Aloe Vera for ulcer

 

Everyone experiences gastric problems, whether major or minor, at some point in life. If you do not take certain precautions, such seemingly commonplace problems may lead to ulcer. Before, consumption of spicy foods and stress used to be the subject of blame for the open wounds that develop inside the digestive linings. However today, it now known that one perhaps even more common cause of peptic ulcer is bacterial infection, which can be treated within a couple of weeks. While modern medicine helps, there are many natural remedies for stomach ulcers and one is aloe vera. The use of aloe vera for ulcer has been proven by a number of studies to be an effective solution in alleviating pain symptoms of ulcer due to the herb’s anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial and demulcent properties.

Stomach ulcer is characterized by distinct pain caused by an open sore or wound appearing inside the stomach or small intestine. Even though this gastric complaint causes excruciating pain, the condition is treatable and quite common. The location of the ulcer is what determines its name. When the ulcer develops inside the stomach, it is referred to as gastric ulcer. If it develops in the first section of small intestine, it is called duodenal ulcer. Esophageal ulcer is found in the lower portion of the esophagus and often associated with chronic GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease).

Aloe vera for ulcer has been proven by numerous researches as a natural treatment for peptic ulcer. In a study conducted in Ukraine, some interesting facts have been learned of a ‘wound hormone’ in plant tissues that functions in accelerating healing of injured plant parts. Besides the Ukrainian findings, aloe vera gel was submitted to many other studies and these studies found out three mechanisms that could possibly lead to its therapeutic effects.

First, the aloe vera gel inactivates pepsin in a reversible manner. When the stomach is empty of food, the release of pepsin is blocked by Aloe vera gel but in the presence of food, it is released to aid in digestion.

Second, aloe vera for ulcer has the ability to inhibit the release of hydrochloric acid from the stomach’s parietal cells. Gastric acid is formed by the interaction of sodium chloride and carbonic acid, which is catalyzed by carbonic anhydrase. The role of aloe vera gel in this body chemical process is that it halts the exchange of sodium and hydrogen ions in whatever mechanism involved, forming sodium bicarbonate and hydrochloric acid.

Lastly, aloe vera is found out to be an extremely remarkable demulcent, consisting of glucuronic and mannuronic units that bind to form a polymer with great molecular weight. In addition, the gel is quite tenacious and exceeds other reputed gums such as methycellulose. Unlike methycellulose that is inert in a biochemical sense, aloe gel is definitely reactive as it acts as a ‘bandage’ or ‘protective covering’, keeping irritants from getting through to the irritated ulcer.

Aloe vera for ulcer is indeed an effective and safe alternative treatment for people with stomach ulcers. One can find aloe vera juice in a nearby health food store or in many online health shops. In California, one of the most popular healing herbs is aloe vera, as evidenced by the different skincare products and herbal drinks containing aloe as a main ingredient. The market of aloe vera products keeps on increasing as many people are going back to more natural treatment options.