Aloe Vera Juice Health Benefits and Effects

Dear Readers, Aloe vera is a particularly versatile plant. It contains moisturizing aloe vera gel, which is ideal for skincare, and aloe vera juice drinking for health.
We will explain here what you need to pay attention to when consuming it and how the juice works.

While the effects of aloe vera gel have long been well known, aloe vera juice is a newer addition to the market. Although the juice has also been used for a long time, it only recently hit supermarket shelves. We’ll explain what aloe vera juice is.

What is aloe vera juice?

Aloe Vera is a desert plant that is characterized by its ability to store water, which allows it to survive in very dry areas.
This is also why it is also known as the desert lily. The thick leaves of the aloe vera can absorb up to one liter of water.

The plant stores the moisture in its leaf pulp, from which the aloe vera gel is later extracted.
Aloe vera juice comes from the leaf bark. In contrast to the transparent aloe vera gel, it has a yellow-to-orange color and contains strong laxative substances.

The plant juice should therefore never be used pure and only after consulting a doctor. However, there are very different forms of aloe vera that differ greatly in the way they are produced.

Aloe vera juice from the leaf bark

Aloe vera juice from the leaf bark is pure aloe vera juice, which is also used as a medicine. Due to its strong laxative effect, it is used to treat constipation.
If aloe vera is used as a laxative, it should only be used for a short period.

Aloe vera juice from unpeeled aloe leaves

There are now also aloe vera juice products that are made from the entire, unpeeled leaves. They therefore contain pure aloe vera juice and aloe vera gel.
Although the juice contains more nutrients this way, it often also contains harmful anthraquinones.

Not only should you only consume small amounts of these juices, but the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) also classified these products as “unsafe”.
You should therefore refrain from purchasing this variant and instead go for the following product.

Aloe vera juice from aloe vera gel

It is safe to use aloe vera juice made from aloe vera gel. The juice is made exclusively from the gel and is often diluted with other fruit juices. You benefit from the important minerals and vitamins in the gel as well as from its refreshing effect.
To refine the consistency of the gel, it is pureed or pressed through a sieve. This gives you a healthy drinking gel. Such a juice from the aloe vera gel is also called an aloe vera drink.

Make your aloe vera drink

You can not only buy aloe vera drinks in retail stores and online, but you can also easily make them yourself from aloe vera gel – without much effort.

To do this, you use fresh aloe vera gel from the plant. The Aloe Vera Barbadensis Miller is suitable for this. It has toothed leaves that are around 50 centimeters long and develops round, yellow to orange flowers.

You should avoid other types of aloe vera. These are less suitable for making aloe vera drinks and can even be harmful to humans.

Tip: The plant is particularly rich in nutrients when it has at least twelve leaves and is three years old.

For the aloe vera drink you need

Cut off a leaf from the plant as close to the base as possible. It is best to use a sharp knife for this. Place the cut leaf in a glass with the open side facing down. This will allow the harmful aloe vera juice from the leaf bark to drain away.
Leave the leaf in the glass for at least an hour. Do not reuse the pure aloe vera juice throw it away.

After about an hour you can take the leaf out of the glass. Cut a strip about one centimeter wide from the underside of the leaf to remove any remaining juice. Now carefully remove the outer, yellowish layer of the leaf.

You should be particularly careful when doing this so that no traces of the harmful aloin remain. It is best to split the leaf open at the sides and cut it in half. Then you can easily remove the gel with a spoon.

To make an aloe vera drink from the gel, you will need about two tablespoons of the gel. This means that you may need to use several aloe vera leaves. But don’t worry aloe vera leaves grow back quickly.

Once you have two tablespoons of aloe vera gel, place it in a blender or puree it with a hand blender to give it a finer consistency. This should be done immediately after you have removed the gel from the leaves.

The gel is sensitive to oxygen and therefore needs to be processed as quickly as possible. Otherwise, important nutrients can be lost. Commercially available aloe vera gel therefore often contains artificial preservatives.

Finally, mix the aloe vera gel with 250 milliliters of orange juice and puree everything until it reaches the desired consistency. Your homemade aloe vera drink is ready.

Effects of aloe vera juice

Pure aloe vera juice from the leaf bark carries significant health risks.
The same applies to the aloe vera drink made from aloe vera gel, which can have a positive effect on your body and is an excellent dietary supplement.

However, a healthy diet is crucial for your physical well-being and should therefore not be neglected.

The aloe vera drink can still provide valuable nutrients and optimally support your body.
It contains important vitamins such as vitamins A, B, C, and E as well as minerals such as zinc, iron, calcium, potassium, and magnesium. Together, these substances participate in numerous processes in the body.

The antioxidant effect of some vitamins and minerals also ensures improved cell protection and a strengthened immune system. In addition, the drink contains the mucopolysaccharide acemannan, which has immune-stimulating, antiviral, digestive, and anti-inflammatory properties.

However, you should keep in mind that aloe vera gel consists mainly of water, namely 99 percent. The nutrients listed are therefore only present in small quantities.

Dosage of the aloe vera drink

If you want to include aloe vera in your daily diet, you should stick to the recommended consumption. Even if an aloe vera drink made from aloe vera gel no longer contains any aloin, it is not advisable to drink a whole glass of it.

A maximum daily consumption of 30 milliliters is generally recommended – for a maximum period of two weeks. You can take the drinking gel pure or diluted, for example with orange juice.

To be on the safe side, you should avoid drinking the gel during pregnancy. If it does contain aloin, complications can arise, as aloin is considered to induce labor.

To detoxify the body

Aloe vera gel can be used as part of a detox to detoxify the body. The drinking gel contains numerous healthy nutrients that can have a positive effect on your health.
In addition, the polysaccharides contained in it are said to ensure that harmful substances are removed from the body. This also supports the natural function of the liver.

For digestion

Even if the drinking gel no longer contains laxative aloin, it still has an effect on your digestive tract. Some users report an improvement in certain digestive complaints when taking the drinking gel regularly.
These include flatulence, constipation, and diarrhea.

To lose weight

Due to its detoxifying and digestive properties, the aloe vera drink is also recommended for dieters. In the morning, for example, you can start the day perfectly with an aloe vera drink made from aloe vera gel, lemon juice, and a teaspoon of honey.

This boosts your metabolism and provides important nutrients. You can find more tips for healthy or rapid weight loss in the linked articles.

Risks of aloe vera juice

Risks arise primarily from pure aloe vera juice, which is extracted from the leaf bark. This is a medicinal product.
You should discuss the use of this juice with a doctor beforehand, as it contains anthraquinones such as aloin, which do have a laxative effect but can also be harmful to your body.

If your doctor still prescribes such a medication, you should strictly follow the instructions on the package insert or the information provided by your doctor.
However, laxatives containing aloe vera juice are now hardly available.
You should refrain from using pure aloe vera juice if you suffer from stomach pain, inflammatory bowel disease, or intestinal obstruction. The juice can even make these symptoms worse.

Since the body loses a lot of water during use, you should drink plenty of fluids while doing this. Also, make sure that you are not taking any medication at the same time that could interact with the anthraquinones in pure aloe vera juice.

These include cortisone preparations and cardiac glycosides.
In contrast to taking pure aloe vera juice, consuming is risky and has no serious side effects.
Be aware, however, that ready-made aloe vera juice is classified as a non-alcoholic soft drink because it is mixed with other juices and can therefore contain artificial preservatives. And these can sometimes trigger allergies.
It is therefore better to check the list of ingredients before purchasing.