Many sites claim that Aloe Vera can cure diseases and sicknesses such as Arthritis and prevent diseases such as cancer. Is there any scientific merit at all to all those claims?
Example sites:
A simple Google search reveals hundreds of sites like that.
From The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine: http://nccam.nih.gov/health/aloevera
What the Science Says: Aloe latex contains strong laxative compounds. Products made with various components of aloe (aloin, aloe-emodin, and barbaloin) were at one time regulated by the FDA as oral over-the-counter (OTC) laxatives. In 2002, the FDA required that all OTC aloe laxative products be removed from the U.S. market or reformulated because the companies that manufactured them did not provide the necessary safety data. Early studies show that topical aloe gel may help heal burns and abrasions. One study, however, showed that aloe gel inhibits healing of deep surgical wounds. Aloe gel has not been shown to prevent burns from radiation therapy. There is not enough scientific evidence to support aloe vera for any of its other uses.
