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Aloe Vera... Sans Aloe Vera

posted by on Sunday November 27 2016, @10:32PM   Printer-friendly
from the you-get-what-you-pay-for dept.

An Anonymous Coward writes:

Bloomberg reports:

The aloe vera gel many Americans buy to soothe damaged skin contains no evidence of aloe vera at all.

Samples of store-brand aloe gel purchased at national retailers Wal-Mart, Target and CVS showed no indication of the plant in various lab tests. The products all listed aloe barbadensis leaf juice — another name for aloe vera — as either the No. 1 ingredient or No. 2 after water.

[...] Aloe’s three chemical markers — acemannan, malic acid and glucose — were absent in the tests for Wal-Mart, Target and CVS products conducted by a lab hired by Bloomberg News. The three samples contained a cheaper element called maltodextrin, a sugar sometimes used to imitate aloe. The gel that’s sold at another retailer, Walgreens, contained one marker, malic acid, but not the other two.

A related article from FatPhil discusses herbal supplements which, upon analysis, did not contain the ingredients their labels claimed.

Caveat emptor.

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  • (Score: 3, Informative) by fishybell on Monday November 28 2016, @12:25AM

    by fishybell (3156) on Monday November 28 2016, @12:25AM (#433841)

    From the GP linked wiki article:

    A 2007 review of aloe vera use in burns concluded, "cumulative evidence tends to support that aloe vera might be an effective intervention used in burn wound healing for first- to second-degree burns. Further, well-designed trials with sufficient details of the contents of aloe vera products should be carried out to determine the effectiveness of aloe vera." citation [nu.ac.th]

    Also, clinically effective or not, it sells because the cooling aspect feels good. I'm 100% okay continuing to buy burn cream that contains aloe just for the feel. If I'm getting anything beyond a blister from a burn though, of course I'll go to the doctor.

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  • (Score: 4, Interesting) by b on Monday November 28 2016, @12:39AM

    by b (2121) on Monday November 28 2016, @12:39AM (#433844)

    Yes, the "Further…" sentence alarmed me. However, having read the abstract, perhaps it's a bit more useful than I thought.

    > Based on a meta-analysis using duration of wound healing as an outcome measure, the summary weighted mean difference in healing time of the aloe vera group was 8.79 days shorter than those in the control group (P = 0.006)

    I imagine that it may well *feel* good, and even be better than no treatment. However, I'd love to see a study that pits it against other commonly-available options, such as toothpaste, a damp rag, a moist towelette…