# aloe vera



## wilster (Apr 6, 2010)

hi wilster again, i have decided to give the laxatives a break one last time and try the health shop route, i went there yesterday and was reccomended pure aloe vera juice max strenght. has anyone else tried this? no laxatives taken since sat and no bm since then either. i run about 5 miles a day so as u can imagine a full bowel does not help


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

Aloe vera made from the whole leaf has a stimulatory laxative in it, so may help you go. However if you are swearing off all stimulatory laxatives switching to aloe isn't any different than taking senna or cascara, or chemical based stimulatory laxatives, IMO, although some of the other things in the aloe gel can be soothing for the GI tract.The stimulatory laxatives in herbs are the same type of things as the chemical ones and many of the things on the laxative aisle use the herbs senna, cascara, aloe, or rhubarb.Are you also against all osmotic laxatives (just pull water into the stool)?Because if you want something from the health food store you could try magnesium oxide, but you need to limit that to under 1000 mgs a day.You could try sorbitol if it dosen't make you too gassy. Prunes, apple juice, pear nectar are good sources as are raw apples, pears, peaches and cherries (and you can do any of the juices and dried is OK, too).


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## wilster (Apr 6, 2010)

thanks for your help kathleen M, i only came accross this site by chance yesterday. has been such a relief to talk to people about this problem


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## Poo Pea Original (Nov 27, 2009)

ive been on the aloe vera for 2 weeks now and i think its helping. i take 20ml every night mixed in with a glass off apple juice. i also take other things but i think the aloe vera is key. also i stopped laxatives 2-3 weeks ago too after my colonoscopy. It took x3 days after the last laxative to have a BM but i finally did and have been pretty ok since. I do take the occassional suppository but i dont think they are like the liquid or tablet laxatives, as it im not as concerned about using them.its all trial and error really, no one thing seems to work the same for everyonehope the vera works for you!!!


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## Barleygirl (Dec 20, 2007)

HiI have suffered from IBS with C and spasm pains for over 20 years sometimes to the point I feel I cannot stand it any longer and I have taken numerous drugs both from the doctor and recommended from the pharmacist. I was recommended Aloe vera from the health food shop about 2 years ago and I was at the point of trying anything.I couldn't believe the result - the IBS started to calm down within about 3 days and had virtually gone within a couple of weeks. I carried on taking it for some months then stopped.The symptoms to re-occur from time to time but as soon as I start on Aloe Vera again the symptoms subside very quickly.I think it is wonderful and it is definately the Aloe Vera that works.Try it - it's a natural anti inflamatory so cannot do you any harm.


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## Nancy from Safety Harbor (Apr 8, 2010)

If a person is allergic to aloe vera on their face, do you think if it was ingested, it would be harmful?


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

I wouldn't swallow it if I had an allergic reaction on the skin. You don't want a systemic allergic reaction. Things like that can close your throat, and that not breathing for awhile thing is never good.


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## Nancy from Safety Harbor (Apr 8, 2010)

Kathleen,That is what I thought. I am allergic to coconut and if someone kids around and puts suntan lotion on my arm, I get hives. Thanks, I will pass on the aloe vera.


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

Do you know if you have a latex allergy?Aloe can have latex in it depending on how it is prepared. Coconut has latex in it also.Here are the foods with latex. If you tend to have problems with these you might want to be checked for latex allergies. That way if they do any medical procedure they can make sure they don't use latex gloves or other latex containing things.http://www.eatwell.gov.uk/healthissues/foo.../latexsyndrome/ has a list of foods.


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## Nancy from Safety Harbor (Apr 8, 2010)

Yes, I cannot wear any latex. Even bandages cause a rash. After I had gall bladder surgery, the incision was fine, but the area held with the bandages was super red. Thank you for this knowledge. You really are a great commentator for this site.


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## Nancy from Safety Harbor (Apr 8, 2010)

Kathleen M. said:


> Do you know if you have a latex allergy?Aloe can have latex in it depending on how it is prepared. Coconut has latex in it also.Here are the foods with latex. If you tend to have problems with these you might want to be checked for latex allergies. That way if they do any medical procedure they can make sure they don't use latex gloves or other latex containing things.http://www.eatwell.gov.uk/healthissues/foo.../latexsyndrome/ has a list of foods.


I just went into this website and cannot believe the stuff that gets to me are all listed in this article. Why didn't any doctors tell me this? Again, thank you.


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

Sometimes it takes someone hearing the right combination of things to put something together and see if it makes sense or doesn't.I'm a bit more aware of latex allergies because I'm actually not allergic to latex, but to some medical adhesives. One of the stores here sells latex free bandaids and I tried them to see if the adhesive was more likely to be hypoallergenic. I do better with it.I'm OK if I only need a bandage for a day or two, but if I have to wear something over a wound for a week or more (like when I had a second degree burn on my ankle) sometimes the skin here the adhesive causes a reaction ends up looking worse than the healing wound. So anyway sometimes the right couple of bits of information come together in just the right way to make something "pop". I also have researched aloe quite a bit as a lot of IBSers use it so know more about that herb than they usually teach in medical school. They don't spend that much time on things like that. They have enough other things to cram in.Because of my severe pollen and dust allergies they did do a full food panel on me. I'm lucky most of my stuff doesn't cross react with foods other than a very mild cross reaction with cantaloupe. It can cross react with ragweed, which I have a severe reaction to.


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## aloemandy (May 12, 2010)

Hi,Yes aloe vera can be very good for all types of IBS - it is naturally anti-inflammatory, anti-spasmodic and has immuno-regulator properties.Aloe Vera GEL is the best a it has the highest quantity of pure aloe and then you take a small dose of it first thing in the morning, and build it up. Even at full dose it is only a small amount. If you need more you can take another smaller dose in the evening.Whereever you purchase from you should get advice on how to take it, what dosage to build up from and to, and what to expect from it. It is not a miracle cure, it just eases symptoms to a greater or lesser degree from person to person and symptoms will return if you stop taking it.Aloe vera is able to penetrate deep into skin layers and also the digestive tract walls.If you are truely allergic to aloe on the skin then obviously you should not ingest it. But, because aloe penetrates deeper than most other products into the skin, then it will also take whatever else you have already on your skin (be it a shower gel or soap) into the deep layers of your skin and this can sometimes cause an allergy, not to the aloe but to the other product. Also you should be looking for a product whose first listed ingredient is aloe, so that it is aloe with added moisturisers - NOT a product that is with aloe and is very low down on the ingredient list.So to find out if you are allergic to aloe, you should first rinse off your hands/arms extremely well with plain water (or aloe liquid soap if you have any) before patch testing an aloe product (NOT a with aloe product because you could be allergic to all of the other ingredients in it). Message me if you want further information on anything that I have put above - or if you want anything explaining further.Hope this helpsMandy


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