[metoo]

Is Aloe as bad as Senna and all the other irritant laxatives? And does it cause as much damage and dependency?Anyone have more info about this. I'm trying to get off the senna laxatives which are the worst and wondering if switching to the Aloe would be better or would I be in the same or worse situation?Has anyone had any trouble with Aloe?

 

[Paula J.]

Aloe isn't a laxative like the senna. I think it probably wouldn't hurt, but sorry to say it didn't work for me as usual nothing hardly works for me.

 

[metoo]

Is it OK to take aloe pills/capsules on a daily basis without it causing irritation or dependency?I think the pills have more laxative properties in them than the Aloe Vera juice, which is more soothing. Anyone know more about this. I received some sample pills in the mail and they said they help with regularity, so they must be some kind of a laxative!?

 

[DonnaDB]

The aloe vera inner leaf capsules ARE stimulant laxatives. The gelcaps and juice are not but the inner leaf capsules are! They are just about as bad as senna but maybe just a tad milder.

 

[Paula J.]

I took the gel caps. Didn't know about the inner leaf capsules. Learn something informative everyday reading these posts.

 

[Kathleen M.]

MOST juices have some of the inner leaf latex in it, but since that is NOT quantified on the label it can be hard to judge. One way to get a feel for it is the bitterness of the juice. If it is bitter it has a goodly amount of latex, if it is not bitter it probably does not have much latex.Aloe latex is pretty much in the same category as senna et al., but the 1998 paper on cathartic colon in chronic laxative use did not have Aloe as one of the things they looked at so the data isn't really clear just how much the latex of aloe may be a problem.I would tend to be on the use carefully and infrequently end of using aloe preparations that are whole plant juices (esp if they taste bitter). If you are clear (and you trust the label) that a preparation is just the Gel (mucilagenous protiens) then it can be used more frequently, but that type of preparation is generally not used for relieving constipation.see http://66.70.32.82/PeoplesPharmacy/PharmFu...ytype=HerbalMon for a fairly complete article on the topic of aloeK.

 

[metoo]

Wow, THANKS K,The information you gave me and the web site really helped a lot and confirms what I feared. I have been taking a tablet that is extremely bitter which means it's the latex (irritant/laxative) part of the aloe. Since then I have been experiencing the worst pain imaginable even though I have reduced using senna. I was trying to figure out why the pain is so much worse, now everything makes sense to me. It has to be the aloe, because I have definately been a lot worse off since then. It isn't a great laxative, but boy, does it cause pain... much worse than senna (for me anyway).Thanks K ... I feel so much better now

 

[Guest]

Aloe was in common use as a laxative 40 to 50 years ago but is not much used today. I think you would be far better off supplementing your diet with natural fibre foods or if necessary with a fibre supplement. Excellent advice on fibre from http://www.gicare.com/pated/edtgs01.htm

 

[metoo]

Ranmac,IF I could tolerate fiber and and take the supplements, then I wouldn't have a problem, would I!! Having a severe motility problem and chronic severe pain is very different to having constipation.

 

[Tanya needs your company]

Metoo, my chronic pain disappeared when I started to drink slippery elm herb.Please see "Prescription for Natural Healing" by J. Balch 2nd edition p.342 Steep bulk herb and drink it very warm before breakfast. Good luck.

 

[metoo]

I've heard such good things about slippery elm and used to take some powder mixed in water first thing in the morning and just before bed. It helped for a while, then I became more constipated and it stopped working. Overall though, I have heard it's excellent.I was thinking of trying the aloe vera gel, which is supposed to also be a mucilage like slippery elm but not as constipating. The problem with slippery elm is that it is a kind of starch, so I think that's why I have problems ... unable to tolerate any starch because it clogs me up.Thanks for the idea though, because I think it's the mucilage that eases the pain .. kind of coats and protects the lining of the colon I guess.