Aloe vera
Aloe vera is a desert succulent plant, which produces a soothing gel used to calm skin pain and nerve flares. The gel is extracted from the leaves of the plant and is often included in cosmetics and topical creams. Aloe vera is used in traditional medicine as a skin treatment.
It is a component of The Cusack Protocol, a proposed alternative treatment for Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome.
Components[edit | edit source]
Aloe contains more than 75 potential active components including vitamins, enzymes, minerals, sugars, lignin, saponins, salicylic acids and amino acids.[1]
Applications[edit | edit source]
Tissue healing[edit | edit source]
The Glucomannan, a mannose-rich polysaccharide, and gibberellin, a growth hormone, found in aloe interact with growth factor receptors on fibroblasts, a type of cell that synthesizes collagen and extracellular matrix. This can significantly increase collagen synthesis, whether applied topically or taken orally.[2][3] Acemannan, another polysaccharide found in aloe, has been found in animal studies (applied in vitro to bone marrow stromal cells, and topically in rats who had their right incisors removed) to accelerate bone formation.[4]
Other applications
Applied topically, aloe vera has been used to prevent UV damage. It also has anti-inflammatory, immune modulating, and antiviral effects.[1]
Learn more[edit | edit source]
See also[edit | edit source]
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Surjushe, Amar; Vasani, Resham; Saple, D G (2008). "ALOE VERA: A SHORT REVIEW". Indian Journal of Dermatology. 53 (4): 163–166. doi:10.4103/0019-5154.44785. ISSN 0019-5154. PMC 2763764. PMID 19882025.
- ↑ Chithra, P.; Sajithlal, G. B.; Chandrakasan, G. (1998-4). "Influence of Aloe vera on collagen characteristics in healing dermal wounds in rats". Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry. 181 (1–2): 71–76. doi:10.1023/a:1006813510959. ISSN 0300-8177. PMID 9562243. Check date values in:
|date=(help) - ↑ Heggers, J. P.; Kucukcelebi, A.; Listengarten, D.; Stabenau, J.; Ko, F.; Broemeling, L. D.; Robson, M. C.; Winters, W. D. (1996). "Beneficial effect of Aloe on wound healing in an excisional wound model". Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine (New York, N.Y.). 2 (2): 271–277. doi:10.1089/acm.1996.2.271. ISSN 1075-5535. PMID 9395659.
- ↑ Boonyagul, Sani; Banlunara, Wijit; Sangvanich, Polkit; Thunyakitpisal, Pasutha (2014-7). "Effect of acemannan, an extracted polysaccharide from Aloe vera, on BMSCs proliferation, differentiation, extracellular matrix synthesis, mineralization, and bone formation in a tooth extraction model". Odontology. 102 (2): 310–317. doi:10.1007/s10266-012-0101-2. ISSN 1618-1255. PMID 23315202. Check date values in:
|date=(help)
