Aloe vera does more than soothe burns — 4 health benefits of aloe

3 min readFeb 15, 2022

Did you know aloe vera is for more than just burns? 😮

This humble house plant is touted for its ability to soothe burns as well as enhance skin health, optimize gut health, and the lesser-known benefit of lowering blood glucose levels when consuming capsules or juice.

Let’s dive in.

1. SOOTHES BURNS

Aloe is pretty well documented as a burn remedy, but it doesn’t hurt to hammer this point in.
A study was done comparing the burn healing effects of aloe vs vaseline and gauze. The results ⬇️
The average time of healing in the aloe gel area was 11.89 days and 18.19 days for the vaseline gauze-treated wound.
This study showed the effectiveness of aloe vera gel on partial-thickness burn wounds. If you are as clumsy as me in the kitchen, this plant is handy to have around.

2. HELPS WITH IBS AND GUT ISSUES

Aloe is well known for its anti-inflammatory properties and this is why it can be put to good use for gut issues such as IBS.
A meta-analysis (a big study that compiles lots of other studies to make a conclusion) was done on using aloe for IBS and it was proven to be a safe and effective treatment for IBS symptoms with no adverse/negative issues from taking it.
It can have a laxative effect when you are bunged up and can also have a soothing effect when you can’t stop going 💩🚽.
It also has been shown to help treat leaky-gut syndrome (when your gut cells aren’t super tight together, so stuff in the gut that is meant to stay there passes into the bloodstream 😔) in animal studies by helping to increase zonulin expression in the gut (the clips that keep gut cells together 🙂).

3. MAKES YOUR SKIN RADIANT — ANTI-AGING

CONSUMED AS SUPPLEMENT:

As little as 1200mg/day of an aloe supplement was able to improve skin elasticity and reduce facial wrinkles after 90 days of supplementation.
Aloe gel significantly improves wrinkles and elasticity in aged human skin, with an increase in collagen production in the skin and a decrease in the collagen-degrading MMP-1 gene expression.

USED TOPICALLY:

To my surprise, there is actually very little evidence available in the literature looking at the effectiveness of aloe used topically for anti-aging. There is anecdotal evidence that it helps to unclog pores and softens the skin when used in a mask or as a standalone product on the face.
However, aloe has AMPLE evidence that it helps treat these skin maladies: genital herpes, psoriasis, HPV, seborrheic dermatitis, lichen planus and general skin inflammation.

4. LOWERS BLOOD GLUCOSE LEVELS

When you drink aloe vera juice or take aloe vera supplements, they can help lower your blood sugar levels which is a prominent issue nowadays with heart disease, diabetes and metabolic syndrome running rampant and claiming many people’s lives sooner than we’d like.
300 mg supplements twice a day were able to significantly lower fasting blood sugars levels after 4 weeks.
300 mg supplements twice a day were able to significantly reduce HbA1C (long-term blood sugar marker) after 8 weeks.
BONUS: IMPROVES LIPID PROFILE — 500 mg twice a day was able to reduce the levels of total cholesterol and LDL-C along with HDL-C level improvement just after eight weeks.

Okay. Go buy some aloe.