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lssueI Pricef2.50p ALOEVERAANDTHE HUMAN IMMUNESYSTEM \v moleculesin Aloe vero whole leafextract Specialised interactwith some special"receptor" substances that are embeddedinto the outer membraneof our immunesystemcells.The resultis that the immune systemcellsare galvanizedinto action. In particular,the classof cellsknown as"phagocytes" increasethe activitiesby which they attack and then engulfbacteria,waste productsand debris.This increasein scavengingactivitiescleansesand protects the body,with knock-on benefitsfor a whole cascade of different medicalconditions.The literatureindicates that a common mechanismin this respectprobably existsin both humansand animalsand that both can benefjt enormously from use of Aloe vera * (* f l ' . , :. - , Tonsils ::'a-:;r v ) :::,,'. ,, Cervicallymph node : r r : r . l l : : l i i .: ::lr l,:: r il ': :;: :i:.::ii i r : : : ' i : : l ' l l . :]i.,:l' r l l l : :r. .,.,r:. '':i: ,:;::: rr:rr:;r . :;;:;:;ri: ';;:iii:i: . ,,;._1.r;1,; t r r : r r r a rr Entrance of tho racii;d.Hffi ,into subclavian' ffi : : : : : : : : : ! : : : : : ;;i;,::i:! ,;:,. : j :i:i;r:ri Thymusgliln# . . i . . i : i : f : i : : : t : : 1 : r l : alrai:!!:l!a:i llt il tairlaltttaa. , t : : u :. r : :r: t#*li jtYtPhaticdue 11:!l !!l !l 1!r! !l i !l !l i.r !r llt:il L lilll a ! node ffitilil#lymph r:l:rlll!, I I !:l: l ii !a!!l ir i ':Jri ,:r .l . ';i :;,:: : I i,. i: ,rIiffifti,pp6ic duct . ; ; ; * : ; i i ; i :r : a - \. t / " l I Maminarv olexus ' ' ' t | Intestinal lyrft:ph iftbdgt Peyer'spatchesin intestifidlffill nppSF$i'H, :l:i-r! :::;,.j lymphno$ds Inguinal i '.1; ' ,:,:; Boner"rro ffi / \ tttU a./ largeparticle;a Mechanismof phagocytosis. (a) Extracellular particle activates a specialisedcell. (b) Cell sendsout arms to engulf the particle. (c) Cell encloses the particle by forming a large vesicle or vacuole.(d) The vacuolemoves into the cytoplasm.(e) Lysosomesattachto the vacuole.(f) Lysosomesdigestthe vacuole's contents. lysosomes v v v v Electron micrograph showing phagocytosisof erythrocytes by a macrophage. THEHUMANIMMUNE SYSTEM Thenatureof the immunesystemandphagocytes of the body. It is concernedwith The ImmuneSystemprovidesthe defencemechanisms It involvesthe whiteblood cells defenceagainstforeigncellsandforeignsubstances. (leukocytes)andsomespecialplasmaproteinscalled"antibodies". Very especially importantarethe tlpes of white blood cellsknownas"lymphocytes".Thesecells,while theyform a mostimportantcomponentof the white cellsin the blood,theyactuallytravel extensivelywithin the body. Many of thenUoriginatingin the bonemalrow, travel to the andthey then establish thymusgland,wheretheir firther developmentis influencedo themselvesin a numberof centresaroundthe body, especiallythe lymphglandsin the neck,armpit andgroin areasandin the spleen Herethey constitutecentresof "lymphoid tissue". The torsils andthe appendixalsoconstitutecentresof lymphoidtissueandhence shouldbe regardedaspart of the immunesystem. \, \' v v both of whicharealsowhite Two othervery importanttylpeof cell in the body'sdefences, 'tnacrophage", a namederivedfrom the Greekandreallymeaning'big eater" cells,arethe andthe 'heutrophil". Both of thesecell typescarryout the processcalled'lhagocytosis". This is a processof engulfingforeignparticlesandcells,andthis includesthe debrisfrom body cellswhich mayhavebeenkilled by bacterialtoxinsor by environmentalpoisons whichhavefoundtheir way into the body. The engulfingprocessconsistsof the cell until theyjoin up aroundthe offending of its own cell substance sendingout processes item andconsequentlydraw it into the cell. Oncewithin the cell the engulfedparticleis 