Aloe is a cactus-like plant that prefers hot and dry climates. The name Aloe vera derives from the Arabic word “Alloeh” meaning “shining bitter substance,” while “vera” in Latin means “true.” 2000 years ago, the Greek scientists regarded Aloe vera as the universal panacea. The Egyptians called Aloe “the plant of immortality.” Today, the Aloe vera plant has been used for various purposes in dermatology (Surjushe et al. 2008). The full botanical name of Aloe vera is Aloe barbadensis miller. Aloe vera contains 75 potentially active constituents: vitamins, enzymes, minerals, sugars, lignin, saponins, salicylic acids and amino acids (Atherton, 1997; 1998; Shelton, 1991).
Aloe vera is a herb traditionally used to ease digestive upset in people and to alleviate pain from burns when used topically. More recently it has become popular as an anti-obesity agent. There are relatively few human studies. There is some evidence that aloe vera preparations may help with:
- Acne when applied topically
- Speeding healing of burns and reducing pain from burns
- Herpes simplex or psoriasis when applied topically
- Irritable bowel syndrome (1 trial positive, 2 trials no effect)
- Ulcerative colitis
Some side effects of Aloe vera preparations taken orally in people include1 :
- Occasional reports of burning, itching, and eczema with topical use of aloe gel.
- Oral use of aloe latex can cause abdominal pain and cramps.
- Oral consumption of aloe leaf extracts (for as little as three weeks and as long as five years) has been related to cases of acute hepatitis.
- Animal studies have noted an association between aloe vera leaf extract taken orally and gastrointestinal cancer in rats and mice.
- Overuse of aloe latex may increase the risk of adverse effects from the drug digoxin, which is used for some heart problems.
- Aloe—both in gel and latex form—when taken by mouth, may be unsafe during pregnancy and while breastfeeding.
To date there is only one study of Aloe vera in horses (Bush et al. 2018). In this study, 40 horses with grade 2 or greater squamous and glandular ulcers were treated with either aloe vera inner leaf gel (17.6 mg/kg body weight) twice a day or omeprazole (4 mg/kg bodyweight) once a day for 28 days. 17.6mg/kg aloe vera equates to 8.8g for a 500kg/1100lb horse. The improvement rate was 56% in the aloe vera group and 85% in the omeprazole group. The healing rate was 17% in the aloe vera group and 75% in the omeprazole group. Therefore, 8.8g of aloe vera gel was inferior to omeprazole.
Many companies sell Aloe vera supplements for horses, including, Animalife, Omega Equine, Equimins, KM Elite and Horse Herbs. Only Horse Herbs gave any helpful information on their product:
“100% Aloe Vera inner leaf gel Large Horse (450kg+) – 50ml – 150ml per day, this can be split between feeds or given at once”.
Bottom Line
There is only ONE study of Aloe vera in horses, which was not very convincing. There are no studies on the appropriate feeding rate or safety of Aloe vera in horses. There is limited data to support the use of Aloe vera gel in people. There are a number of side effects that have been identified to be associated with Aloe vera gel in people. Oral Aloe vera products should be used with caution in horses given that neither their safety nor efficacy (potential benefit) nor appropriate feeding rate are currently known.
References
- Atherton P. The essential Aloe vera: The actions and the evidence. 2nd ed 1997.
- Atherton P. Aloe vera revisited. Br J Phytother. 1998;4:76–83.
- Bush J, van den Boom R, Franklin S. Comparison of aloe vera and omeprazole in the treatment of equine gastric ulcer syndrome. Equine Vet J. 2018 Jan;50(1):34-40.
- Shelton M. Aloe vera, its chemical and therapeutic properties. Int J Dermatol. 1991;30:679–83.
- Surjushe A, Vasani R, Saple DG. Aloe vera: a short review. Indian J Dermatol. 2008;53(4):163-6. doi: 10.4103/0019-5154.44785. PMID: 19882025; PMCID: PMC2763764.
- 1 https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/aloe-vera
