Aloe Vera Drinks

Aloe Vera drinks are not necessarily bought for their taste - so why do people buy them (and then keep on buying)?

Well, I reckon that one big attraction is that aloe is known as a natural anti-inflammatory. So drinking it regularly can often lead to inflammatory conditions being benefited.

The long chain of sugar or polysaccharide within the leaf's mucilage layer can help defend humans and animals against attacks from viruses and could even help to balance our immune systems.

Aloe is said, too, to have a beneficial action on bowel function - and we're told by a distinguished doctor (Peter Atherton MB ChB, DObst RCOG, FRCGP), that drinking Aloe Gel enables the bowel to absorb nutrients (especially protein) more efficiently.

As Aloe is also a useful source of minerals (including calcium, sodium, potassium, iron, chromium, magnesium, manganese, copper and zinc) and vitamins (even trace elements of vitamin B12, plus vitamin A, B-group vitamins, vitamin C, vitamin E and folic acid), it is no surprise that many people (including me!) drink the Gel daily as a general tonic for good health.

Have you noticed my use of the word 'Gel' when maybe you were expecting me to mention 'juice'?

Opinions vary about juice versus gel, just as they do about whole leaf versus inner leaf Aloe. So it is important to distinguish between them.

I was first introduced to inner leaf Gel over 12 years ago, when my dog's stiff limbs benefited enormously from Sam drinking it. His hugely improved quality of life made me sit up and take notice... and start asking questions.

I found out that the Gel I was giving him daily came just from the plant's inner leaf and that (after being grown well away from herbicides and pesticides) it was hand-picked and hand-filleted before being stabilised via a unique patented natural process. So the Aloe content was essentially identical to freshly picked inner leaf Gel.

Now let's look at whole leaf Aloe - and aloe juice, which is often substantially diluted! When the whole leaf is used, it is filtered and usually concentrated and the powerful filter may even remove ingredients that we're unaware of.

I find that the simple act of shaking a bottle of juice in health food stores gives a fair idea of its consistency, compared with that of Gel.

But don't take my word for this. Try both aloe vera drinks for yourself and see which works best. I recommend, though, that you never buy either a Gel or a juice unless its container carries the International Aloe Science Council's Seal of Approval.

This independent American regulatory body monitors the quantity of Aloe in products. You need to see their actual Seal of Approval (rather than just a claim) for it to be bona fide.