Aloe Vera (Inner Leaf Gel)
Also known as: Aloe barbadensis · Aloe vera juice · Aloe gel drink
One of the most-used remedies in IBD surveys. Members describe a calmer stomach during flares, and a small colitis trial was encouraging.
One of the five most-used complementary remedies in a survey of 705 IBD patients.
Why people try it
The gel from inside the aloe leaf is a traditional soothing remedy. People drink aloe juice or gel hoping it will calm an inflamed gut, especially during flares.
What people report
- A HealingWell member described a small shot of aloe juice calming their stomach enough to get back to sleep during colitis flares.
- Another HealingWell member felt aloe helped them through a steroid taper.
- A Crohn’s Forum parent reported it helped their daughter.
Counter-reports & downsides
- That same parent stressed they couldn’t say it would suit everyone.
- Crohn’s Forum’s own reference page on aloe advises against it for people with Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis or past abdominal surgery.
- Members warn that some aloe products cause diarrhoea, depending on how they’re processed.
Where it’s discussed
Public threads we drew from. Read them in full for the context around each experience.
- Forever Aloe Vera Juice HealingWell
- Have anyone tried Forever Aloe Vera Gel? HealingWell
- Is aloe good for Crohn’s? Crohn’s Forum
What the research says
In a 2004 double-blind trial in 44 people with mild-to-moderate ulcerative colitis, 30% of those drinking aloe gel reached clinical remission versus 7% on placebo. The difference wasn’t statistically significant, but aloe also reduced disease activity seen under the microscope. There are no trials in Crohn’s disease.
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Langmead L, Feakins RM, Goldthorpe S, et al. · Alimentary Pharmacology & Therapeutics · 2004
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Aloe Vera: Usefulness and Safety
National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health · NIH NCCIH
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Fernández A, Barreiro-de Acosta M, Vallejo N, et al. · Digestive and Liver Disease · 2012 · PMID 22795615
Forms people mention
Inner-leaf gel drinks and juices are what people mostly discuss; capsules are less common.
Amounts people mention online are personal choices, not recommendations.
Safety
- Choose decolourised inner-leaf gel. Non-decolourised whole-leaf extract contains aloin, a laxative compound, and is classed as a possible human carcinogen.
- Aloin-containing products can worsen diarrhoea, the opposite of what most people with Crohn’s want.
- Rare cases of liver injury have been reported with oral aloe products.
If you decide to try it
Talk to your gastroenterologist first, especially if you take prescription medication. If you go ahead, these quality markers help:
- “Decolourised” or “inner leaf” on the label
- Low aloin content stated by the manufacturer
- Third-party certification for purity
Coming soon
Tried Aloe Vera? Your experience matters.
Our Community Symptom Tracker will let you log what you take and how you feel — and see what’s working for people like you. Alongside it, our wellness store will offer curated, third-party-tested protocols.
Phase 2 — in development
Where traditional research stops, our community begins
Natural compounds can’t be patented, so they rarely get the multi-million-dollar trials that drugs receive. That leaves people with Crohn’s without answers to the questions that matter most: what actually helps, at what dose, and for whom? Our Community Symptom Tracker will crowdsource those answers from real people living with Crohn’s, and our upcoming wellness store will make it easy to find quality, third-party-tested products.
- Log your symptoms, supplements and doses in a private daily tracker
- See what’s working for people with the same disease location and medications
- Contribute to the largest real-world dataset on natural Crohn’s support
- Shop curated, third-party-tested protocols from our upcoming store
Be one of the first to join
Early access is opening soon. Bookmark this page and check back — we’ll announce sign-ups here first.