
Popular aloe vera gels may not contain aloe vera, report finds
Store-bought aloe vera may not contain the actual healing ingredient it claims, a Bloomberg investigation of the popular gels has found. The trading news analyst conducted lab tests and reviewed ingredients in aloe vera gels available for sale at Target, Walmart and CVS, and found no indication of the plant in the products.
According to the Bloomberg report, the product ingredient lists featured aloe barbadensis leaf juice, another name for aloe vera, as either the No. 1 or No. 2 ingredient. However, Bloomberg´s tests showed aloe´s three chemical markers-acemannan, malic acid and glucose- were not present in the products purchased at the three retailers, while an aloe imitation ingredient, the sugar maltodextrin, was.
Aloe vera products, which have soared in popularity and even broken into the beverage industry, are thought to help heal burns, cold sores, frostbite and psoriasis. According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), aloe vera can also be taken orally to help treat osteoarthritis, bowel diseases and fever.
Can sipping aloe juice help you lose weight? Does this herb hold the secret to a long life? Mom claims sperm smoothies boost her immunityBloomberg noted that the U.S. market for aloe products has grown 11 percent in the past year to $146 million, according to SPINS LLC, a Chicago-based market researcher. Without requiring approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, suppliers are expected to use an honor system.
"You have to be very careful when you select and use aloe products," Tod Cooperman, president of White Plains, New York-based ConsumerLab.com, told Bloomberg.
Article Credits / Source
Sponsored Product
More Health Headlines Articles
Johnson & Johnson in early talks to buy drugmaker Actelion0
NEW YORK - Johnson & Johnson is in early talks to buy the Swiss drugmaker Actelion Pharmaceuticals. Actelion Pharmaceuticals Ltd. makes high blood pressure medicines that treat arteries in the lung and around the heart. Johnson & ...
IVF calculator may help predict chances of having a baby0
A new calculator can help couples see their odds of success with in vitro fertilization (IVF) before they start treatment, a recent study suggests. Doctors have traditionally been reluctant to estimate couples' chances of having a baby before ...
Chronic gum disease tied to risk of erectile dysfunction0
Erectile dysfunction is more common in men with gum disease, according to a new review of existing studies. Chronic bacterial infection of the gums, or periodontitis, is common and a major cause of tooth loss for adults, the authors write. The ...
Are colds and flu worse in women than in men?0
Colds and the flu may take a bigger toll on women than men, according to a new study based on people's reports of their own symptoms. The women in the study were more likely than the men in the study to report severe fatigue and muscle aches ...
Why fewer Americans say they want to lose weight0
Americans today are less likely to say they want to lose weight, compared to those surveyed a decade ago, according to a new poll. The poll, from Gallup, found that an average of 53 percent of American adults who were polled between 2010 and ...
0 Comments
Write a Comment
Tag Cloud
Our Mailing List
Subscribe to our mailing list to get the latest health news as it breaks!
Author
The full comment or 255 characters
View Article➦