What is Aloe Gel?

Description and Sources

• Aloe gel, or aloe vera gel, is a translucent, jelly-like product that lies under the tough skin of the aloe vera leaf. You can obtain aloe gel by cutting off the outer skin of an aloe leaf with a knife. You can also purchase commercially prepared aloe gel, normally with preservatives or other additives. Many cosmetics and skin-care products contain aloe gel among their ingredients.

Uses for Aloe Gel

• Natural medicine uses aloe gel in treating a variety of skin conditions, such as sunburn, other burns and psoriasis. Other possible benefits of aloe gel include healing bedsores, frostbite, cold sores and skin damage from therapeutic radiation. Some people take the gel orally for digestive conditions, such as ulcerative colitis or stomach ulcers. Others use it as a tonic or to treat osteoarthritis, diabetes or high cholesterol.

Effectivness

• According to Medline Plus, aloe gel is possibly effective in treating psoriasis, but scientists have less evidence in favor of other topical uses. Although some evidence exists that it helps heal burns, frostbite, cold sores and bedsores, existing studies are not conclusive. Research using different types of aloe preparations for wound healing gives contradictory results. Although use of aloe gel does not seem to prevent skin damage from radiation treatments, it may postpone the damage. Studies show some effectiveness of aloe gel when taken orally for diabetes, high cholesterol and ulcerative colitis, but again the evidence is not conclusive.

Safety of Aloe Gel

• Use of aloe gel on the skin is "likely safe," according to Medline Plus. A possible side effect of topical application is occasional discomfort, such as itching. Science has not found any serious side effects from applying the gel to the skin. Oral consumption of aloe gel is also deemed "possibly safe" for adults.

Other Aloe Products

• In addition to gel, the leaf contains aloe latex, a yellow substance inside the outer layer of the leaf. Some commercial juices of the aloe plant contain both the latex and the gel. Many over-the-counter laxatives used to contain aloe latex, but the FDA required the manufacturers to take it out as of November 2002. The FDA was concerned because the use of aloe latex as a laxative can require larger doses over time.

Warnings

• As in the case of other natural remedies you use, tell your doctor or other health professional if you use aloe products. According to the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, whole-leaf aloe by mouth is a carcinogen for rats. Medline says the latex may be unsafe in any amount, and a high dose is "likely unsafe." Use of aloe extracts by mouth can cause diarrhea. Because consumption of aloe can lower blood sugar, diabetics on medication should take care. Although not proven, preliminary evidence implicates oral aloe vera in rare cases of liver disease.