Article: Aloe vera for ulcerative colitis.(Literature Review & Commentary)(research report)(Brief Article)

Forty-four patients (aged 18-80 years) with mildly to moderately active ulcerative colitis were randomly assigned in a 2:1 ratio to receive, in double-blind fashion, aloe vera gel (100 ml twice a day) or placebo for four weeks. Patients were advised to start with 25-50 ml twice a day for up to three days, to insure tolerability. Clinical remission (defined as Simple Clinical Colitis Activity Index of 2 or less) occurred in 30% of patients taking aloe vera and 7% of those taking placebo (p = 0.09). Clinical response (defined as remission or improvement) occurred in 47% of patients taking aloe vera and 14% of those taking placebo (p < 0.05). Sigmoidoscopic scores and laboratory …