AUBU to believe in Aloe Vera?

[Rosamund1]

Someone tried to get me into the forever living thing. I lost some money then came to my senses. My question is about the products themselves. Does anyone think that aloe drink is worth it? About £20 per litre and tastes like poison but is basically the fountain of youth and health.

Am I being a mug?

it is also very cheap to buy and hard to kill

Unless you put it on the balcony and it gets snowed on.

What do you think the overall health benefits from drinking it would be OP, and why?

I was once told by a FL seller that their juice was extracted from plants that were over 5 years old and that drinking juice DIY extracted from a younger plant would just result in a rather unpleasant laxative effect.

Her argument for it being expensive was the time it took to grow and harvest enough five year old plants to turn to juice.

I imagine there are many benefits to drinking it as well as the obvious proven topical benefits. On principle though, I would always but it direct from a shop such as H&B and never, ever support the utter nonsense that is being a MLM ‘business owner’.

meddie
I know. Most of what they spout is crap. I know someone highly allergic to it and some prat tried to say they couldnt be cos it was natural! I am surprised nobody has died from the shite they spout. None of the people flogging this stuff has any medical training yet they are allowed to drone on about its miracle cures and prey on the vulnerable.

Hand up cautiously

I keep a bottle of aloe Vera juice in the fridge. It tastes like arse, but I drink a small cup full every other day or more when I'm having a particularly shitty (ha) period of IBS and I believe it helps to relieve symptoms - especially cramps and bloating

However I don't buy it from a weird MLM.
It's $8 for 3 litres in the health food aisle at woolies. Lasts about 2 months. Can safely say nobody is getting rich off it and there's usually only two bottles hidden on the bottom shelf.

My arse is basically the same size so I doubt it's any good for weight loss (but I use it as a supplement rather than a cleanse)

It's very different to the jelly like drink that is in the soft drink section.

It was recommended to me by a friend about 15 years ago and I've never had any adverse issues.

If you want to try it there's absolutely no need to fuck about with MLM nutjobs.

YABU I got a tube of Aloe Vera gel and no idea what it's for. I tried using it on my not very good skin as an alternative to moisturiser/barrier cream and it was sticky and too thick. Burns are a funny one - as per another thread on here I'd not use anything on a burn other than cold water. In fact drinking large amounts of water is probably better for you than guzzling the v expensive juices which are thickened up with additives to make it seem like you're getting more for your money.

FL stuff is also eye-wateringly expensive. There's something immoral about the way they advertise too. I've got a FB friend I avoid as I can't stand the faux bragging about a lifestyle she definitely does not have in reality. No pal, you're not thumbing through your diary with a juice before your gym workout, I've just seen you on the school run and you looked just as harrassed and shite as the rest of us.

The only MLM I tolerate is the betterware catalogue. A fiver on some perspex pan scrapers makes a lot more sense to me

One of my patients had a severe interstitial nephritis from drinking aloe vera gel, and ended up on dialysis. Her life expectancy on dialysis is eight years, so no it certainly wasn’t an elixir of life for her.

Strangely Forever Living don’t publicise cases like hers on FB.

I believed so much in mine, it had babies....

These are just incubating on the window ledge until their roots grow, then I shall begin my world dominating MLM business and be a millionaire....

@thenewaveragebear1983 pray tell your cultivation secrets. Mine has babies but I’m terrified to touch it.

MLM is a scam and unethical. I won’t buy from unethical companies like Sports Direct who exploit their employees, so I certainly would never buy from an MLM which is a million times worse than the worst zero hours contract.
That said, Aloe Vera, if you want to obtain it can be obtained a lot cheaper. H&B, even home bargains, in fact my friend was told by a FL bot that her daughters excema could be cured by it - she didn’t want to pay their extortionate prices so went on eBay and that particular cream was being flogged for about 99p.
So if you are determined to buy FL, get it off eBay!

Surely all MNers should have an aloe vera plant of their very own to go with their OFRS and zombie survival plan.

Mine has been largely ignored for the two years we've had it. It sits on the kitchen window ledge and DS1 occasionally tips a bit of water into it every month or so. It has just sprouted lots of lovely new leaf spikes.

Glueandstick I am not much of a gardener so don’t quote me on this, but I basically very gently teased the baby plants from around the sides. I put them in this saucer and I add water to it periodically, they all have little roots now. I was going to get some special cactus soil from the garden centre, but then it snowed, so I didn’t.
I think they can just be planted into little pots once they have roots.

Proper technical!!

The FL gel is the texture of semen.

Bless those little babies!

The rebirth of Aloe Vera as miracle substance amuses me no end.
I actually like the taste, btw.
It grows like weeds where I'm from so I baulk at paying stupid money.
No proven health benefits... I'm not even sure it's that good at soothing burns! I mean, there are plenty of equally good things.

herbsarespecial.com.au/plant-information/herb-information/aloe-vera/

Some info on Aloe that's interesting.

Son one had a filiform wart growing on his eyelid. I cut a leaf of aloe, dipped a cotton bud in the mushy bit and applied it morning and night. Within two days the wart had gone.

"Humans have evolved over millions of years without the help of Aloe Vera"

Humans evolved with the help of Aloe Vera and all the other health giving plants that they ate.

Do you understand were we got modern medicine from? We copy plants.

I'm from Native American background, it certainly helped my Ancestors to evolve. There are health benefits to using and drinking it. Do your research and read what it is that you are buying, % contents etc. Then decide were to buy it.

If you start to use it, believe in it. Even if the placebo effect kicks in, its done the job that you wanted.

I've been taking CBD oil for two days. I'm out of pain and more mobile.

Just be aware that any substance can interact with other medication and oils can stop you from absorbing some Meds.

I'm not even sure it's that good at soothing burns! I mean, there are plenty of equally good things.

I don’t know about soothing, but it is definitely effective at promoting healing of burns without scarring, when applied topically.

I have used it myself on a very bad burn and people were astonished how quickly it healed and that it left no scar at all. I’ve seen it on other people as well. And I am truly about as non-woo as they come!