Aloe vera juice is the brand new coconut water! Everyone seems to be drinking it, and you can find it in just about every “health drink” around. It’s in gyms, health food stores, and smoothie joints, making it the latest darling of the health and wellness world.
Well, for good reason! Aloe vera juice is an amazing source of nutrients, and you’ll find that it’s probably the healthiest juice on the planet (it definitely beats highly processed fruit juices!). Below, we’ve listed all the benefits of aloe vera juice ( get some of the best ), along with a few simple tricks on how you can get more of it in your daily diet…
What is Aloe Vera Juice?
When you think of aloe vera, immediately your mind will flash to the sticky, gooey pulp you get from a spiny aloe vera leaf. The last thing you want to do is drink that, right? It would be like bitter snot sliding down your throat!
Aloe vera juice isn’t gooey or bitter, but it’s actually slightly sour. It’s extracted from the aloe plant, but all the “goop” has been removed, leaving only the liquid. Most aloe vera juices are mixed with other ingredients (like green grape juice) to make them delicious, though you can find ale vera juice in its natural form.
The Benefits of Aloe Vera Juice
What makes aloe vera juice a good option for you? Here are just a few of the benefits you can obtain by drinking aloe vera juice:
Better Digestion
One of the great things about aloe vera juice is that it’s loaded with healthy fiber. The pulpy, gooey center of the aloe vera leaf is almost entirely water and fiber (along with vitamins and minerals). Thankfully, not all of the fiber is extracted when the aloe vera is processed to make aloe vera juice.
The majority of the fiber is insoluble fiber, the type of fiber that acts like a scouring pad to clean out your insides. As the insoluble fiber travels through your small and large intestines, it gets rid of the waste matter clinging to the intestinal walls. The more fiber you get, the easier it will be to clear the junk from your digestive system.
Of course, there is some soluble fiber, which helps to absorb toxins, sugar, cholesterol, and fats. Once these particles bond with the fiber, the fiber swells up and becomes too large to pass through the intestinal walls and into the bloodstream. Basically, the soluble fiber will prevent high blood sugar, high cholesterol levels, excessive dietary fat, and dietary toxins. Hooray for fiber!
Been struggling with constipation for a while? Don’t automatically hit the prune juice, but give aloe vera juice a try. One study found that aloe vera juice was a potent anti-constipation remedy that could help to loosen up the waste matter and improve elimination. Check out best juices for constipation here.
Balances Internal pH
Your body is designed to keep a proper balance between acidity and alkaline. In a normal, healthy body, the balance is roughly 7 on the pH scale, meaning it’s perfectly balanced. However, the food you eat and the lifestyle you lead can affect your pH balance. If you’re not careful, you could end up with an acidic pH balance.
If your body becomes more acidic than alkaline, there is a risk of health problems like inflammation, joint pain, headaches, ulcers, weight gain, allergies, fatigue, colds, asthma, and the list goes on. Long-term acidosis can lead to diabetes, arthritis, multiple sclerosis, fibromyalgia, osteoporosis, and heart disease.
Enter aloe vera juice…
Aloe vera juice is a soothing liquid, thanks to the natural alkaline properties of the plant from which the gel is extracted. The juice can help to reduce acidity in the body and promote a better, more alkaline balance. Thanks to aloe vera juice, you can prevent these health problems and diseases by keeping your pH properly balanced!
Reduces Stomach Acidity
Remember the “soothing” properties of aloe vera mentioned above? What better way to deal with excessive acid in your stomach?
The acid in your stomach is designed to break down the food you eat, but eating too much food (and too much of the wrong foods) can increase the amount of acid in your stomach. When there is excessive stomach acid, you run the risk of ulcers, indigestion, acid reflux, and other digestive problems.
Sure, you can take TUMS or some other antacid, but why not give nature a chance to soothe the problem? Aloe vera juice can help to reduce acidity in your stomach, preventing digestive upset and acid reflux. You’ll find that the natural alkalizing properties of aloe vera juice make it excellent for keeping your stomach content.
Worried about ulcers? Don’t be! Not only will the worries increase your risk of ulcers, but you’re worrying for nothing–not with aloe vera juice at hand.
One study found that a combination of ellagic acid (an antioxidant found in berries and nuts) and aloe vera caused a 75% reduction in stomach ulcers. That’s a pretty impressive effect! For those who have gastric ulcers, aloe vera can be a great way to treat the problem. By reducing stomach acidity, aloe vera juice can help to prevent future ulcers as well!
Enhance Brain Function
Could drinking more aloe vera juice make you smarter? Probably not, but it will help you to use your existing “smarts” to their full potential!
One animal study found that mice given aloe vera extract had better recall when trying to find their way through an elevated plus-maze. They also remembered to avoid certain dangers, and they learned the safe route through the maze more quickly.
You may not be a lab mouse, but you can certainly benefit from a brain boost, right? Thanks to the aloe vera juice, you can enhance learning, memory, and cognitive function.
Bonus: In that same study, it was discovered that aloe vera could help to alleviate depression!
