How much Aloe Vera should I drink?

This is a simple question with a complex answer and will depend on the following factors:

What type of Aloe Vera you are drinking
Your current diet
Your general state of health
Why you are taking Aloe Vera

Why so complicated?

Many people confuse Aloe Vera with prescription or over-the-counter drugs but there is an important difference:

Prescription / over-the-counter drugs are designed to carry out a specific chemical process in your body. Pain killers, for example, have been made to block the messages your body sends to the brain about the affected area.
Aloe Vera is a natural plant gel that cleanses the body, provides a host of nutrients and has anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory properties.It has not been 'designed' in laboratories to do anything specific.

We'll cover what that means to you here ...

What type of Aloe Vera you are drinking

There are many different Aloe Vera drinks on the market, some are excellent and some contain so little Aloe, or Aloe that has not been properly preserved, that they will be of no effect.For the text below we are describing Aloe Vera as discussed on the page Good Quality Aloe Vera

Your current diet

Aloe Vera works to boost your bodies own system. It clears out the digestive tract so your body can absorb more nutrients from your food as well as that from Aloe Vera. This action alone is often enough to boost the immune system and rectify a large number of ailments without the need for drugs. But if your diet is low in fruit and vegetables Aloe Vera will not perform miracles because there are limited nutrients from your diet that your body can absorb to help itself.

Your general state of health

While some people see the affects of Aloe Vera within a few days, sometimes hours, others may have to be far more patient. If, for example, you are taking Aloe Vera to help with arthritis but your digestive tract is blocked up with toxins it may take weeks for you to feel the affects on your stiff joints. This is because Aloe clears the digestion first, without this it cannot be absorbed and get to work on the inflammation.

Why you are taking Aloe Vera

For general health - For many a tablespoon several times a day is all they take for general health or even to help treat an ailment. Others drink a glass in the same way that you might drink fruit juice. To help a specific ailment - This varies from person to person and on the quality of the Aloe Vera. Some find success when only taking a tablespoon several times a day, others find they need to drink several glasses. Generally it is recommended that you gradually increase the amount you take until you feel some benefit, later you can gradually reduce the amount until you find your 'maintenance' level. As a very general rule of thumb expect it to take one month for every year you have suffered an ailment. For example, if you have had Irritable Bowel Syndrome for 10 years you may need to drink Aloe Vera for 10 months before you see an effect. In extreme situations, such as attempting to treat severe stomach ulcers that require surgery, some sufferers have drunk large quantities (up to a litre a day) but this should be done with caution if you have never drunk Aloe before.

A final note

If you have never drunk Aloe Vera before - Start with a tablespoon three times a day to check you are not allergic to Aloe Vera and that you do not suffer side effects. Be careful to ensure you do not confuse the way Aloe Vera works with an allergic reaction (see our page Aloe Vera side effects). For many people this is all they take for general health or even to help treat an ailment.