Lately if you go to any beauty care shop, you will find n number of products in the name of Aloe vera. I decided to investigate little bit on this from the scientific point of view. I just typed aloe vera benefits in pubmed page, and 16 articles came up. Out of which 3-4 are review articles.
To sum up I got the following important information on Aloe vera.
It is an anti inflammatory agent, so in other words, it is known to ease a lot of problems related to inflammation. It is also a natural coolant and hydrating agent. So, this would mean aloe vera can be useful in diseases related to inflammation such as IBS, sun burns and a can be used as a moisturizing agent.
Aloe species are used in the treatment of arthritis, skin cancer, burns, eczema, psoriasis, digestive problems, blood pressure problems, and diabetes. These treatments are based on anecdotal evidence or research findings done almost exclusively on A. vera. Different Aloe species would have various phytochemical contents, health benefits, and possible toxicities.
Compounds present in Aloe vera:
Of all the compounds identified, the groups of compounds best described for their health benefits are the phenolic acids/polyphenols, sterols, fatty acids, and indoles. Apart from these, various alkanes, pyrimidines, alkaloids, organic acids, aldehydes, dicarboxylic acids, ketones, and alcohols were also identified.
Ref: Aloe ferox Leaf Gel Phytochemical Content, Antioxidant Capacity, and Possible Health Benefits. Du Toit Loots,*† Francois H. van der Westhuizen,‡ and Lisa Botes†.J. Agric. Food Chem., 2007, 55 (17), pp 6891–6896
Another interesting article I came across proves that aloe vera juice stimulates collagen production. In skin care industry, this is used as an anti-wrinkle product.(Ref)
And there are many more articles describing Aloe as an effective agent for wound healing, wound cleansing, hygiene, skin care post radiation therapy,
No comments:
Post a Comment