The best use of Aloe Vera Juice is really as a heartburn remedy, something that it seems quite effective at dealing with, and quickly. However, it’s been touted as having a host of health benefits recently and unfortunately it seems more than likely that the benefits of aloe juice have been dramatically overhyped as is so often the case in the supplements industry. Most of the claims have as much science backing them as debunking them and the defined benefits are sparse and generally something that can be accomplished far better by most half decent greens powders.
What Are The Benefits Of Aloe Vera Juice?
The main benefits of Aloe Vera Juice are generally considered to be the antioxidant content [1] after that things start to get a bit speculative, and to be honest in most cases you’d be much better off getting a good greens powder despite what the Aloe Vera Juice manufacturers may tell you.
Most of the benefits of aloe vera come from applying it topically [2] in which case it does help with burns and skin conditions. There is one reputable study that has shown that consuming Aloe Vera capsules can improve skin elasticity [3] in men over 46, but that’s about it. And you know what else has that effect, sleep, taking a multivitamin, taking flavonoids or any other antioxidant [4]. So, when we consider that skin benefits are the main reason people buy aloe vera juice it stands to reason that most people can get a lot more out of other vitamins or lifestyle changes and not have to deal with the taste of aloe vera at all. This is where we’d say get a greens powder instead, ideally one that contains something that helps you sleep. Or a proper skin supplement.
Digestion can potentially be improved, however, it can also swing the other way, and once again there’s better options in probiotic pill form, with no taste to worry about at all. (Also, something that is generally included in a green powder). You may be starting to notice a trend here.
Lastly there was some research that suggested it could be helpful with regulating blood sugar in people with diabetes,[5] but there are equally as many to suggest that it has no effect at all [6].
How To Make Aloe Vera Juice Taste Better
As you may guess from the title of this section aloe vera doesn’t taste very good, unless you like bitter with a side of dish cleaner. Yes, aloe vera does taste that bad to most people, which is perhaps all the more reason that it’s become a surprisingly popular health product. There are Aloe Vera juices available which to be quite honest also taste pretty bad, they’re generally not as dangerous as eating Aloe Vera raw (it contains quite a potent laxative), but that’s not to say that many people if anyone at all actually likes the taste of Aloe Vera Juice.
The best thing you can do with it is blend aloe juice into something more tolerable taste wise. We generally recommend something with a strong flavor like fresh orange juice. However, if you’re trying to avoid sugar, that’s not always a good option.
The other option is to add a teaspoon of Agave to the mix, this generally makes it a lot sweeter.
So, is aloe vera juice good for you?
Marginally and inconclusive are the two main words to answer that question. A lot of the benefits would be easily beaten out by a multivitamin for 90% of people and some powdered greens for functionally everyone. There isn’t much to really support ingestion of aloe vera although it is still a great topical remedy for a lot of skin issues. Our advice, don’t waste your cash on aloe juice.
References
1 - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6684795/
2 - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6017010/
3 - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7496846/
4 - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3583892/
5 - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK92765/