Aloe vera is a plant with many qualities to take care of your health, whether for internal or external use.
To take advantage of the health benefits of aloe vera, we use the yellow latex extracted from the outer layer of the leaves and the clear, mucilaginous aloe vera gel extracted from inside the aloe vera leaves.
The health benefits of Aloe Vera
For thousands of years, civilizations around the world have used aloe vera for its health benefits.
The use of aloe vera goes back to ancient times and for more than 5000 years, man has always used this fabulous plant to prevent or treat many of his ailments.
Aloe vera is composed of approximately 200 substances with pharmaceutical virtues. Today, this plant is known for its repairing properties on the skin and the whole body. Aloe vera can also stimulate the immune system, heal, purify, relieve and eliminate toxins.
1. Aloe vera: a natural exfoliating scrub
This first benefit should be of great interest to you since it will be very useful for the skin of your face, and therefore to better protect your beard too.
Indeed, in most cosmetic products for the body and the face, we find aloe vera.
It contains active exfoliating ingredients. You can prepare a “homemade” exfoliating scrub for the face or the body with aloe vera.
To do this, you need an aloe vera leaf. Cut it lengthwise and take the inner part.
You can use it as an exfoliating sponge in the shower. You can also use it for your feet. For optimal exfoliation for the feet, you will have to prepare a mask with 4 tablespoons of aloe vera gel, 150 g of oat flakes, 10 cl of body milk, and 90 g of cornmeal.
Leave this exfoliating mask on for a few minutes before rinsing: your feet will regain all their softness.
2. Improves digestive comfort
This plant is mainly known for its action on the skin. However, the benefits of aloe vera juice on digestive comfort are considerable.
It is a natural solution to optimize the digestive process and improve the digestion of the food we eat.
Its properties on digestion make it more efficient, faster, and easier.
The mucilage it contains, which is its gel, lubricates the intestinal villi. It thus facilitates the route of food within the digestive system.
The consumption of aloe vera contributes to maintaining the balance of the microbiota as well as the good functioning of the intestinal functions (in particular concerning constipation). As for the latex of the plant, it is recognized for its laxative virtues.
3. The virtues of aloe vera for the hair
In addition to having a beneficial action on the skin and health, Aloe Vera also has many virtues to maintain and preserve the beauty of hair, naturally!
Indeed, Aloe Vera allows to answer the following needs of the hair:
- Hydration & Nutrition: provide water molecules or lipidic compounds to soften the fiber.
- Sheathing: form a protective layer around the cuticle to strengthen the fiber, close the scales, and thus bring shine to the hair.
- Protection: prevent protein loss during washing, styling, and other hair treatments to preserve the integrity of the fiber and its shine.
- Regulation: avoid overproduction of excess sebum, which causes dandruff, itching, and other irritations.
Well-hydrated hair is hair that remains supple, strong, and easy to style. Particularly rich in water, Aloe Vera is a hydrating ingredient. In addition, when applied to wet hair, it retains water within the hair fiber.
The contribution of amino acids entering the composition of the keratin makes it the ideal beauty ingredient to nourish the hair while respecting the natural pH of the scalp.
4. Is Aloe vera beneficial in the case of diabetes?
According to Ayurveda, traditional Indian medicine, aloe vera would lower blood sugar.
This was confirmed by a synthesis published a few years ago: consumed in oral form, aloe vera stimulates the production of insulin.
It remains to be seen whether this plant could one day give rise to a drug against type 2 diabetes. It is still too early to tell.
The work on the question is not uninteresting, especially on the prickly pear, whose gel is very close. It slows down the absorption of sugar a little, but the effect is not significant enough.
5. Aloe vera to purify the body
This unmodified vegetable water is full of nutrients that are particularly well assimilated by the body.
Among these, there is a complex carbohydrate, acemannan, with amazing properties.
Various studies have shown that it has an anti-inflammatory effect and stimulates the body’s natural defenses.
It has been observed that regular consumption of aloe vera juice normalizes biological constants (cholesterol, glycemia), improves healing, regulates transit, contributes to the good health of the microbiota (our intestinal flora), and hydrates the body, thus ensuring anti-aging effects.
Finally, aloe vera would help to purify the liver and would thus play a significant role in periods of detox.
6. Antiseptic and healing, ideal for skin problems
The antiseptic and healing virtues of Aloe vera make it an important ally in the fight against skin problems such as acne, eczema or to relieve minor burns.
Acne, eczema: calms irritation and itching and fights against the appearance of bacteria.
On mixed to oily skins, it will be very useful to cleanse, tighten the pores and mattify the T zone.
Sunburn, light burns: soothes redness, heals, and allows the regeneration of the epidermis. An essential to soothe the skin after a sunbath.
Insect bites: soothes itching and repairs the skin.
7. Can aloe vera help me lose weight?
From a nutritional point of view, the aloe plant is full of several assets, including active ingredients that are often mentioned in a weight loss diet.
The famous juice of aloe vera, mainly known for its purifying virtues, makes it one of the best drinks for a detox cure. Indeed, the aloe vera cure is an excellent way to naturally purify your body.
This is due to the aloin, an active substance contained in the plant that cleanses the body of all its toxins. After a period of overindulgence, this juice is the ideal drink to rid your intestines of all waste.
It is also effective in burning fat. Indeed, aloe is rich in phytosterols, substances that participate in the elimination of fatty tissues present around vital organs. These organic substances also act to reduce and control blood sugar levels.
Due to this double action of phytosterols, you will be able to reduce your body mass and lose weight efficiently.
Properties of aloe vera
Aloe vera is rich in antioxidants, vitamins, and enzymes. It has softening and moisturizing properties on the mucous membranes of the body.
This wonderful plant comes from arid environments where it manages to store water in its leaves.
Also, water is the main element of the leaf and represents 98 to 99% of its weight. The dry matter, which represents only 1 to 2%, is made up of 60% of polysaccharides. The aloe vera leaf contains more than 75 active compounds (polysaccharides, phenolic compounds, organic acids) as well as 20 minerals, 20 amino acids, and 12 vitamins.
The main secondary metabolites are phenolic compounds such as anthrone and chromone.
Despite the numerous studies on this plant, it is difficult to identify one or several precise active ingredients responsible for its properties; aloe vera has not yet revealed all its secrets.
Research on Aloe vera
The latest scientific research has focused on Aloe vera-based gels and creams and has been conducted in dermatology.
Another research on the action of Aloe vera gel on gingivitis did not confirm its effectiveness.
Other clinical trials have been conducted in the field of diabetes, genital herpes, and chronic constipation.
Some results indicated that a topical product containing 0.5% Aloe vera extract was much more effective than a placebo in helping to treat lesions caused by genital herpes.