Aloe Vera Juice: What to Know Before Drinking It
Aloe juice is sold as a daily tonic, but the latex in whole-leaf juice is a strong laxative. How to choose, how much, and who should avoid it.
Important: this remedy is only a supportive home measure. Keep taking any medicine your doctor has prescribed, monitor your readings, and consult your doctor before adding anything new.
Why aloe vera is used this way
Aloe vera (ghritkumari) gel from the inner leaf is cooling on skin. The yellow latex just under the peel is a strong laxative and should be drained off.
Aloe gel is soothing on skin, but drinking aloe is a different matter. Whole-leaf juices that contain aloin can cause cramps and diarrhoea, and long-term use has raised safety concerns. Decolourised inner-leaf gel juice with aloin removed is the safer choice if you want to try it.
Ingredients
- Inner-leaf aloe juice labelled aloin-free or decolourised
- Water
How to prepare
- Read the label for aloin content and added sugar.
- Dilute two tablespoons in half a glass of water.
How to use
- Drink occasionally, not as a daily habit.
- Stop if you get cramps or loose stools.
Helpful habits
- Stand a cut leaf upright for 10 minutes so the yellow latex drains.
Precautions
- Avoid in pregnancy, breastfeeding, children, kidney disease, and with diabetes or heart medicine unless a doctor agrees.
- Drain the yellow latex before using fresh gel.
- Do not drink aloe in pregnancy or with kidney problems.
- Stop if you notice itching, rash, stomach upset or any other discomfort.
Frequently asked questions
Is homemade aloe juice safe?
- Only if the yellow latex is fully drained and you use just the clear gel, in small amounts.
Does aloe juice detox the body?
- No; the liver and kidneys do that. Aloe is not a cleanse.
How long does fresh gel keep?
- About a week in a clean, closed jar in the fridge.
