Aloe Vera Juice for Gastritis: How to Use it to Effectively Reduce Symptoms

Did you know that aloe vera juice can reduce gastritis symptoms?

Yes, you may not need to rely on prescriptions or over-the-counter medications to address your gastritis symptoms like burping, heartburn, reflux, nausea, or regurgitation.

For many people, aloe vera juice can be an extremely effective, natural method of symptom management for gastritis.

In this blog post, we’ll go over exactly why aloe vera juice is beneficial for gastritis, and how to best use it to effectively reduce symptoms.

As a functional nutrition practitioner, I use aloe vera juice often in my practice to help my gastritis clients manage symptoms while we get to the root cause of their gut problems.

So, if you’re ready to learn why aloe vera is one of my go-to gastritis management supplements, this blog post is for you!

What is Aloe Vera Juice?

First, let’s make sure we all understand exactly what aloe vera juice is.

Aloe vera juice is made from the gel inside the leaves of an aloe vera plant.

You may recognize aloe vera plants and their gel as effective remedies for skin conditions like sunburns or wounds. When used topically, aloe vera is an amazing natural antimicrobial and antioxidant.

And when that gel is combined with water, it turns into a juice that can soothe and heal your GI tract, just like it does to your skin.

Aloe vera juice is also an excellent source of Vitamins C, A, and E, beta-carotene, folic acid, calcium, magnesium, and potassium.

Benefits of Aloe Vera Juice for Gastritis

When it comes to managing gastritis symptoms, this is where aloe vera juice really stands out.

There are many scientific studies that show the benefits of aloe vera juice on a host of health concerns.

So, if you need some convincing as to why you should add aloe vera juice to your gastritis symptom management toolbox, this is for you.

Reduces Inflammation

The first way aloe vera juice helps reduce gastritis symptoms is with its anti-inflammatory properties.

This is going to get super nerdy, but studies have shown that aloe vera gel was able to suppress pro-inflammatory tumor necrosis factor-alpha and interleukin 1-beta cytokines.

And really, what that means is that aloe vera gel is able to enact anti-inflammatory properties against very inflammatory substances found in the body.

This is important when it comes to managing gastritis symptoms because gastritis, at its root, is an inflammation-driven condition. Gastritis means “inflammation of the stomach lining.”

So when it comes to reducing the inflammation that is behind many of your gastritis symptoms, aloe vera juice is certainly helpful.

Contains Antioxidants and Polyphenols

The second way that aloe vera juice can help manage gastritis symptoms is because it contains powerful antioxidants, in the form of polyphenols.

Antioxidants are substances that help to prevent or delay oxidation, or oxidative stress, that directly results in cellular damage.

Oxidative stress plays a significant role in stomach disorders, like gastritis. And this is especially true if the gastritis is a result of an H pylori infection.

Specifically, stomach inflammation (gastritis) was found to be a result of the oxidative damage of the gastric mucosa from H pylori.

And reducing this oxidative stress and damage is one of the best ways to heal the stomach lining and eliminate your gastritis symptoms.

Thankfully the polyphenols, a group of antioxidant-rich compounds, found in aloe vera juice can do just that.

Beyond reducing oxidative stress, the polyphenols found in aloe vera juice are also the perfect food (known as a prebiotic) for the beneficial bacteria in your gut.

Drinking aloe vera juice helps to feed, and therefore increases the numbers of these keystone strains of bacteria in your gut. Which results in a stronger gut lining, and better overall digestive health.

Directly Reduces Upper GI Symptoms

Aloe vera juice has also been found to directly reduce upper GI symptoms like heartburn, food regurgitation, burping, nausea, and reflux.

And if you’re struggling with gastritis, that probably all sounds like good news!

In fact, one study found that drinking aloe vera juice provided a similar benefit for reducing upper GI symptoms when compared to omeprazole, an over-the-counter stomach acid-reducing medication.

This is an amazing finding! Many prescription and over-the-counter acid-reducing medications come with a laundry list of side effects, and should not be used long-term.

But the fact that statistically speaking, aloe vera juice provided a similar ability to reduce symptoms is a huge win for a more natural approach to managing upper GI symptoms.

Has Antimicrobial Effects Against H Pylori

And last, but certainly not least, aloe vera gel has been shown to exhibit strong antimicrobial activity against H pylori.

An H pylori infection is often the reason why many people experience gastritis and its associated symptoms. If you think that could be you, working with a functional practitioner (like me) to address this root cause is your best bet for long-term symptom relief.

Adding aloe vera juice to a well-designed H pylori protocol could be beneficial for both gastritis symptom management, and eradication of the root cause.

How to Use Aloe Vera Juice to Reduce Symptoms

Now that we know the benefits of using aloe vera juice for gastritis, let’s learn exactly how to use it to effectively reduce symptoms.

First, you should know that aloe vera juice can have a strong laxative effect when taken in large quantities.

For this reason, you should only take 2oz of juice at a time and never exceed more than 8oz a day.

Aloe vera juice can also have contraindications for certain health conditions and medications, so always discuss with your doctor before starting any new supplements.

For daily maintenance and overall health benefits, like inflammation and oxidative stress support, you can take 2oz of aloe vera juice, once or twice a day.

Some people like to drink the juice straight, and others find it more tolerable mixed into a smoothie or other beverage.

And for direct symptom support and reduction, take 2oz of aloe vera juice when you start to notice the symptom flare.

You may continue to use 2oz of juice, up to four times, or until symptoms subside.

For immediate symptom relief, I’ve found that drinking the aloe vera juice by itself provides the most benefit.

Best Aloe Vera Juice for Gastritis

There are many brands of aloe vera juice out there.

But here are some guidelines on how to pick a high-quality brand that will provide you with the most benefit for your symptoms.

1. Look for preservative-free products.
2. Look for products without any added sugar.
3. Look for products that contain at least 99% aloe vera.
4. Look for products that contain only the inner gel of the plant, not the outer rind. This affects the effectiveness and taste of the juice.

In my opinion, here is a list of the best aloe vera juice for reducing gastritis symptoms:

• Lily of the Desert Preservative Free Aloe Vera Juice
• Lily of the Desert Aloe Herbal Stomach Formula
  • This one is my go-to product for effectively calming gastritis symptom flares. But it does contain other herbal ingredients, so if you have a sensitive stomach, you might want to avoid it.
• George’s 100% Aloe Vera Liquid

The Bottom Line

Aloe vera juice is incredibly effective when it comes to reducing gastritis symptoms.

Plus, it can be a great addition to an H pylori protocol, if that is what is causing your gastritis.

If you’ve been using aloe vera to effectively manage your gastritis, but are ready to say goodbye to those frustrating symptom flares for good, functional nutrition coaching is right for you!

I work with people just like you to help them uncover the root cause of their upper GI symptoms so they can live their life symptom-free and without having to think about their gut health again.

If that sounds like you, just fill out this quick form and I’ll be in touch to schedule a free 30-minute Discovery Call to see if we’re a good fit to tackle your gut health struggles together!