Aloe Vera Produces Anti-Inflammatory, Immune Strengthening Effects On Skin

The succulent leaf of the Aloe vera plant is one of nature’s most revered therapeutic herbs. Throughout history, Aloe vera has been regarded as a miraculous healing plant.

Many cultures observed that Aloe produced remarkable benefits. Historical and religious documents of the Egyptians, Romans, Greeks, Hebrews, Chinese, Indians, Algerians, Moroccans, Tunisians and Arabians report its effectiveness for both internal and external uses.

Aloe vera - Traditional Herbal Medicine

During the summer of 1967, I was hired to conduct research at the world’s first medical laser laboratory at Children’s Hospital in Cincinnati. Every day, after completing my experiments, I would go into the room where the research animals were housed to help them heal from laser burns.

Aloe Vera and Skin Disorders / Burns

After using several preparations, I observed that Aloe vera gel produced the most impressive healing of various skin disorders including burns, lesions and cancers. I also tested the gel on myself after an accidental laser burn, and then on a few willing patients at the laboratory. Each time, Aloe consistently and quickly produced results.

Aloe is a well-known burn remedy and is used in trauma centers in California, Illinois, New York, Texas and other states. One reason Aloe has a range of beneficial effects, even being gently rubbed onto the surface - is that it has the ability to penetrate the skin.

Research conducted by Ivan E. Danhof, Ph.D., M.D., retired professor of clinical pharmacology and physiology at the University of Texas, and author of a three-book series on Aloe, shows Aloe vera gel penetrates human skin almost four times faster than water. Because Aloe is a super penetrator, it is added to moisturizers and shampoos, and aftershave creams. As a super emollient and emulsifier, Aloe vera gel penetrates and moisturizes the under layers of skin.

Danhof and other researchers observed that when Aloe vera is combined with other healing substances, it can help these substances penetrate the skin easily and deeply. Research shows Aloe produces an anti-aging effect on skin as strong as retinoic acid. Yet, unlike retinoic acid, the polysaccharides in Aloe vera are not irritating to skin.

Aloe Vera - Anti-bacterial, Anti-inflammatory, Pain-relieving

Each year, everyone is exposed to more than 60,000 chemical pollutants and 200 radioactive toxins that can cause a range of severe inflammations, infections and internal and external pains. Researchers report Aloe vera to contain anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory, and pain-relieving properties.

Aloe vera gel contains ingredients that neutralize harmful, foreign skin substances. Then, it helps blood cells remove these pathogens before they can spread. These anti-inflammatory substances help treat acne and other skin irritations.

Since the earliest use of X-rays, and subsequently radio-therapy, doctors have observed that radiation can cause severe skin reactions. Any remedy that protects from severe radiation reactions works by either externally healing skin or internally stimulating various immune processes.

Aloe Vera reduces Skin reactions due Radiation

Numerous research studies document the effectiveness of Aloe in preventing or treating reactions to radiation. For example, emulsions of juices from Aloe were applied externally after radiation treatment to 260 human patients. Researchers claimed the emulsions were far more therapeutic than most synthetic preparations in reducing skin reactions due to irradiation. They said Aloe emulsions were “recommended for preventing the development of local reactions in radiation therapy, in the treatment of dry and moist epidermitis (inflammation of the outer layers of the skin) and treating radiation burns of the second and third degrees.” Aloe was also found to accelerate tissue repair and normal cell growth, and to help treat other dermatological problems.

Interestingly, the primary active ingredients of other immune-stimulating herbs like echinacea, astragalus and Oriental mushrooms are also their polysaccharides. Like Aloe vera, the therapeutic benefits of green-lipped sea mussels, shark fin soup, and the anti-cancer effect of shark cartilage are all due to naturally occurring mucilaginous polysaccharides.

Used properly for the disorders it is known to benefit, Aloe vera is a powerful healer that has been successfully employed for millennia.

Whole Leaf Aloe Vera And The Skin