Aloe vera is a cactus-like plant whose leaf gives two different products: the clear inner gel, used on the skin and in drinks, and the latex from the outer leaf, a laxative. NCCIH says research suggests the gel may help burns heal, while evidence for oral use is small.
Also known as: aloe, Aloe barbadensis, aloe gel, aloe latex.
The trials pooled in the reviews below used different gels, juices and extracts, so we do not list one amount.
It is sold in the US as a dietary supplement. Under the 1994 dietary supplement law (DSHEA), FDA does not approve dietary supplements before they are marketed, and the maker, not FDA, is responsible for safety and labeling. In 2002 FDA required makers to remove aloe latex from over-the-counter laxatives because of a lack of safety data (NCCIH). In the EU, EMA concluded that a dried aloe leaf juice preparation can be used short term for occasional constipation, for no longer than 1 week and not under age 12 (EMA).
What studies show: on the skin, a 2022 meta-analysis of 4 trials (133 patients) found second-degree burns healed about 4.4 days faster with aloe than with other treatments (Sharma 2022), while an earlier Cochrane review of 7 trials found aloe did not speed burn healing compared with silver sulfadiazine and called the trials poor quality (Dat 2012). By mouth, a 2016 meta-analysis of 5 trials (415 people with prediabetes or early diabetes) found lower fasting blood sugar (about 30 mg/dL) and HbA1c (about 0.4 percentage points), but the authors called the results inconclusive because the trials were few and of poor quality (Zhang 2016).
Safety, per NCCIH: the gel on the skin is generally well tolerated, with occasional burning, itching or rash. Oral gel up to 42 days appears safe in studies. Oral latex can cause abdominal pain, cramps and diarrhea, and oral aloe leaf extracts have been linked to cases of acute hepatitis. The International Agency for Research on Cancer classes non-decolorized whole leaf extract as a possible human carcinogen. Overuse of latex may raise the risk of side effects from heart drugs such as digoxin. Oral aloe may be unsafe in pregnancy and breastfeeding. EMA adds that long-term laxative use can cause salt and water imbalance.
We could not find a single published half-life or time to peak for aloe vera that applies to a supplement dose, so we do not list one. Plant extracts are mixtures of many compounds, so no single figure would describe them.
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