No Evidence of Aloe Vera Found in the Aloe Vera at Wal-Mart, CVS - Polidicks

[QUOTE]The aloe vera gel many Americans buy to soothe damaged skin contains no evidence of aloe vera at all. Samples of store-brand aloe gel purchased at national retailers Wal-Mart, Target and CVS showed no indication of the plant in various lab tests. The products all listed aloe barbadensis leaf juice — another name for aloe vera — as either the No. 1 ingredient or No. 2 after water. There’s no watchdog assuring that aloe products are what they say they are. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration doesn’t approve cosmetics before they’re sold and has never levied a fine for selling fake aloe. That means suppliers are on an honor system, even as the total U.S. market for aloe products, including drinks and vitamins, has grown 11 percent in the past year to $146 million, according to Chicago-based market researcher SPINS LLC. “You have to be very careful when you select and use aloe products,” said Tod Cooperman, president of White Plains, New York-based ConsumerLab.com, which has done aloe testing. Aloe’s three chemical markers — acemannan, malic acid and glucose — were absent in the tests for Wal-Mart, Target and CVS products conducted by a lab hired by Bloomberg News. The three samples contained a cheaper element called maltodextrin, a sugar sometimes used to imitate aloe. The gel that’s sold at another retailer, Walgreens, contained one marker, malic acid, but not the other two. That means the presence of aloe can’t be confirmed or ruled out, said Ken Jones, an independent industry consultant based in Chapala, Mexico.[/quote] [url]http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-11-22/no-evidence-of-aloe-vera-found-in-the-aloe-vera-at-wal-mart-cvs[/url]

What a surprise.

Thats why you buy the gallon jugs of 99% pure aloe goop instead. [t]https://i5.walmartimages.com/asr/538c5d13-3320-49d1-b4e5-12304510701f_2.a273513fce0fd7ef3e925785fba8cb8c.jpeg[/t]

Personally being from the south I believe strongly in the aloe vera and have cultivated my own gigantic aloe rather than keep buying gel :v: I even got shoots from it so now I've got two more growing in separate pots now. A long time ago the master plant shriveled up and turned black but it had one tiny spot of green left and eventually it came fully back to life and had a massive growth spurt. It reeked like corpses and the gel actually burned when applied for like a year afterward but now it's back to normal.

So that's why the aloe vera I used on a sunburn on my back made me feel like I was being stung hundreds of times a minute all day instead of a cool, soothing feeling.

Using an honor system in a market like the US? Thats mighty optimistic.

Oh yeah, I'm done a bunch of research for my job on aloe. They claim it can do so many things, but may of the claims aren't backed by good evidence. Additionally, there's many different versions of extract. Aloe water, aloe juice, aloe gel. If the Aloe is "steam distilled", it usually means they steam the leaves and collect the distillate, which is mainly just the steam water and like 1 to 10% aloe components.

aloe is pretty useless by itself, its usually coupled with actual topical medication

What is this? some kind of plant goo? I googled it but it said cactus. Is it medicinal?

And we're in a period where the president has said he wants to get rid of the FDA. The FDA needs to be expanded. Cosmetics and supplements are some of the worst examples of getting away with all of the shit that the FDA is supposed to prevent. I don't mind if the FDA doesn't expand to make them have to wait like a year or whatever to test shit, but for fucks sake the FDA should at least require them to contain what they fucking say they contain.

[QUOTE=Blizzerd;51412078]What is this? some kind of plant goo? I googled it but it said cactus. Is it medicinal?[/QUOTE] Yeah, you use the plant's gel. I've used it to soothe inflammation and it works.

[QUOTE=Map in a box;51412056]aloe is pretty useless by itself, its usually coupled with actual topical medication[/QUOTE] I've heard that but my personal experience just doesn't corroborate this. Once you've cleaned a burn or cut, aloe does a great job of keeping the stinging down. It makes me feel bad when googling this mostly turns up bullshit alternative medicine crap but it really does work.

[QUOTE=Grenadiac;51412142]I've heard that but my personal experience just doesn't corroborate this. Once you've cleaned a burn or cut, aloe does a great job of keeping the stinging down. It makes me feel bad when googling this mostly turns up bullshit alternative medicine crap but it really does work.[/QUOTE] Its mostly placeebo, the fact its a cream/ointment is likely why it feels so soothing.