'Vesicle"which separates it from the restof the cell. enclosedwithin a membranous Digestiveenzymesandoxidisingsubstances canthenbe potred into the vesiclefrorn'the cell to digestor otherwisedestroythe offendingitem. of immunity. playsan importantpart of the overallprocesses Thisprocessof phagocytosis The actualphagocytosisstepis really a cleaningup operationafter someof the earlier havetakenplace. In the earlierstages,antibodyproteinsarelikely to immuneprocesses produced havebeen againstthe offendingitenUwhich coat it andmakeit more 'lalatable" to phagocytosis.Also, if the offendingitem is a bacterialcelloor evena moribundbody cell,it mayhavebeenkilled by the actionof "killer" lymphocytes.Nonetheless, phagocytosis is an extremelyimportantstepandcanbe seenasa cleansingprocess.The phagocytosed item is'heutralised"and endsup beingdestroyedandeliminated.The digestiveandoxidisingprocessesthat takeplacewithin the phagocytedesffoyethe aswhat it was. The effectis structureof the offendingitem andmakesit trnrecognisable phagocyte protective may evenmigrateto a placefrom andcleansing.The thereforeboth which it will be eliminated,aswhenit migratesto an areaof pus, suchasa boil, andthe pus is eventuallyshedfrom the surface. moreeffectiveandmore Obviously,anythingwhichcanmaketheprocessof phagocytosis will be an of immunity. Sucha substance activeis goingto be significantfor the processes immunesystemstimulant. Aloe vera is sucha substance. Scientific Literature Referencesto Stimulation of Phagocytosis The following referencesrelate to human adult bronchial asthmaand identified a positive effect upon phagocytosisin thesepatients. "Effect of Aloe Exhact on PeripheralPhagocytosisin Adult BronchialAsthma". "Effect of Amino Acids in Aloe Extract on Phagocytosis by peripheralnzutrophils in Adult BronchialAsthma." v v Shida,T., Yagi, A., Nishimrna,H.,& Nishioka,I. Yagi, A. 1985 Immuno stimulant Phagocytosis t987 Amino acids Phagocytosis rmmunostimulant. PlantaMed. pp273-275 JpnJ.Allergol. 36 (r2\ 1094I l0l. The following recent reference relates to work with chickens in which the complex carbohydrate from Aloe vera was found to increasethe output of Nitric Oxide by macrophages. Nitric oxide is one of the lethal chemicalsproduced by macrophagesfor kiling and neutralising harmful bacteria and for the destruction of foreign substancesand debris. Obviously, then an increasedoutput of Nitric Oxide provides a meansby which macroptr4gecells can increasethe effectivenessof phagocytic activity. 'Nitric Oxide productiur by chicke,n macrophages activated by Ace,mannan, d, complex carbohydrate exffacted from Aloe verd'. Karaca, K., Sharma, J.M. & Nordgren, R 1995 Immunostimulant Phagocytosis Int. J. Immuno pharmacol.17 (3) 183-8 The following referencerelates to the stimulation of imnune activity in mice by local activation of a substanceknown as "cornplement" and by increasein antibody production. In its conclusions it makes refere,nceto the "activation of human polymorphonuclear leucocytes". Once again it is clear that major irmuno-stimulatory activity is being reported. v v o'Ananti-complementary t'Hart LA, Van Den polysaccharidewith Berg AJ, Klus L, Van immunologicaladjuvant Dijk & LabadleRP activity from the leaf pare,nchyma gel of Aloe vera." 1989 Immunostimulant: Antibodies PlantaMed 55 (6) 509-12 In addition, the following article by J.C. Pittman cites that "Acernannan has direct effects on the immune syste,m,activating and stimulating macrophages,monocytes, antibodies and T-cells." T-cells are one of the rnajor classesof lynphocytes. Pitbnan also says that "It (acemannan)has bee,lrshown in laboratory studies to act as a bridge between foreign proteins (such as virus particles) and macrophages,facilitating phagocytosis." Acenraruranis a trade mme give,nto a mannose-richpolysaccharide extractd fr ornAl oe vera . 