Aloe Vera – Plant for Beauty and Health?

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Aloe vera is advertised as a wellness and health plant. However, some products require caution.

The essentials in brief:

• In recent years, aloe vera juices, gels and capsules for internal use have been offered with promising claims of effectiveness.
• Approved advertising claims for such aloe vera products do not exist and scientific evidence is scarce.
• Caution : There are health risks associated with products made from whole aloe leaves. Better to avoid this.

What is behind the advertising for aloe vera?

The advertising statements for dietary supplements with aloe vera often give the impression that the plant has health-promoting or even healing effects and that it is a particularly valuable dietary supplement (NEM) or even a medicinal product. In Germany, aloe gel or juice is not licensed as a medicinal product. However, other aloe ingredients are approved as (no longer recommended) laxatives (aloe latex, use once or limited to a maximum of two weeks) and as a nasal spray. Skin-caring properties have been proven, so that aloe vera seems to make more sense in caring cosmetic products.

If you believe the advertising, aloe vera strengthens the immune system, detoxifies the body and ensures well-being and beauty. Some Internet forums even report that it helps with AIDS, asthma, depression, migraines or neurodermatitis. Aloe is also said to support the body in fighting cancer and fighting off infections. However, most of the claimed effects are based on (alleged) experience reports. There is hardly any scientific evidence if it is based on  cell culture or animal studies with extracts and cannot be transferred to humans. Such illness-related statements are strictly prohibited. Even rather vague statements such as “can be taken as a beneficial supplement for a wide variety of illnesses” are generally not permitted.

Various health statements (health claims) have been requested from the EU, but so far none of them have been approved.

On the contrary, the health-related statement requested for Aloe ferox “increases the body’s physiological defenses in unfavorable environmental conditions / supports the body in defending itself against pollutants” was assessed as too unspecific by the European authority responsible for the test, EFSA, which resulted in a ban the EU is practically equivalent because the necessary scientific proof is missing and it is therefore a matter of misleading (according to Art. 7 LMIV).

The claimed effects therefore often relate to other added nutrients, above all vitamins C, B6, B12, biotin and pantothenic acid /panthenol, but also calcium.

The leaf bark of all aloe species contains strong laxative substances (anthranoids, anthraquinones), which is why the whole leaf juice of aloe vera is traditionally used for short-term use in the event of constipation. However, these are medicinal products and should only be taken after medical advice or a consultation in the pharmacy. Aloe vera products (also aloe barbadensis , aloe vera (L.) Burm.f. or Curaçao aloe), which are commercially available as foodstuffs including NEM, should not contain these substances. They are forbidden in food. A laxative effect is therefore not to be expected.

Recently, however, the juice from pressed, whole, unpeeled aloe leaves of the aloe arborescens (cranberry aloe, candelabra aloe) has also been offered as NEM. Whole leaf juice capsules (e.g. from the species aloe ferox = cape aloe) are advertised for intestinal cleansing or for the internal treatment of eye diseases. A risk assessment by the BFR has shown that these products are not safe foods and should therefore not be sold.

Supplements with gel extract powder from the species Aloe macroclada Baker are approved as a novel food , the composition does not differ significantly from gel extract powder from aloe vera.

In principle, the extracts from different manufacturers cannot be compared with one another, since there is no standardization here, as is the case with medicinal products.

Apart from in supermarkets and health food stores, aloe vera is mainly sold via internet shops and marketplaces. So-called “recommendation marketing” (multi-level marketing (MLM), direct sales) is still common. Here – because they cannot be controlled – non-admissible disease-related claims are made more often.

What should I watch out for when using aloe vera products?

• Do not use dietary supplements made from unpeeled aloe leaves (e.g. from the Aloe arborescens genus ). These products are not safe and may even be carcinogenic.
• Most of the advertised effects have not been proven or only relate to the added vitamins. Therefore, pay attention to the list of ingredients and to which ingredients exactly the advertising claims refer.
• No nutritional information (e.g. calories, sugar content) has to be given for supplements, only information about the advertised ingredients such as vitamins or minerals. This can be particularly important with liquid aloe NEM. Again, pay attention to the list of ingredients.
• If juices/liquids are offered as dietary supplements, the packaging must state a daily dose (measured small amount), which may not be more than 60 ml.
• Seals of approval, for example from the Fresenius Institute or the International Aloe Science Council, stand for the verification of chemical, biological and food law parameters, i.e. quality criteria, and indicate a certain quality control. This is not proof of effectiveness.
• Pay attention to the dosage information and never take more.
• In sensitive people, aloe vera gel can cause gastrointestinal or kidney irritation as well as allergic reactions.
• It is not recommended to take aloe vera gel during pregnancy, haemorrhoids, intestinal obstruction, acute inflammatory bowel diseases, breastfeeding and children under the age of twelve.
• The skin-caring properties have been proven, so that aloe vera seems to make more sense in cosmetic products.