Packed with Nutrients
Aloe vera is loaded with a wide range of VERY important nutrients, including:
Vitamin A — Vitamin A is one of the most important vitamins for healthy skin, and it can protect the cells in your eyes from degenerating with age. For healthier skin and eyes, you should definitely consume more Vitamin A.
Vitamin C — We all know that this vitamin is vital for a healthy immune system, but did you know that Vitamin C plays a role in your skin health as well? Your body needs Vitamin C to produce more collagen and elastin, the proteins that keep your skin healthy and fresh. Get more Vitamin C in your diet, and your skin will show the difference.
Vitamin E — Vitamin E is a potent antioxidant that will protect you inside and out. It coats your arteries with a thin film that prevents cholesterol from sticking so it can be a very good nutrient for preventing heart problems. It also helps your skin to produce more oils that will protect it from sun, pollution, toxins, and chemicals.
Vitamin B12 — This water-soluble vitamin is necessary for healthy nervous system function, and it will promote healthy red blood cells to carry oxygen and nutrients to all of your organs and systems. The vitamin will help your nerves to transmit signals properly, making your body a more effective machine!
Potassium — Potassium is one of the two minerals that serve as electrolytes. Along with sodium, it helps to regulate the amount of water in your body. You need plenty of potassium to keep your muscles working well, and you’ll find that the mineral also helps to deal with stress and anxiety, reduces your risk of kidney and heart disorders, boosts your metabolism, and so much more!
Zinc — Zinc is a mineral that is vital for a healthy immune system. However, the mineral can also fight cancer, promote healthy digestion, prevent fatigue, regulate your appetite, keep your hair healthy, enhance hormone production, maintain efficient brain function, and even speed up healing. Definitely, a mineral you want more of.
Magnesium — Magnesium can calm down your nerves, reduce anxiety, relieve aches and spasms in your muscles, regulate the levels of calcium and electrolytes in your blood, prevent migraine headaches, and increase energy production. It also plays a vital role in your bone health, and may even help to prevent osteoporosis as you age.
As you can see, aloe vera is an amazing source of nutrients, giving you one more reason to add aloe vera juice to your diet!
Other Benefits
Here are a few more potential benefits of aloe vera juice:
- Provide your body with polyphenols (antioxidants)
- Improve your oral health and prevent infections
- Enhance your immune system, protecting you from disease
- Keep your blood pressure and circulation regular
- Boost heart health
- Normalize blood sugar levels
Note: Why are these listed as “potential” benefits? They are proven benefits of aloe vera gel, but there is insufficient evidence to prove that aloe vera JUICE offers these same awesome improvements to your health.
Can It Improve Your Skin?
Most of us are familiar with aloe vera as a skin treatment. Not only can it help to soothe inflammations, rashes, and sunburns, but aloe vera provides nourishment for your skin. However, that’s only the case with aloe vera gel, which is applied directly to your skin.
When it comes to aloe vera juice, the process is very different. The nutrients aren’t sent directly to the place that needs them, so they have to go through the usual digestion process (broken down in the stomach, absorbed in the intestines, and dispersed via the bloodstream). While aloe vera gel sends nutrients directly to your skin, aloe vera juice sends those nutrients on a much more circuitous route. This means that far fewer of these nutrients actually reach your skin.
To answer the question: no, aloe vera juice is NOT a skin treatment. Taking internally, it’s much more oriented toward improving your overall health (such as your digestion).
However, remember that your skin reflects the health of your body. If you’re suffering from health problems, your skin will show it. If your body is running at optimum capacity, your skin will show it.
Aloe vera juice nourishes your body and offers all the benefits mentioned above. This MAY leads to healthier skin. After all, if your body is getting the nutrition it needs and functioning at optimal capacity, it will be able to protect and nourish your skin as well.
Is it Safe?
Always an important question! There are a few potential drawbacks to drinking aloe vera juice:
- Toxins — One study found that whole-leaf extract of aloe vera juice promoted carcinogenic activity in the large intestines of lab rats. The FDA has pulled aloe vera products from the market due to “insufficient safety information”.
- Diarrhea — Aloe vera is a laxative, so a person with normal, healthy digestion may suffer diarrhea as a result of the juice. If consumed in excess, aloe vera juice can cause cramping, dehydration, and pain as well.
- Drug interactions — Aloe vera juice may interact negatively with certain drugs or medications, either inhibiting or enhancing the effects. Always talk to your doctor before mixing aloe vera with any medications.
How to Drink Aloe Vera Juice
Most aloe vera juices can be bought right off store shelves. All you have to do is bring them home, chill, and enjoy!
But, if you want to make your own aloe vera juice, here’s what you need to do:
Step 1: Cut open a few aloe vera leaves and scoop out the gel.
Step 2: Put the gel into a blender, add a cup of water, and blend.
Pretty simple, right? You now have your own 100% natural, homemade aloe vera juice!
Aloe vera is one of the wonders of the plant world. The benefits it can give the body internally or externally are very abundant. Also, it’s highly available so it should be easy to find and use it everyday.
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Check out more info on how to make aloe vera juice for drinking here:
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