'olmmune enhancing efus Aloe." of PittmanJC r992 Immunostimulant Health Conscious r3 (1)28-30 The knock-onbenefitsfor a whole cascadeof different medicalconditions The consequences of havinga more effectiveimmuneslntemareextremelyfar-reaching. Perhapsthe mostobviousandmostexpectedchangeis that the body is very much strengthened with regard,not only to fighting infectiorubut alsowith regardto keeping infectionsat bay in the first place. The work that hasbeendonein this areaincludesboth bacterialandvirus infectionsof varioust1pes. Thebiomedicalliteraturoshowsclearlythat this is the case. In orderto presenta balancedpictue, it hasto be statedthat not all plantsubstances which stimulatethe immunesyatemsof animalsandhumansdo so in a useful,efficacious andsupportiveway. Thereis a wholerangeof suchplant substances, looselyclassified underthe headingof "lectins" whic[ althoughthey are immuno-stimulatorynonetheless fail to producea good andusefuleffecton the immuneslatemthat is of demonstrable benefitto its performance.The specialimponanceof Aloe is that its immune-active effectshavebeenclearlyshownto be of functionalbenefit. Next, it is clear,ffid well known, that the body's fight agairst tumoursis alsomediated throughthe immunesptenl which hasan ability to kill andremovetumotr cells. The outcomeis presumedto be determinedrnainlyby the vigour of the immruresystem responseto the turnour. Thereis evenoneform of cancertherapy,known as "immunotherapy''which involvesculturingthe patient'sown immunecells(killer cells) outsidethe bodyin the laboratoryandthenre-injectingthern However,clearevidence existshowingthat underlaboratoryconditionsAloe preparations arecapableof slowingor stoppingthe growth of tumoursor evencausingthemto shrink. This canbe demsnstrated both with active,growingtumoursin vivo andalsowith tumourcellsin tissueculture. So far thereareno trials on humancancer,but anecdotalaccountscertainlyexistof Aloe beingeffectiveagainsttumours. The whole areaof auto-immunedisordersis onewherewe might well expectbenefitfrom the useof a substance,suchasAloe, which makesthe immunesystemmore effective. Auto-immunediseaseis perhapsrathera specialcase,sincethe defectswhich existto not -relateso muchto a deficiencyofimmunefunctiorUbut rather,it is amis-directionof immunefunction. However,thereis someevidencewhich favoursa conclusionof efficacy for Aloe in auto-immuneconditions.This needcauseno surprisein view of Aloe's known anti-inflammatorypropertiescombinedwith its tendencyto normalizeimmrurefunction. Herethereis offereda simplelist of conditionswhichmightwell be expectedto be benefitedby a betterdirectionof functionin the immruresystem- i.e. auto-immune conditions.Perniciousanaemi4Hashimoto'sthyoiditis(i.e. onetype of thyroid insufficiency),Gravesdisease(i.e. Thyrotoxicosis),Tlpe I Diabetes,Rheumatoidarthritis, SystemicLupusandLupuserythematosus, Myastheniagravis,Auto-immunehaemolytic anaemia,Goodpasture's syndrome(a typeof glomerulonephritis, i.e. kidneydisease), Addison'sdisease(deficiencyof the adrenalcortex),Mixed connectivetissuediseaseand Scleroderma.Multiple sclerosishasan auto-immrure element. Most of thesediseases havenot yet beensubjectedto trialswith Aloe vera. However,it is the natureof the fuirdamentalactionsof Aloe which leadsto the conclusionthat the applicationof Aloe to theseconditionscouldwell producefavourableresults. w v v v v tract is a significantlocationfor immunefunction. Thereare The gastro-intestinal of immune(i.e. lymphoid)tissuesthroughoutthe intestines.The small concentrations intestinescontainthe