Ted's "pulling oil" remedy, 2 TBSP per day), coconut oil, turmeric, raw honey, and green superfood capsules to my daily diet. (I was already taking fish oil and vitamin E. ) At the same time I have greatly reduced or cut out many of the acid-forming foods I used to eat, and have added more vegetables and other whole, alkaline foods. (I have also done some oil pulling with EVCO but I have had trouble making it a routine. ) With these improvements I've lost weight effortlessly, I don't feel hungry, my skin looks great, the bumps on the backs of my arms disappeared, my chronic case of thrush went away, and the osteoarthritis in my hip no longer bothers me.

My point is that I would be surprised if the aloe juice suddenly brought out toxins that the other remedies hadn't touched. But I could be wrong! And I have used aloe vera gel on my skin in the past without any adverse reactions. Anyway, now I'm a little leary of trying other forms of aloe, but maybe after I get better I'll go ahead and buy a stalk of the real thing and carefully monitor the effects!

REPLY   6      

Alfred (Rangsit, Bangkok, Thailand) on 06/04/2011:
5 out of 5 stars

Alo Vera is an amazing plant.. It grows like a weed.. Easy to grow inside your home as well as outside..

I have it growing outside my home.. Every day cut off one the the arms.. Rub off spines on side.. Wash, cut up and mix it into what your eating.. Do not peel.. Its all good .. the skin and inside .. just eat, eat, and get healthier..

Alfred

REPLY   7      



Nancy (Brighton, Mi) on 12/21/2010:
0 out of 5 stars

I RECENTLY PURCHASED A BOTTLE OF ALOE VERA GEL AND APPLIED A SMALL AMOUNT TO MY FACE. WAS TOLD IT WAS GOOD FOR ANTI AGING. I LEFT IT ON TILL IT DRIED THEN WASHED OFF WITH WARM WATER. MY FACE BURNED, TURN RED AND STAYED THAT WAY FOR A HALF AN HOUR. HAS ANYBODY HAD THIS REACTION??
REPLY   4      

Fountainflower (Chicago, Il, 60302) on 03/26/2010:
1 out of 5 stars

Warning

I studied holistic medicine and healing for many years. After a stint of ill health and poor diet, I developed two ulcers and then GERD and was told Aloe Vera was the best cure by other professionals in the alternative healing arts. I used it for almost a year. I ended up much sicker than I should have been, with a stomach valve that refuses to close properly, malnutrition, esophageal spasms that either felt like heart problems and caused me to call an ambulance or that triggered a near fatal PSVT as I have pre-existing heart disease already.

Here's the think about Aloe. I started seeing a Chinese doctor when my life was at stake and I was bedridden in agony. The aloe is a temporary cure that makes you feel better but is only recommended for a week or two at most. Aloe has a cooling effect on your digestion. It slows your digestion, even though it has laxative properties. It metabolically cools your digestive tract, and for someone like me, who was suffering from lack of digestive fire, and the inability to digest my food properly, this made my condition life-threatening, and then the food started backing up in my stomach, thus causing the stomach valve to not close properly, thus causing MORE esophageal spasms (GERD) that put my life at risk. After two years of agony, when I stopped the aloe, I started healing, recovering from pain and malnutrition, and started losing weight. I HIGHLY recommend NOT using Aloe as a remedy for more than a week or two, and instead, go see a holistic or Chinese doctor for your ailment, FIND THE ACTUAL CAUSE< change your diet, meditate, and get a cure that doesn't have the potential to kill you. And yes, I was staunch advocate of Aloe as a cure, I stood by it and even argued with the doctor that he was wrong for 6 months.

So please realize, I am very alternative and holistically minded, but Aloe is not something you should drink on a long-term basis without a doctor advising and monitoring your progress and digestion, because unless you have too much heat (in Chinese terms) in your bowels and adrenal organs, which is rarely the case with GERD and constipation, drinking Aloe will make you sicker over time. Please consider my words.

REPLY   11      

Rich (Gainesville, USA) on 09/08/2008:
5 out of 5 stars

Thanks to everyone for telling their personal success stories using cayenne pepper. I have used it on and off for years, but I will start using it only on from now on.

I have a couple of other remedies to share with you. Many of us know about aloe vera and its topical uses, but did you know that the gel is very nutritious and it can be eaten? It has virtually no flavor after you rinse off the yellow juice and it is great for your health. Aloe is similar to cayenne in that it increases the effectiveness of anything that you take with it, so I'm going to try taking aloe and cayenne together. That promises to be a very powerful combo. Aloe has many, many uses and I encourage everyone to read up on it. There are other medicinal aloes too, like aloe ferox, aloe saponaria and aloe arborescens. Aloe has proven to be of tremendous benefit to cancer and AIDS patients! Like cayenne peppers, you can easily grow your own aloe.

Another great remedy is North pole magnetism. A scientist named Albert Roy Davis discovered that the North and South poles of a magnet are two different energies with opposite effects. The North pole energy will heal many conditions while the South pole with worsen most conditions. There are some therapeutic uses for the South pole, however. Yes, magnets do work, but you need to have the right type of magnet and use the correct pole. Get quality ceramic type magnets, use the North pole only and you'll be amazed at what magnets can do. Albert Roy Davis discovered that North pole magnetism can eliminate many diseases, even including cancer. It can even slow aging. Literally! Exposing the spleen to North pole magnetism on a regular basis will slow the rate of aging, and this was confirmed at the Medical College of Pennsylvania. Read the books written by Davis and Walter C. Rawls, Jr.

REPLY   1      

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