Many people around the world believe in the wellness benefits of the Aloe Vera plant. Although Aloe gel and juice drinks are popular, Aloe leaf powder pills and capsules may offer particular advantages for digestive health, metabolic health, and beauty.
This guide will help you understand what to look for when choosing the best Aloe Vera capsules. In short, the best aloe capsules are:
- Organic and Non-GMO
- Made from 200x Concentrated Inner Leaf Aloe
- Guaranteed to have 10% Polysaccharide Retention
What is Aloe Vera?
Aloe Vera is a plant with more than 400 species and is a staple of desert climates like nbpure's home of Arizona! For thousands of years, Aloe has been celebrated for its health and wellness qualities. The Ancient Egyptians called Aloe the 'Plant of Immortality' for its hardiness and many cultures have nicknamed it the 'Miracle Plant'.
While Aloe may not be a 'miracle', it is undoubtedly regarded as a promising health aid due to its natural superfood status. Aloe boasts 75 active components including vitamins, antioxidants, enzymes, minerals, polysaccharides, lignin, saponins, salicylic acids and amino acids.
Aloe Vera Pills and Capsules vs Gels and Juices
Aloe is commonly known for its topical use in treating burns and wounds. However, ingesting it may also provide various health benefits. Unlike applying a gel to the skin, oral Aloe powders may provide unique advantages for the digestive system, metabolic health, and beauty.
Aloe gel and juice drinks are also popular, but they often have an unpleasant taste that requires sugar and processing to mask the bitterness. In contrast, Aloe Vera powder pills and capsules are tasteless and easy to take without unnecessary additives.
Some of the benefits of oral Aloe Vera powder in capsule form may include:
- Detox: May increase excretion of toxins and promote anti-oxidation.1
- Skin Health: May improve skin moisture, elasticity, and tightness.2
- Digestive & Immune Health: May nourish healthy digestive linings and support healthy inflammatory responses .3
- Metabolism Health: May support healthy fasting blood glucose levels.4
- Weight Health: May assist with modest fat loss and weight management in obese adults.5
The Best Aloe Pills are Organic and Non-GMO
Organic Aloe plants are non-GMO and grown without synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, and other undesirable chemicals. Following strict guidelines, organic Aloe promotes both environmental sustainability and the health of the plant.
Organic Aloe is often higher quality than non-organic Aloe. For example, Organic Aloe typically has higher purity and less unwanted contaminates than non-organic Aloe. Similarly, the potency of desired active components may be higher in organic vs. non-organic Aloe.
For these two reasons, purity and potency, we believe that the best aloe pills and capsules should be made from only organic sources.
The Best Aloe Pills are Made from 200x concentrated Inner Leaf
The whole leaf of the Aloe vera plant has 2 distinct parts: the waxy outer leaf and the gelatinous and juicy inner leaf. When the aloe plant is mature, the whole leaf is harvested and washed to remove debris. Oftentimes, the whole leaf is used in topical supplements.
However, filleting the outer leaf and extracting the inner leaf has several properties that make it more attractive for use in oral supplements. The outer leaf contains a substance called aloin, also called aloe latex, which gives the outer leaf its waxy texture and can be toxic when consumed in large amounts. Filtered Inner leaf aloe contains very little aloin, allowing inner leaf aloe supplements to achieve the 'Generally Recognized as Safe' label.
The inner leaf is where most of the 75 active components and vital nutrients are concentrated. Removing the outer leaf allows for greater concentration of these nutrients. Similarly, the outer leaf is exposed to the environment and may contain more impurities than the inner leaf. By removing the outer leaf, the final product may have less unwanted contaminates.
The best inner leaf aloe powders are 200x concentrated, which means that it takes 200 pounds of aloe whole leaf to make 1 pound of the concentrated inner leaf aloe powder. This is incredibly potent and a huge reason why the best aloe vera pills are made from pure inner leaf powder.
The Best Aloe Pills Have Guaranteed 10% Polysaccharide Retention
Following extraction of the inner leaf from the whole leaf, the filtered gel is then concentrated to remove water and create a more potent powder. This is typically done using low-temperature drying methods. Then the concentrated powder is milled into a fine powder which can be package into capsules.
The filtration, concentration, and milling process must be done with care to prevent loss of vital nutrients. The most important of these nutrients is the polysaccharide glucomannan called acemannan, which may support most of Aloe's digestive and beauty benefits.
Brands like ACTIValoe® use proprietary methods like Qmatrix® to ensure polysaccharide concentration of at least 10%. This proprietary process is a low temperature/short time (LTST) method that helps dehydrate the aloe while maximizing the quality, solubility, and stability of the final product.
Choosing supplements made with LTST methods like ACTIValoe®, ensures maximum polysaccharide retention. We believe the best aloe capsules guarantee at least 10% polysaccharides.
Summary
Aloe vera has long been used for it's health and wellness qualities. It's full of vitamins, antioxidants, minerals, amino acids and beneficial polysaccharides like acemannan. While popular in it's topical form, powdered aloe may have unique benefits for gut health, metabolic health, and beauty.
Powdered aloe pills and capsules have benefits over gels and juices. First, many gels and juices have a bitter unpleasant taste and many brands add sugars in order to make them palatable. These gels and juices may also require that you drink a substantial amount in order to get a beneficial dose.
The best powdered aloe pills and capsules have 3 important qualities.
- First, they use only organic and non-GMO aloe plants to minimize contaminates.
- Second, they use 200x concentrated inner leaf aloe which minimizes toxic aloin and maximizes beneficial active nutrients.
- Third, they use concentration techniques that guarantee 10% polysaccharide retention, which maximizes the potential health benefits of aloe.
nbpure Organic Aloe Vera has all three qualities. It features powerfully pure inner leaf aloe at 200x concentration with guaranteed 10% polysaccharides. Plus, it comes in convenient, tasteless capsules.
References
1Koo HJ, Lee KR, Kim HS, Lee BM. Detoxification effects of aloe polysaccharide and propolis on the urinary excretion of metabolites in smokers. Food Chem Toxicol. 2019;130:99-108.2 Tanaka M, Yamamoto Y, Misawa E, et al. Effects of aloe sterol supplementation on skin elasticity, hydration, and collagen score: a 12-week double-blind, randomized, controlled trial. Skin Pharmacol Physiol. 2016;29(6):309-17.
2 Kaminaka C, Yamamoto Y, Sakata M, et al. Effects of low-dose Aloe sterol supplementation on skin moisture, collagen score and objective or subjective symptoms: 12-week, double-blind, randomized controlled trial. J Dermatol. 2020.
3 Langmead L, Makins RJ, Rampton DS. Anti-inflammatory effects of aloe vera gel in human colorectal mucosa in vitro. Aliment Pharmacol Ther 2004;19:521-7.
4Dick WR, Fletcher EA, Shah SA. Reduction of fasting blood glucose and hemoglobin A1c using oral aloe vera: a meta-analysis. J Altern Complement Med. 2016 Jun;22(6):450-7.
5Choi HC, Kim SJ, Son KY, Oh BJ, Cho BL. Metabolic effects of aloe vera gel complex in obese prediabetes and early non-treated diabetic patients: randomized controlled trial. Nutrition. 2013;29(9):1110-4.