TIP: Most of the substances contained in aloe vera are also contained in local vegetables and fruits.

The laxative effect advertised for some products is based on the anthraquinones contained in the leaf bark, such as aloin and aloe emodin. However, according to the assessment of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), these substances can have carcinogenic and mutagenic effects. These ingredients are now banned from food. This applies to aloe-emodin, emodin, danthrone and aloe extracts that contain hydroxyanthracene derivatives.

Nevertheless, supplements made from unpeeled aloe leaves (e.g. from the Aloe arborescens genus ) that contain these substances are still being offered on the Internet. The Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BFR) classified these products as unsafe. You should definitely refrain from buying such products.

What is aloe vera?

The aloe vera plant is one of the lily plants that grow in desert areas. Only a few of the approximately 300 different types of aloe contain the ingredients that are said to have special effects. Mainly the species Aloe Vera Barbadensis Miller (Barbados aloe, Curaçao aloe) is used. There is also cape aloe ( aloe ferox , bitter aloe), which contains significantly more bitter substances.

Products imported to Germany come mainly from the USA, Central and South America, Spain and Australia, where they are usually cultivated intensively in monocultures. The administration of fertilizer causes a higher water content, which reduces the concentration of potentially valuable ingredients.

The fleshy leaves of the aloe vera plant are either pressed whole or peeled into juice. Or the leaf pulp (gel) is removed. Bitter and laxative substances (anthraquinones) must be carefully separated, as they must not be contained in the food. Improper separation can lead to contamination with the harmful hydroxyanthraquinones. Aloe vera is sold dried or as an extract in capsules, or as a juice or gel.

What ingredients does aloe vera contain?

So far, more than 200 different ingredients have been detected in the aloe vera leaves. These are mainly mucopolysaccharides (mucilage from carbohydrates), anthraquinones, salicylic acid, saponins, enzymes, amino acids, vitamins, minerals and other carbohydrates. Although the spectrum of ingredients is large, the respective concentrations are very low. Many of these substances can also be found in local vegetables and fruit.

The main active ingredients mentioned are glycosaminoglycans (acemannan, today usually referred to as aloverose), salicylic acid, saponins, enzymes, amino acids, vitamins and minerals. Most (98-99%) of aloe vera gel is water. The amounts of vitamins are rather small. If vitamins are specifically mentioned, they are usually added (synthetic) vitamins. Vitamin C is often added as a preservative, but is then no longer allowed to be advertised as a vitamin.

100 g aloe vera gel contains: approx. 3.3 kcal, 0.11 g protein, 0 g carbohydrates, 0.09 g fat

100 g gel extract powder provide: approx. 162 kcal, 1.6 g protein, 18.4 g carbohydrates, of which 8.9% sugar (glucose), 2.7 g fat, 28.6 g fiber

However, the information on these main nutrients may be omitted on the packaging and in online shops when it comes to food supplements.

Can aloe vera products contain harmful substances, preservatives and the like?

Products imported to Germany often come from intensive cultivation in monocultures. By promoting rapid growth, leaves often contain more water and less of the touted ingredients. Except in organic farming, insecticides and herbicides can be used.

Irradiation of aloe vera to preserve it is not permitted .

The addition of preservatives is not permitted in fruit juices and vegetable juices. However, if aloe vera juice is flavored, for example with small amounts of honey or by mixing it with other juices, it is classified as a non-alcoholic soft drink. Therefore, some products contain the artificially produced preservative sodium benzoate (benzoic acid, E 211) or potassium sorbate (E 202). Both can trigger (pseudo) allergies in sensitive people. Depending on the product, other ingredients include the thickening agent xanthan (E 415), ascorbic acid (vitamin C) and tocopherol (vitamin E).

Danger! Never puree whole aloe leaves as a dietary supplement or process them into smoothies. Carefully peeling the leaves to really get only the anthraquinone-free gel is best left to professionals. Even washing off the gel is of little help against contamination with anthraquinones.