Читать книгу American Diabetes Association Guide to Herbs and Nutritional Supplements - Laura Shane-McWhorter - Страница 7

OTHER NAMES • Burn Plan • Lily of the Desert • • Elephant’s Gall • Sábila •

ALOE

Aloe vera

This succulent, green tropical plant has been used in medicine for thousands of years. Aloe is pictured on the walls of ancient Egyptian temples and discussed for its medicinal properties in the Egyptian Book of Remedies from the 16th century. Derived from the Arabic alloeh, the name means “bitter and shiny substance.” The plant thrives in warm climates such as the Mediterranean and Caribbean, as well as areas of Africa and North and South America. Aloe is just one of 400 species of aloe plants.

USES

Uses Patients are probably most familiar with aloe gel to treat sunburns, skin abrasions, and dry skin. However, aloe gel, which comes from the plant’s leaves, is also the most common form used to treat diabetes. Aloe is popular among Hispanic patients and is known as sábila .

Aloe is taken by mouth to treat type 2 diabetes. It is found in many formulations such as beverage mixtures or tablets. The gel’s active ingredients include polysaccharides and glycoprotein. They are thought to stimulate the body’s ability to transport excess glucose from the blood into cells and tissues where it is needed. Some scientists suspect that the high fiber content of the gel itself may promote the body to use glucose more effectively. Nonetheless, aloe’s effect on blood glucose has not been confirmed in large, rigorous, long-term studies.

Aloe latex is another form of aloe. It has a laxative effect and can be taken as a juice or dried and taken as a tablet. It is not used to treat diabetes.

DOSE

There is no recommended There is no recommended dose, since necessary dose-finding studies have not been conducted.

STUDIES

Three small studies have indicated that aloe may decrease blood glucose. It may also decrease triglycerides but not total cholesterol.

• A study of five patients with type 2 diabetes who took one- half teaspoon of aloe sap twice daily found that average blood glucose decreased. But the study was very small and did not include control subjects (i.e., patients who did not take aloe).

• A small study of 40 patients with type 2 diabetes who took one tablespoon of aloe gel or a placebo (“dummy gel”) twice a day for 6 weeks found that fasting blood glucose decreased significantly in the aloe group. Triglyceride levels also decreased, but not overall cholesterol.

• In another small study of 40 patients with type 2 diabetes, scientists found that adding one tablespoon of aloe gel to the diabetes medication glyburide (a sulfonylurea) twice a day for 6 weeks significantly decreased fasting blood glucose. Triglyceride levels also decreased, but not overall cholesterol.

SIDE EFFECTS AND DRUG INTERACTIONS

There are many theoretical adverse effects of aloe. Patients should be cautious about low blood glucose when taking aloe in addition to diabetes medications such as insulin, sulfonylureas, and others.

In addition, patients should be cautious that an aloe product could be inadvertently contaminated with other parts of the plant that cause a laxative effect. For example, an ingredient found in aloe called anthraquinones was once included in over- the-counter laxatives. The FDA had concerns about fluid and electrolyte loss and had requested that manufacturers conduct further safety studies. Due to the excessive costs necessary to conduct these tests, manufacturers chose not to do the tests, and aloe is no longer allowed in nonprescription laxatives.

There are anecdotal reports of liver and kidney problems with high doses of aloe. Aloe should not be used by pregnant or breastfeeding women. There is concern that use during pregnancy may result in miscarriage and that some toxic substances may pass to the infant in breast milk.

There is the potential for prolonged bleeding when aloe is used with the anesthetic sevoflurane during surgery. Thus, aloe use should be stopped two weeks before surgery. Aloe should not be used with drugs that deplete potassium, such as certain diuretics. It should not be taken with the heart medication digoxin, since low potassium may result in dangerously high concentrations of digoxin.