Is aloe vera juice good for you? It’s a valid question since most of us aren’t as familiar with aloe vera juice benefits as we all are with aloe vera, the plant. You know, that goopy gel that most of us know as the go-to skin remedy for sunburn.
But did you know that this spiky green plant is also an amazingly healthy ingredient to juice?
While they may all look the same to us, there are actually over 200 different varieties of aloe vera, thriving everywhere (in the hottest, driest places) in the world from the Americas and Europe to Asia and Africa. And in every place aloe vera has grown, it has gained a reputation as a healing plant – a reputation that dates back to the time of ancient Greeks and Egyptians.
Even back then, they knew that aloe vera alleviated a number of skin problems like sunburn, other minor burns, cold sores, and even psoriasis. But can you imagine how much more they would’ve loved this plant if they knew the other superb health benefits it offered? Here’s a rundown of aloe vera’s best health perks!
7 Aloe Vera Juice Benefits
Debating whether to toss this spiky, goopy plant into your juicer? Here’s 8 reasons why you should!
A nutritional powerhouse
Aloe vera is mostly known as a great plant to reach for when you need an organic topical balm to ease skin problems, but it is actually one of the healthiest things you can whip up a batch of juice from with the loads and loads of vitamins and minerals it possesses.
Besides being very rich in folic acid, niacin, vitamin E, vitamin C, vitamin B12, vitamin B6, vitamin B2, vitamin B1 and vitamin A, the aloe vera is also fairly abundant in calcium, sodium, iron, potassium, copper, zinc, manganese, magnesium as well as chromium.
And that’s not the full roster of nutrients. According to Superfoodify, aloe vera is packing over 75 nutrients, 20 minerals, 12 vitamins, 18 amino acids, and 200 active enzymes. That’s a whole load of goodness in that goop.
Boosts digestion
For me, this is hands down the most awesome thing about aloe vera – this spiky plant is awesome for gut health, which is key for anyone who’s ever struggled with digestive issues as well as acidity-related conditions like acid reflux or ulcers.
You see, the aloe vera plant has phytochemicals in it that can help make bowel movement more regular, prevent the excessive build-up of gastric acid that can trigger heartburn and even boost your digestive system’s ability to absorb protein faster from the foods you consume. These phytochemicals are mostly concentrated in the aloe vera’s sap, which has a natural gel-like consistency. Sure, it looks a little like snot, but that stuff is incredibly soothing for your digestive system.
This plant is also abundant in compounds that get rid of unwanted bacteria, yeast and toxins that can lead to unexpected stomach pains as well as prolonged bouts of gassiness – nobody wants that 🙂
Just remember to limit your consumption up to three servings daily though since aloe vera contains a lot of anthraquinones that can overstimulate the digestive system and cause stomach cramps and even diarrhea in some cases.
Aloe vera keeps your teeth and gums healthy
It’s no mystery why many oral and dental health products you can get your hands on at the supermarket these days contain pure aloe vera gel. This is because of the natural chemicals in it that not only help pick up the pace on the growth and healing of cells in the oral region, but also have anti-bacterial and anti-microbial properties.
From tooth gels to lip balms, you’re sure to find aloe vera as a key ingredient when you check out the list of ingredients, especially for products that are manufactured to ease bleeding gums and mouth ulcers.
Boosts immunity and promotes relaxation
With its numerous essential nutrients, aloe vera can help your body stave off diseases and adapt to external factors faster like unexpected changes in the weather as well as exposure to pollution with its abundance in beneficial polysaccharides.
Aloe vera’s also a known adaptogen, which means it ‘adapts’ to the hormonal conditions of your body and helps to balance them. Its adaptogen capabilities make it a good choice to go for if you’re looking for a juicing ingredient that can help ease anxiety by balancing out the number of stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline in the system.
Improves cardiovascular health
This spiky plant has compounds in it that are found to improve the way the body transports blood all over the system as well as the ability of the red blood cells to diffuse properly.
This means that making aloe vera a regular in your juicing checklist can easily help you make your blood less viscous, reduce your cholesterol count, enhance blood circulation and oxidation, including keeping your blood pressure up to par.
Keeps your skin looking radiant
Aloe vera is known in the medical world as a vulnerary plant, which simply means that it has the ability to accelerate the healing of wounds when applied to the skin or ingested. This is one of the reasons why it is such a popular ingredient in the cosmetic business.
Aside from picking up the pace on the soothing and recuperation of the skin in the case of bug bites, scrapes, abrasions and burns, it also has antipruritic and analgesic properties, which means it doesn’t just prevent itching, but also helps relieve pain while at it, too.
Amps up the amino acids in your body
The human body needs amino acids, exactly 20 kinds of them, to help synthesize protein from the foods we consume. However, our system isn’t able to naturally produce 8 of these amino acids – and these amino acids are surprisingly quite abundant in aloe vera.
You’re sure going to give your body all the amino acids that it requires when you regularly toss this spiky plant in the juicer.
3 Aloe Vera Juice Recipes
Okay, so you’re more than ready to juice the stuff…but with what? Here are a few simple, delicious aloe vera juice recipes to get you started!
Quick tip: each and every one of these juice recipes do just as well in a blender so go with whatever you feel like: aloe vera juice or smoothie.
Tropic-Aloe Vera Juice
Here’s a quick one that’s ridiculously delicious to get you initiated to the world of aloe vera juice:
- 1 cup pineapple
- 1 cup papaya
- 1/2 cup aloe vera (peeled – use just the white gel)
- 1/2 lime (peeled)
This is the perfect juice to boost digestive function so drink before meals!
Pink Aloe Rejuvenation Juice
Another absolutely delicious aloe vera juice recipe:
- 3 cups fresh watermelon
- 1/2 cup aloe vera (peeled – use just the white gel)
- 1 inch ginger
Perfect for the summer months – as well as after a workout to give your body a huge dose of electrolytes and amino acids.
Aloe Lemonade
There are lemonades and there are aloe lemonades. You don’t need us to tell you which is better:
- 1 cup aloe vera (peeled – use just the white gel)
- 1 lemon (peeled)
- 2 cups coconut water
This one’s perfect for the mornings – a great combination of utterly refreshing coconut water, soothing aloe vera and cleansing lemon to perk you up with or without coffee.
Aloe Vera Juicing Tips
- Did you know that the regular consumption of aloe vera juice can help your body fight off infection? Besides having phenol, urea nitrogen, lupeol and sulphur, which are really useful at staving off microbial activity, the juice from this plant also has cinnamic and salicylic acid, that help control viral and fungal infections.
- Fresh aloe vera is also AWESOME in smoothies – just make sure you peel off the green bits first and blend only the flesh.
