A POPULAR health drink was at the centre of a medical controversy last night amid claims that it could cause pregnant women to abort their babies.
Shops and mail order firms sell millions of bottles of the juice extracted from the leaf of aloe vera - a desert plant related to the cactus.
It is said to be highly-effective at relieving such conditions as irritable bowel syndrome, colitis, ulcers and hiatus hernia.
But scientists have discovered that many so-called pure aloe drinks also contain aloin which can lead to serious stomach upsets and cause pregnant women to miscarry.
A major clinical trial on aloe vera and its effects is now being …
