Aloe Vera is an herb with a wide range of medicinal and healing properties. Besides releasing oxygen during the night, thus helping us breathe better, its gel can improve our health and skin in ways we can’t imagine.
There are two parts of the Aloe Vera plant that are used for medicinal purposes. The one is the gel, and the other is the latex that’s found just beneath the leaf skin.
The plant itself has over 75 active components, including amino acids, vitamins, minerals, enzymes, saccharides, saponins, lignin, anthraquinones, and salicylic acids. What’s more, it provides almost all human-required amino acids.
That’s why it has some amazing health benefits, and researchers suggest that we can also use Aloe Vera for diabetes treatment.
Nutrient Content & Health Benefits
Here is why Aloe Vera is so beneficial to our health:
- Antioxidant vitamins – vitamin A, C, E, B12, choline, and folic acid which help prevent free radical damage.
- Enzymes – alkaline phosphatase, aliiase, amylase, bradykinase, lipase, etc. They reduce skin inflammation and help in the breakdown of fats and sugars.
- Minerals – copper, calcium, selenium. manganese, chromium, magnesium, zinc, potassium, etc.
- Laxatives – enodin and aloin which have antibacterial, analgesic, and antiviral properties
- Fatty acids – campesterol cholesterol, lupeol, and beta-sitosterol which have analgesic and antiseptic properties.
- Hormones – gibberellins and auxins which have anti-inflammatory and wound-healing properties.
Some of its most popular health benefits include soothing rashes and skin irritations, treating burns, healing cold sores, moisturizing hair and scalp, relieving constipation, boosting digestion, improving the immune system, reducing inflammation, and managing diabetes.
According to research, consuming Aloe Vera juice can help regulate blood sugar levels, thus being helpful in type 2 diabetes treatment. What’s more, it helps reduce fats or blood lipids in those with this metabolic condition, and liver disease.
Also, it speeds up the healing of wounds and reduces swelling, which is useful for these people as their wounds heal for a longer time than in others.
How to Use Aloe Vera for Diabetes
We should choose pure Aloe Vera gel and consume 30 grams, or 2 tablespoons a day. Taking the gel regularly can help reduce our blood sugar levels, and we should notice significant improvements after a few weeks.
This will also help dilate our blood vessels and improve the delivery of nutrients and oxygen through the bloodstream. This can be really helpful as many people with this condition tend to have vascular disease.
By reducing the perturbed lipid profile and chronic hyperglycemia in them, it helps protect these people from cardiovascular complications.
Aloe Vera gel helps prevent significant blood sugar spikes by causing satiety and regulating the absorption of sugar.
Still, if we take diabetes medications we should consult our doctor before taking the gel as it may lead to hypoglycemia (dangerously low blood sugar levels).
Aloe Vera for Diabetic Foot
This common chronic disease can cause nerve damage in the feet, so these people can lose the feeling in this part of the body. So, they may have some cut or sore without knowing, and if they don’t treat it on time, it could lead to infections and ulcers.
But, applying Aloe Vera gel on the feet can reduce the risk of these complications. However, they shouldn’t apply it between toes, as damp areas can lead to fungal infection.
Its anti-inflammatory properties can help prevent infections, wounds, ulcers, and other skin conditions related to the disease.
