Aloe Vera & Asthma
Asthma affects one in four people on average and is present in all age groups. Asthma symptoms include wheezing, an overproduction of mucus and excessive coughing. The symptoms are the result of muscular over activity causing inflammation and mucus production. It can be triggered by allergies, emotions or stress. Most people have warning signs that an attack is coming on and can treat it with prescription medications such as Albuterol.
This disease is frightening and can force people to change how they live to avoid attacks. Some people have to avoid stress, dust or allergens, which is virtually impossible to achieve 100% of the time. Most asthmatics get attacks regularly regardless of how many prescription medications they take and how much they avoid triggers. Though asthma is not curable, the good news is that some children grow out of it. But those that don’t are usually on the hunt for anything that can help.
What if there was a way to naturally reduce the chances you will suffer from an asthma attack? One study in 2005 found that 57% of the asthmatics studied found more relief from a combination of conventional and natural treatments, than prescription medicines alone. One of the natural treatments being used was aloe vera. This is not surprising because there are published studies on the benefits of aloe vera for asthma from as far back as 1951 to more recently in the mid 1980’s.
Aloe vera contains natural steroids and other compounds that inhibit or reduce inflammation. Interestingly, the studies done in Japan in the 1980’s showed that some compounds in aloe cause in increase in the removal of particles that may be asthma triggers. This is one explanation for how aloe helps asthmatics. Aloe vera should not be used to treat an ongoing asthma attack though because it has only been shown to be effective when used as a preventative measure. So even if you use aloe and it helps, still keep your inhaler nearby for attacks.
One issue that many people have with aloe vera products is the natural laxative effect. This may be a plus for some but for many people it’s a huge drawback. Fortunately, one brand of aloe pills, Aloeride® aloe vera capsules, has removed the issue completely. Their aloe vera pills do not contain the portion of the plant responsible for the laxative effect. Plus, Aloeride® is pharmaceutical quality and is manufactured to be as pure as possible. Aloeride® is privately prescribed by doctors and therapists but also can be purchased securely via the internet.
References:
Clement YN, Williams AF, Aranda D, Chase R, Watson N, Mohammed R, Stubbs O, Williamson D. Medicinal herb use among asthmatic patients attending a specialty care facility in Trinidad. BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine. 2005 Feb 15; 5:3.
Ianovitskii MG. Treatment of bronchial asthma with the extract of aloe leaves. Sovetskaia Meditsina. 1951 Feb; 2:27-9.
Shida T, Yagi A, Nishimura H, Nishioka I. Effect of Aloe extract on peripheral phagocytosis in adult bronchial asthma. Planta Med. 1985 Jun; (3):273-5.
Yagi A, Shida T, Nishimura H. Effect of amino acids in Aloe extract on phagocytosis by peripheral neutrophil in adult bronchial asthma. Arerugi. 1987 Dec; 36(12):1094-101.
