Aloe Vera and Kidney Health

"kidney failure . . . isn’t . . . noticeable until the organs lose at least 75% of their function."

By Sirah Dubois

Aloe vera juice is a clear liquid derived from the leaves of the Aloe barbadensis plant. Aloe vera juice contains many nutrients and displays both antiseptic and anti-inflammatory properties. Kidney disease has a number of causes and manifestations and sometimes ends in kidney failure if not properly remedied. Kidney failure is life threatening and a medical emergency often requiring kidney dialysis. Consult with your doctor about fluid intake and the pros and cons of aloe vera if you have kidney problems.

Aloe Vera Juice

Aloe vera is a species of succulent plant that thrives in arid climates. Juice and a gel-like substance can be derived from its leaves. Aloe vera juice is applied to external wounds because of its antiseptic and anti-inflammatory effects, but it can also be consumed internally for medicinal purposes such as combating infections, purifying the blood and mitigating gastrointestinal upset, according to the book “Medical Herbalism: The Science Principles and Practices of Herbal Medicine” by David Hoffman. Aloe vera juice contains a variety of biologically active compounds.

Medicinal Compounds

Aloe vera juice contains minerals, vitamins, sugars, enzymes, lignins, saponins and anthraquinones, all of which impact your body. According to the “Encyclopedia of Natural Medicine,” lignins allow deep penetration of tissues, saponins exhibit antimicrobial properties, anthraquinones are analgesic and combat pain and compounds called indole acetic acid and gibberellin account for the anti-inflammatory and wound healing behavior of aloe vera juice.

Kidney Disease

According to a survey published in a 2007 edition of the “Journal of the American Medical Association,” kidney disease is one of the top causes of death in the United States, affecting an estimated 13 percent of Americans. However, only one in 10 people know they have kidney failure, because the disease isn’t usually noticeable until the organs lose at least 75 percent of their function. Common symptoms of kidney failure include high blood pressure, malaise and nausea due to toxin and waste buildup in the blood, kidney pain, hormonal disruption and edema.

Aloe Vera and Kidney Disease

According to a study published in a 2004 edition of the “Indian Journal of Experimental Biology,” aloe vera extracts protected the kidneys of rats from significant degenerative effects associated with type 2 diabetes. These degenerative effects were diminished in the kidney tissue of diabetic animals given glibenclamide and aloe leaf gel and pulp extracts.

Caution

MedlinePlus warns that high doses of aloe latex have been linked to kidney failure and other serious conditions. Aloe gel or juice is the clear substance found in the inner part of the aloe leaf, whereas aloe latex is yellow and comes from just under the plant's skin. Some aloe products are made from the whole crushed leaf, so they contain both gel and latex. Consult with your primary care physician before supplementing with aloe vera products.

Chlorophyll or Aloe Vera?

"Chlorophyll . . . increas[es] the overall oxygenation of cells to enhance respiration."

A friend of mine made the point the other day that what made aloe vera juice effective in treating stomach conditions is the chlorophyll.  It's also what gives aloe vera juice that green hue.  I personally have tried aloe vera juice for digestive situation and it has made me feel better.  But then I thought if the reason people go after and buy aloe vera is because of the chlorophyll and not anything else in particular, then why not just buy chlorophyll?  

I'd also read from Healthwyze that chlorophyll is a powerful healing component, explaining that the "Linus Pauling Institute discovered that chlorophyll speeds the healing of wounds when applied topically."  So my thought was that if chlorophyll speeds the healing of external wounds, perhaps the way that Vitamin E capsules do on wounds, that it surely must be a powerful healer of internal wounds.  Healthwyze does expalin that "Chlorophyll provides mental clarity and physical energy by increasing the rate of oxygen absorption into cells. This is also an important component for the prevention of cancer, as oxygen deprivation is a primary cause of cancer."  So as a healing agent, chlorophyll is really your choice over aloe vera.  And The Linus Pauling Institute does point out the benefits of chlorophyll:

1.  Used orally as an internal deodorant.

2.  Topically in the treatment of slow-healing wounds for more than 50 yeas without any serious side effects.

3.  Chlorophyll supplementation may decrease oxidative damage induced by chemical carcinogens and radiation.  (Yes, I have heard doctors recommend chlorophyll for radiation damage or weakness.)

4.  A recent study showed that human colon cancer cells undergo cell cycle arrest after treatment with chlorophyllin.

5.  During the late '40s and '50s, a series of largely uncontrolled studies in patients with slow-healing wounds, such as vascular ulcers and pressure (decubitus) ulcers, reported that the application of topical chlorophyllin promomted healing more effectively than other commonly used treatments.

Sarah C. Corriher at Healthwyze adds that "Chlorophyll provides a long-lasting boost of energy by somehow increasing the overall oxygenation of cells to enhance respiration."

From Yahoo Answers, a contributor wrote "Aloe Vera Juice is used to maintain and restore balance of stomach acids. Aloe Vera has shown for maintaining and promoting the right balance of stomach acids."  He goes on: 

In fact, aloe Vera’s tissue regeneration activities again build tissue of the small and large intestine, colon and stomach tissue. Researchers have found that aloe Vera easily stimulate the fibroblasts for making new tissue. When Fibroblasts are stimulated, make proteoglycans, collagen and other elements for producing new tissue. 

Aloe polysaccharides are used to improve the property of immune cells, and it is very effective to eliminate waste and build up toxic and other properties. 

Okay, that creating new tissue point is quite amazing.  

Aloe Vera enhances absorption of nutrients and digestive functioning. 

Aloe Vera Juice is useful to treat digestive system conditions like acid indigestion, candida, colitis and irritable bowel syndrome.

Chlorophyll, the green “blood” of plant life is made by plants through a chemical process called photosynthesis. And amazingly, it essentially has the same effects in the body as iron, so it builds our own blood naturally. Catabolic and anabolic at the same time, liquid chlorophyll is a powerful detoxifier and tonic. It cleanses the blood and builds red blood cells while doing it. 

Because liquid chlorophyll’s composition contains calcium, it is highly useful for people as well as animals with arthritis, bone diseases, and hip dysplasia. Chlorophyll heals chronic conditions both internally and externally, and stops the growth and development of toxic bacteria. Chlorophyll removes toxins from the bones, blood tissues, and intestines. And because chlorophyll helps to thicken and strengthen the walls of the cells, it is also a nutritional aid for the immune system. 

Liquid chlorophyll counteracts toxins, the result is that the body heal faster. It also works in purifying the liver, eliminates old toxic material, and deodorizes the bowels and the entire body. In the colon, liquid chlorophyll helps keep the colon healthy by destroying disease causing bacteria. It works well in eliminating body odors, abscesses, and other skin sores in people as well as animals. In fact it’s a great help for any digestive problems, constipation, or diarrhea. 

Indeed, liquid chlorophyll is non-toxic, safe and soothing to body tissues, so it’s considered very safe for people of all ages. It is actually a whole food, instead of medication. Liquid chlorophyll is available in herbal shops, and of course, eating lots of deep green vegetables is the perfect way to get this great wonder tonic into your system.    

So, which is it: Chlorophyll or Aloe Vera?  It depends on what you're trying to treat, but I really like the wound-healing and cellular respiration capability of Chlorophyll.  Aloe Vera sounds like it balances stomach acids.  By the way, both have chlorophyll, it's just that chlorophyll liquid is highly concentrated.  Don't forget, the chlorophyll is a great deodorant as well.  Get the chlorophyll.  It seems like it would remedy more situations.