A Guide to Selecting Aloe Vera Juice
You’ve undoubtedly seen aloe vera in skin care products. There are aloe vera creams for sunburns, as well as moisturizing creams with aloe vera. But there is a wide range of drinks that contain aloe vera extract in them as well. It seems that just as aloe vera can have a calming effect on irritated skin, aloe vera juice can also help calm your digestive system as well!
Aloe vera juice may help in cases like heartburn or constipation, and it has quite a few vitamins, minerals, and amino acids (the building blocks that your body uses to make proteins). But, there are also some things to look out for when purchasing aloe vera juice. It’s not exactly the type of drink that you can have every day, and doctors even warn against it. You should educate yourself about the benefits and possible risks before adding aloe vera juice to your diet.
We’ll go through some of the offerings in the Best Reviews Guide list of aloe vera juices. Some are very concentrated and are meant to be taken in small amounts, around 4 times a day, when you feel you need it. And others are purely for your drinking pleasure, in all sorts of flavors. Let’s have a look at what the aloe plant has to offer!
FAQ
What health benefits are there to aloe vera juice?
There are a number of health benefits associated with aloe vera juice:
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Aids digestion: The ingredient aloin in the aloe vera leaf is a strong laxative. But, even aloe vera products where the aloin has been removed to safe levels are still useful in treating constipation. Due to its fiber content, aloe vera juice can also have a soothing effect on people who suffer from irritable bowel syndrome, where people have abdominal pain or alternate between constipation and diarrhea. Aloe vera juice also promotes the growth of good intestinal flora for proper digestion and regular bowel movements.
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Balances stomach acid: Aloe vera juice has a pH of around 6, meaning that it’s only slightly acidic. Studies have shown that it can balance the levels of stomach acid, without inducing the stomach to produce more acids. This property makes aloe vera juice ideal for treating conditions like heartburn, acid reflux, or GERD ( = gastroesophageal reflux disease), Crohn's Disease, and symptoms stemming from peptic ulcers. (Lily of the Desert’s Aloe Vera Herbal Stomach Formula contains aloe vera extract, as well as chamomile, peppermint, and ginger to neutralize excess stomach acid.)
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Helps in the absorption of nutrients: Aloe vera juice contains 18 amino acids, minerals such as calcium, magnesium, and zinc, as well as Vitamins A, C, E, and folic acid. This high nutritional content can help your body absorb nutrients more efficiently, as well as regulate blood pressure.
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Contains antioxidants: Aloe vera contains antioxidants, that can eliminate free radicals that cause cell damage and aging. Antioxidants also act to suppress growth of bacteria. So, aloe vera can give a boost to your immune system.
Types of Aloe Vera Juices
The aloe vera leaf consists of three parts:
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a tough outer rind to help the plant retain water in arid conditions,
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a thin layer of yellow sap underneath the rind, called aloe latex, and
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the inner gel-like portion of the leaf.
Aloe latex has chemicals called anthraquinones, or aloin. This tends to be very bitter and is also a strong laxative. Looking at the different products in the Best Reviews Guide list of aloe vera juices, we see two product categories: products that use the whole leaf, and those that only use the inner portion:
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Whole leaf juice: Most manufacturers extract aloe vera juice from the inner gel part of the leaf. But, some use the entire leaf in producing aloe vera juice. Lily of the Desert’s Whole Leaf Aloe Vera Juice Drink uses the entire leaf, but most of the laxative aloin has been filtered out (reducing the amount of aloin from 1% to less than .0001%), making it safe to consume daily.