There’s a new place to find aloe vera in the grocery store and it’s in the beverage aisle. You may be familiar with the benefits of using aloe vera for topical uses like sunburn, dermatitis, acne, and other skin issues, but now drinking aloe vera has popped up as a new trend. We’re here to tell you why you should be consuming the healthy beverage.
Aloe vera is native to drier parts of the world (via BMC Evolutionary Biology), but we have found ways to cultivate it and grow it anywhere (even in our homes). Aloe has become so popular that it’s found in many skin and hair products like moisturizers, sun screen, and shampoo. Drinking aloe vera juice does more than take care of your skin and hair, though. It can also boost your immune system, curb digestive issues, and control blood sugar (via Marie Claire UK).
The health benefits of drinking aloe vera juice
According to the Indian Journal of Dermatology, aloe vera has 75 active components that include vitamins, enzymes, minerals, sugars, lignin, saponins, salicylic acids, and amino acids. It contains some of the most important vitamins and minerals like vitamins B, C, E, and folic acid (via Healthline).
Incorporating the juice into your daily routine can help ease digestive disorders like constipation or gas by normalizing the healthy bacteria in your gut and adding needed water to your intestines. The juice is also known to control blood sugar levels and could potentially benefit people with pre-diabetes or type 2 diabetes (via Medical News Daily). The benefits seem endless.
Melissa Eboli, a certified nutritional chef and wellness counselor, told Aaptiv that beneficial as it may be, you shouldn’t drink gallons of aloe vera juice a day. Consumption involves being smart about your intake. She suggests drinking eight ounces or putting some in a juice or smoothie every day. That’s because aaloe vera juice can have some side effects as it contains latex (which some people are allergic to), has laxative effects, lowers potassium, and can cause stomach cramping (via Food NDTV). Too much of something good isn’t always a good thing.
Drink pure aloe vera juice for the most benefits
One thing to note about this seemingly magical elixir is that finding pure aloe vera juice can be hard. Your average grocery store is going to carry aloe juices that aren’t properly processed and leaves the juice with little or no nutrients (via Journal of Food Science and Technology). Making your own aloe vera juice is the best and most beneficial way to obtain all nutrients (via Style Craze). To make your own juice, take one mature leaf (from the bottom of the plant) and cut through the outer layer to expose the gel inside. Scoop all the gel out of the leaf, then mix it into a glass of water or with another juice like tulsi, amla, and giloy (via NDTV Food).
Before diving into this health food trend, it’s important to look into how aloe vera might affect your medication, so consult a doctor before drinking the juice regularly (via Well + Good). Overall, aloe vera juice is great for the body if consumed correctly.
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