Preparation

Aloe Vera extracts can be drunk, applied as a topical lotion or taken as a dried extract in capsules.

Most opinion seems to be that the aloe is most effective when should delivered in the form that is as close to the original as possible. In drinking form there should be minimum of processing; pure gel rather than gel extracted from macerated whole leaves is preferred, and capsules of dried extract, while popular with the health supplement industry, should be avoided.

Dried extract may consist of one of two types of aloe product – dried inner leaf gel, or whole leaf extract. The banned laxative aloin is found only in dried whole leaf extract and not in the drinking gel or lotions.  There has been one [reported] health scare connected with aloe Vera and it was found that the product concerned was concentrated dried extract capsules.

Preservation & Packaging

In order to preserve it original characteristics of the gel it should be “cold” processed (pasteurised at low temperatures) and packed in opaque containers (it will degrade if exposed to light).


Are all brands the same?

Aloe Vera is a popular product widely sold in a number of high street outlets. Without direct control of every aspect of production, from manufacture to customer, it is hard to ensure product control. Problems encountered include illegal irradiation, excess processing, additives, and clandestine dilution with water or other substances.

The industry leader is Aloe Vera of America Inc and this company does control production right from growing fields to the consumer. It also warrants its Aloe Vera is organically grown. Not every company has the control to be able to ensure that.

1. Irradiation

It is illegal to sell irradiated health supplements in the UK. The British Food Standards Agency conducted to two investigations into irradiated health supplements in 2002 and 2005.

In 2002, the FSA reported finding evidence of irradiation in three high street aloe Vera products, one of which was bought from Holland & Barrett. In all the investigation found that eight different Holland & Barrett products which were tested had been irradiated.

In their 2005 investigation the FSA identified two more popular aloe Vera products which had been irradiated. One of them was sold under the well-known Solgar label. Although the Holland & Barrett aloe supplement passed the test, two of its other products were found to be irradiated.



2. Additives, Processing, and Pesticides

Consumers often highlight the difference in price between competing aloe Vera products. However, you get what you pay for. It is important to read the product labels carefully, to ensure that you really are comparing like with like. The half-price bargain may not appear to be all it seems.  

For example, Holland & Barrett “Aloe Vera Juice” is one of the cheaper brands but its label shows that it is extracted from the whole leaf, not just the inner gel. This more economical production method involves grinding up the leaf and inner gel and then processing the mash to extract the laxative Aloin which is found in the outer leaf. It is not known whether or not this method also introduces a problem of pesticide contamination of the outer leaf into the final drinking juice. The outer cactus-like leaf contains inner gel which can be harvested without intense mechanical processing. A number of producers insist that cutting corners degrades the product integrity but process is more delicate and therefore more costly process. Producers of gel-only aloe juice, such as Forever Living,  believe the extra effort is worthwhile, even though the final product costs more.

It has also been argued that the very small amounts of Aloin present in unfiltered gel have a beneficial effect  which is lost to users of filtered whole leaf aloe gel.

A second Holland & Barrett Aloe Vera Juice (with Cranberry) contains E150 Colouring and Acesulfame K artificial sweetener. The Hyperactive Children’s Support Group, a registered charity which has been successfully helping ADHD/Hyperactive children and their families for over 25 years, recommends avoiding E150; Acesulfame is a controversial artificial sweetener which the American food watchdog agency Center for Science in the Public Interest, has repeatedly expressed concern about, as a possible carcinogen.

The use of pesticides in aloe Vera farming is harder to monitor where producer is buying in aloe leaves or extract grown by a sub-contractor, particularly if that sub-contractor operates in another country. Many producers insist that no pesticides are used on their fields. Some producers, such as Aloe Vera of America, can guarantee that. Once again, the greatest security of product integrity comes where a producer is closely involved in all aspects of the production chain.  

