"Effect of Aloe Barbadensis and Colfibrate on Serum Lipids in Hyperlipidemia in Presbytis Monkeys."

Dr. V.P. Dixit & Dr. Suresh Joshi

Dept. of Zoology at the University of Rajasthan, Jaipur, India.

A brief description of the study follows:

The doctors ran a series of blood tests (1983) on a sample test group of monkeys with high levels of fat and cholesterol in the blood to determine the before and after affects of having introduced juice from the whole leaf of Aloe Vera, ground at room temperature and set to a purification level of 40 degrees centigrade.

Two separate test groups of 5 monkeys were captured, weighed and fed, then fasted and injected with Triton WR as a means of increasing blood level cholesterol. After 72 hours, the blood was then withdrawn to determine what is referred to as "Zero h sampling."

After another 48 hours, another sample was taken and both were exposed to centrifuge testing to determine the level of HDL (the good cholesterol), VLDL and LDL cholesterol (the choke-your-heart kind of cholesterol).

Then, Aloe Vera and Clofibrate were introduced to the respective test groups and blood samples again were drawn. In all five animals tested with the Aloe Vera, it showed dramatic reductions in both types of LDL cholesterol and triglycerides - a rate that was about twice as effective as the comparable clofibrate treatment.

In their report the Dixit, Joshi test team reported the following:

The maximum fall in the mean value of the non-esterified free fatty acid was 45.5 percent with Aloe barbadensis at 24 hours as compared to 23 percent fall at 32 hours by the clofibrate treatment.....Hypercholesterolemia commonly associated with coronary heart disease is correlated with an increase in the plasma LDL-cholesterol and a decrease in HDL- cholesterol cholesterol concentration. Reduction in serum cholesterol caused by administration of Aloe Barbadensis can be attributed to a reduction in LDL + VLDL - cholesterol

They also observed that significant rises in the HDL or good cholesterol also occured in the Aloe test group of Presbytis monkeys:

Aloe Barbadensis administration increased the serum HDL-cholesterol ratio which is associated with a reduced incidence of atherosclerosis in humans. Aloe Barbadensis thus seems to be an interesting agent which could be of use in the treatment of hypercholesterolemia. Long term toxicity and tolerance studies in non-human primates are necessary before the plant can be recommended for clinical use.

Testing for relative toxicity is always a crucial factor in finally determining the efficacy for human consumption of any plant, treatment, or medication. Nevertheless, if Dixit and Joshi had only consulted our earlier works or looked into the score of toxicology studies or dozens of reports on the use of Aloe Barbadensis, they would have found what we all already know: When using Aloe Vera as a treatment modality, there is no relative toxicity that can be recorded. No LD-50s (or kill ratios) have ever been established. It actually has a better toxicology record than some tap water.

The Second Test

The second set of tests (1986), again by Dixit and Joshi, involved a study in which a control group of albino rats were fed high cholesterol diets, while a test group were fed polysaccharide constituents from the Aloe Vera plant. Compared to the group of rats fed the high cholesterol diets without Aloe, the animals fed the consistent Aloe fraction showed the following:

Overwhelmingly, the evidence in the albino rat test, like the prebystis monkey test before it, pointed to the pronounced indication that ingestion of Aloe Vera might have a very positive effect on lipid (fat) metabolism in humans and might tend to decrease the risk of cardiac problems.

reference: ALOE VERA/The Inside Story - pg. 149-151, by Bill Coats, R.Ph., C.C.N., with Robert Ahola

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