The gel is naturally occurring in the plant. Companies that create aloe gel first strip away the outer layer of the leaf. Mixing it with water, fruit juices and preservatives such as citric acid, the aloe gel is then marketed as aloe juice. Aloe juice is actually an indigestible product containing a minimum of 50% aloe vera gel.

The health benefits of aloe vera go back to the time of Alexander the Great who sent servants out to find the plant on the island of Socotra. In 1820, the U.S. Pharmacopoeia listed entries describing the herb’s laxative effects. One of the first recorded aloe vera gel treatments used by physicians was for radiation burns on the face.

Aloe soothes the digestive tract lining and promotes the absorption of nutrients. The herb is also soothing to those with excess hydrochloric or stomach acid because it inhibits the release of hydrochloric acid by interfering with the binding of histamine to the cells in the stomach.

In a research study comparing effects of Tagamet to aloe vera, researchers reported better effects from aloe vera than Tagamet.

Jeffrey Bland, Ph.D. reported that 6 oz. aloe vera juice three times a day was plenty to decrease urinary indican levels. This showed that protein absorption increased and there was less bacterial putrefaction in the colon. Fewer colonies of Candida also were found in the colon.

There are toxic portions of this plant, look for an aloe vera 200x gel extract.

However, the intestinal tract wasn’t created to be used as a suitcase! It’s important to pay attention to the “One Meal In, One Meal Out” rule in natural health, if you want optimum health in today’s toxic world.

Ask any colon hydrotherapist what happens when people’s colons are backed up and she’ll tell you about her clients that have cold feet, headaches, can’t think clearly, skin problems, feel sluggish, can’t lose weight and have a host of other health and life problems. She’ll also tell you about how much better they feel after the colon is evacuated.

As long as we have to eat each day for our nutrition, we have to consider how many bowel movements we have per day. And one way to get those bowels moving is by the use of the herb senna. For this reason, senna is often added to herbal laxatives or herbal colon cleansing program formulas.  Senna relieves constipation and if using it by itself, relief will be felt within 10 hours.

Senna contains active sennosides that irritate the lining of the intestinal tract and cause the muscles to strongly contract. These same sennosides also stop the fluid from being reabsorbed in the large bowel, thus helping the stool remain soft. It’s an ideal herb for those who need to increase the frequency of bowel movements or who have anal fissures and need a little extra help evacuating the colon without any strain.