3. Dilution

High quality Aloe Vera juice sells for around £16 a litre. The temptation to sell water for that price is obvious. Dr Lawrence Plaskett has investigated the problem of dilution in the aloe business:

“the Aloe Vera Information Service went out and bought three brands of Aloe on general sale in the U.K. (we have since tested several more). The analytical findings indicated that one of these was nearly pure water, a second contained at best 10% or 15% of Aloe with major adulteration and a third was probably a slightly under-strength Aloe Vera Gel product. The names involved were either respectable or even prestigious ones in the market place. This did not bode very well for the interests of British consumers.”

His article on dilution, which also highlights the degradation of aloe Vera juice that has been concentrated and then reconstituted is worth reading.

4. Aloe Vera of America

Probably the safest supplier to choose is Aloe Vera of America, the worlds largest producer of Aloe Vera products which are sold to consumers through 7.5 million distributors in 105 countries under the Forever Living brand. Forever Living’s annual sales are over $2 billion of which Aloe drinks account for about 60% of turnover. They produce 75,000 1-litre bottles of aloe drinks each day.

This is what AVA says about their aloe Vera and their production methods:

Aloe Vera of America is the world's largest grower and distributor of Aloe Vera, with plantations in the USA and the Caribbean - both prime growing climates. As grower and distributor they always know how where their Aloe was grown. They guarantee that no pesticides or herbicides are used in their Aloe Vera fields. They control the whole process, from choosing which leaves are ripe for harvest, right through to the storage temperature after bottling. They are not dependent on any other supplier. Their Gel is extracted from freshly harvested, mature leaves and stabilised to protect its essential nutritional content within hours.

They use their own patented stabilisation process. No artificial flavouring or colouring is added to their Gel. As there are many harvests during the course of the year, colour and taste may vary. It has been known for some companies to add bleaching agents to their Aloe Vera products, to keep the colour consistent on the shelves, all year long. Although a large proportion of Aloe Vera Gel is naturally composed of water, anybody seeing the raw Gel will know that it is not a thin clear liquid. AVA Aloe Vera Gel is NOT homogenised or filtered. The drinks have a rich pulp which they believe contains much of the goodness of Aloe Vera that is necessary in their daily diets Some other companies who offer Aloe Vera with the pulp strained, giving it the appearance of bottled water.

AVA believes that some producers adulterate their Aloe with useless fillers like maltodextrin to cut costs and increase profits and that some others employ a host of processing methods - including freeze-drying and spray-drying – which compromise the purity of their final product. The Food and Drug Laboratories of New York have tested AVA Aloe Vera Gel and declared that it is `essentially identical' to the raw gel.  

In recent times, whole-leaf Aloe Vera has attracted much attention and is presented by its manufacturers as providing extra benefits. They often avoid mentioning that in order to remove the strong laxative elements found in the outer leaf, they must pass the whole liquid through charcoal filters, which inevitably upsets the natural balance of nutrients found in the Gel. AVA does not risk the integrity of the product by subjecting the Gel to this filtering process. Since the traditional, well-proven benefits of Aloe Vera are found in the Gel, not the rind, the useless rinds are discarded and used as natural fertilisers in the Aloe fields.

AVA Aloe Vera is not boiled. Boiling or pasteurisation is cheaper and faster. Excessive heat destroys the active ingredients. They use only sub-pasteurisation temperatures (known as `cool processing') to ensure enzyme activity is preserved. Cool processing locks in the nutrients immediately after harvesting and enables the product to retain its full potency for a greater time. AVA Aloe Vera is not reconstituted from freeze-dried Gel. This is how some companies can offer `double-strength' products and so on. Their products contain 100% Stabilised Aloe Vera Gel, from plant to product to you. 100% Stabilised Aloe Vera is the FIRST ingredient on the labels of their drinks, gelly and lotions.

AVA’s “Forever Living” Aloe Vera Gel has the International Aloe Science Council Seal of Approval, has receive d the “K” Kosher rating, and has been passed by The Islamic Society of California. All Forever Living products and ingredients are warranted as not tested on animals. 

Proof Magazine rated Forever Living's Aloe Vera gel "The Best Aloe Vera Juice", saying it "is arguably the best selling aloe product in the world"