I had the actual cactus before and we used to cut bits off and squeeze that on burns. Placebo or not it helped sooth the sore bits for quite some time. As for off the shelf stuff, no idea.

Aloe is also an amazing natural laxative. I regret drinking it everytime but it tastes really nice. Great to give to someone you hate.

[QUOTE=Humin;51411838]So that's why the aloe vera I used on a sunburn on my back made me feel like I was being stung hundreds of times a minute all day instead of a cool, soothing feeling.[/QUOTE] We use aloe vera here for sunburn - works a treat. Combine that with a light fan and you're in eternal paradise as opposed to crippling torture for going outside in the sun.

[QUOTE=Reagy;51412169]Aloe is also an amazing natural laxative. I regret drinking it everytime but it tastes really nice. Great to give to someone you hate.[/QUOTE] The FDA is really worried about people using Aloe as a laxative.

[QUOTE=Map in a box;51412155]Its mostly placeebo, the fact its a cream/ointment is likely why it feels so soothing.[/QUOTE] I don't think you understand. you literally pull off an arm of an aloe plant, snap it in half, and rub the innards on yourself. No alt medicine bullshit about it. It works.

[QUOTE=Map in a box;51412186]The FDA is really worried about people using Aloe as a laxative.[/QUOTE] Yeah aware of that because the way it works is technically like a toxin, but they're not sure on the amount of Aloin which is the laxative part where it becomes a problem. Pure Aloin is banned as far as I know but what you get in drinks and other products is normally a small amount thats produced naturally, the counter Aloin you used to buy was very concentrated. Still its worked better than any other laxative I've used in the past and Aloin can be easily removed when processing the juice or gel.

[QUOTE=Reagy;51412211]Yeah aware of that because the way it works is technically like a toxin, but they're not sure on the amount of Aloin which is the laxative part where it becomes a problem. Pure Aloin is banned as far as I know but what you get in drinks and other products is normally a small amount thats produced naturally, the counter Aloin you used to buy was very concentrated. Still its worked better than any other laxative I've used in the past and Aloin can be easily removed when processing the juice or gel.[/QUOTE] They're mainly concerned about the easiness for a tolerance to be gotten from it which means people would take more and more and they're not sure about the amount required to be a toxin. [editline]22nd November 2016[/editline] [QUOTE=BrickInHead;51412204]I don't think you understand. you literally pull off an arm of an aloe plant, snap it in half, and rub the innards on yourself. No alt medicine bullshit about it. It works.[/QUOTE] um, I know, what about what I said says that I didn't? I have an aloe plant even, but "it works" is dumb to say when there's not much in the way of evidence on it actually working in medical journals

[QUOTE=Grenadiac;51411831]Personally being from the south I believe strongly in the aloe vera and have cultivated my own gigantic aloe rather than keep buying gel :v: I even got shoots from it so now I've got two more growing in separate pots now. A long time ago the master plant shriveled up and turned black but it had one tiny spot of green left and eventually it came fully back to life and had a massive growth spurt. It reeked like corpses and the gel actually burned when applied for like a year afterward but now it's back to normal.[/QUOTE] Make an aloe farm and be an underground kingpin of the aloe market. Ontopic: I'm not surprised at all. Most "aloe" products are shit and don't work.

[QUOTE=S31-Syntax;51411827]Thats why you buy the gallon jugs of 99% pure aloe goop instead. [t]https://i5.walmartimages.com/asr/538c5d13-3320-49d1-b4e5-12304510701f_2.a273513fce0fd7ef3e925785fba8cb8c.jpeg[/t][/QUOTE] You sick fuck, how many plants had to die for this abomination?

This is why I only use my trusty cactus. Motherfucker's awesome, and has been there for years and years.

[QUOTE=Grenadiac;51412142]I've heard that but my personal experience just doesn't corroborate this. Once you've cleaned a burn or cut, aloe does a great job of keeping the stinging down. It makes me feel bad when googling this mostly turns up bullshit alternative medicine crap but it really does work.[/QUOTE] Yeah, the aloe shit I've tried does nothing but make my cuts burn.