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Aloe impacts ulcerative colitis (UC)This section reports two small but significant studies that suggests aloe impacts ulcerative colitis (UC) positively. I also quote the leader of the research team and a patient interviewed by a UK daily newspaper. The first study was carried out on inflamed cells grown in a laboratory. It showed that aloe vera juice had an anti-inflammatory effect that could be of benefit to patients with UC. In the second, ulcerative colitis patients who took 100mls of aloe vera gel twice a day showed significantly more improvement than those patients given placebo. They were carried out by a team of doctors and researchers from the Centre for Adult and Paediatric Gastroenterology, Institute of Cellular and Molecular Science, St Bartholomew's Hospital and The London Queen Mary School of Medicine and Dentistry, London, UK.
Aloe impacts ulcerative colitis: the laboratory studyThe team took cells from the bowel lining of patients with UC and grew them in lab conditions. They assessed the effect of the aloe vera extract on the level of inflammation of these cells.The cells were grown in a "hostile" environment - one that would tend to provoke the cells into a continued inflammatory reaction. Essentially they were asking whether aloe impacts ulcerative colitis by testing its anti-inflammatory or antioxidant effects (see section on this site for fuller discussion of antioxidants - link below). Would the juice have any effect on the severity of inflammation of the cells? The answer was: Yes, though not as measured by all the products of inflammation. The team found that three out of the four measures of inflammation they used fell in the presence of aloe vera. Further, they found that the greater the concentration of AV the more significant the decrease in inflammatory activity. They conclude that the study supports the idea that potentially aloe impacts ulcerative colitis in a therapeutically significant way.
Aloe impacts ulcerative colitis: study on patients with active UCForty-four patients were involved in the study. Thirty were given aloe gel; fourteen took a placebo.Patients took 100mls of gel twice daily for a month. A variety of tests were used to assess whether the gel had any effect on the UC. Depending on the measure used, from 30 - 47% of patients taking the gel showed improvement. Those taking the placebo showed much less - from 7 - 14% improvement over the period of the study. The difference was statistically significant for some measures. The team concluded that oral aloe vera taken for 4 weeks produced positive changes in the symptoms when compared to placebo. It also reduced the activity of the disease as it appears visually on examination. It was also safe - no adverse effects were reported. They concluded that more studies of the potential of aloe vera gel in ulcerative colitis would be useful.
Comment on whether aloe impacts ulcerative colitis ...This is a small study. Statistical tests do not like small studies! So, to show significant benefit when compared to placebo is very hopeful.However, the small size of the study group means that this could have happened by chance. So it would be interesting to see a study with more participants. There is another factor to consider. This study was carried out partly because the doctors who ran it became aware that an increasing number of people are using aloe vera gel for this condition. This shows that word of mouth (plus news stories, the health press and advertising) are having a significant effect on how people choose to self-manage this condition. I can imagine people passing on the news at support groups and through other informal networks ... basically sharing the good news.That's what I tend to hear in the clinic. It may not be "scientific" evidence - but when I evaluate this study in the context of strong word-of-mouth (or "anecdotal" evidence), I am inclined to give it greater significance. I'd be very happy to tell patients: "Some individuals are going to see that aloe impacts ulcerative colitis significantly, some are not. But with no apparent risk of side effects, is that an option you'd like to consider?" The web site of the US National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health regards thisstudy as "limited but promising." Dr. Peter Atherton, formerly a GP, now a consultant in the development of aloe products said: "I feel this is a ground breaking piece of research as it is the first randomized, placebo controlled, clinical trial to evaluate a herbal approach to the treatment of ulcerative colitis. Its importance is signified by the fact that the trial and the results were presented at the AGM of the British Society of Gastroenterologists this year." [Press release] The study was presented to the American Gastroenterology Association meeting in New Orleans in May 2004. It's also worth pointing out that these patients were given a relatively short time to respond to the aloe vera. As I mention elsewhere on the site, it is usual to give a dietary approach three months before evaluation. The protocol here probably represents the team's more medically oriented expectations. A further study to judge the mean length of treatment to reach optimum response would also be helpful. Study leader had seen the benefit of aloe in daughter's psoriasis!Professor Rampton had also had a very personal experience of the benefit of aloe. His daughter had suffered from psoriasis. This had improved dramatically by using aloe vera. "The condition had virtually cleared up," said Dr. Peter Atherton in the FLP press release.Psoriasis and ulcerative colitis are both auto-immune diseases. That means the body's immune system attacks its own cells and tissues. Rampton wondered ... "Could aloe impact ulcerative colitis - a different kind of auto-immune disease?" He was also unhappy that so many patients were using these products with little hard evidence to support its use he told the Daily Mail reporter.
Aloe impacts ulcerative colitis ... a patient's perspectiveThe Mail also interviewed an ulcerative colitis (UC) suffer, Andy Woodward. He had tried many over the counter preparations in addition to prescribed drugs, before he found - in his experience - that aloe impacts ulcerative colitis beneficially.However, when he started to drink a sherry glass full of a full-strength aloe gel, he noticed an improvement: "Within a couple of weeks I noticed a difference. My morning stomach cramps were gone and I didn't get that knotted feeling any more when I ate. "That was four years ago and the only time I've had problems since is if I go traveling without it. Within days, the symptoms of ulcerative colitis return". ... a useful testimony that aloe impacts ulcerative colitis successfully. Caveat emptor - buyer beware!. As I read through aloe sites on the net, I found a large number of complaints about products labelled "Aloe vera" that contained very little of the juice itself. High quality Aloe vera gel is thick, contains plant fibres and tastes quite strong. A patient of mine compared some shop bought aloe juice with the product I supplied - and found the shop bought product was less effective. Stick with major suppliers - they've usually got too much to lose to risk poor publicity. You could use the "Contact me" button to ask me for a reputable supplier. The information on antioxidants (see the navigation bar) will help you understand how aloe works with the body and the immune system. Return to Aloe vera main page from this aloe impacts ulcerative colitis page ReferencesFLP Company press release on the research.Pat Hagan Plant juice ended my stomach agony. Daily Mail Tuesday October 11 2005. Langmead L, Makins RJ, Rampton DS. Anti-inflammatory effects of aloe vera gel in human colorectal mucosa in vitro. Alimentary Pharmacology and Therapeutics. 2004 Mar 1;19(5):521-7. Langmead L, Feakins RM, Goldthorpe S, Holt H, Tsironi E, De Silva A, Jewell DP, Rampton DS. Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of oral aloe vera gel for active ulcerative colitis. Alimentary Pharmacology and Therapeutics. 2004 Apr 1;19(7):739-47.
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