specialareascalled"Peyerspatches",but the largeintestine,together with the appendix,is alsoa rich areafor lymphoidtissue. Bowel healthandfunctionis an areaof particularinterestfor the applicationof Aloe veraamongstAlternativeand healthprofessionals at the presenttime. The scientificdatawhich exists Complementary generally in this respect,but thereis is supportive to their conclusions area on this relativelylittle suchdataavailableat present,the subjecthavingattractedthe attentionof thereare severalreasonsfor believingthat onty a few scientfficinvestigators.Nonetheless, immunefirnctionis extremelyimportantto the functionsof the intestine,ffid this too will be reviewedin futtrreAloe Vera newslettersnow beingplanned. The existenceof this connectionraisesthe distinctpossibilitythat Aloe verawill b€ found,in future biomedical studies,to benefitsuchcondition$ascolitis,includingulcerativecolitis,polyposisof the colon,diverticulitis,irritablebowel syndromeandCrohn'sdisease.Much anecdotal that this andtheir patientsalreadysuggests evid€ncefrom Altemativehealthprofessionals is the case. Candidiasis- infectionof the intestineswith Candidaalbicans- is an obviouscasein which inrmrmesystemresponseis obviouslycrucial- andit seemsapparentthat it is a stimulatory effectwhichwould be needed, v v !. known or believedto involvethe I-astly,andparticularlyinterestingly,their arediseases immuneslstemin a majorway. The mostobviousof theseis allergles.On the faceof it the last thing which the immunesystemmight appearto needin suchcasesis stimulatio4 becausethe trouble appearsto arisefrom an over-stimulatedconditionof the immune non-foodsin anunnecessary systemin whichthe systemattacksfoodsandenvironmental way. However,allergiescanalsobe viewedasa mis-directionof andunproductive immunefirnctionandit is possiblethat Aloe mayin future be foundto hep to put the immrrnesystembackinto a better orderedstateof firnctionandto alleviateallergic conditions.So far no scientificwork seeruto havebeendonein this direction. Qther conditionswithin which the immunesystemappearsto play a major pd, asyet undefined,would includeME (myalgicencephalomyelitis).This presentationhasbeen limited to demonstratingthe existanceof the immune-stimulatory effect andlisting which either conditions definitelydo benefitfrom Aloe treatmentor canbe expectedto do sowith varyingdegreesof confidence.Futureissuesof the Aloe Vera newsletterwill exploremanyof theseaspectsrathermorefully andwill alsointroducethe other firndamental modesof actionof Aloe andtheir likely benefitsto diseaseconditions. The author wishes to state clearly that, whilst this article quotessomework which has beendone by others,which hasinvolvedanimals,that he is in no way involvedhimself in working with laboratoryanimals,nor would he either condoneor justi$ that type of work. NOW AUA'LABLE HEALTT{ AND MEDICAL USE OF ALOE VERA" '.95 (normally Curent and Future lssues e 1O.95) Prlce 1 ALOE VERAAND TIIE HUMAN IMMUNE SYSTEM t2.50 Z, ALOE EASESINFLAMMATION t2.50 3. ALOE VERAAND TFIEHUMAN DIGESTIVE SYSTEM t2.50 4. THEHEALINGPROPERTIES OF ALOE t2.50 qty An account of the cell-proliferating quality of Aloe - its mechanism and its benefits in replacing damaged tissues within the body. 5. 6. - HOW TO USEALOE VERAIN ALTERNATIVE MEDICINEPRACTICE f2.50 ALOEVERAAND CANCER 12.50 An account of the laboratoql information which shows that Aloe Vera acts upon tumour cells and upon tumours. ! 7. ALOE VERAAND DIABETES t2.50 8. THEPROCESSING qUALIry OF ALOE AND TFIEWAy rN WHICH IT AFFECTS AND BIOLOGICALACTVTY. 52.50 9. TFIEEFFECTS OF ALOE IN PROTECTING AGAINSTINFECTIONS t2.50 10. ALOE VERAAND SPORTS INJURIES 12.s0 1 1 .TtsrEQUALIIY CONTROLOF ALOE AND CHECKTNG UPON TF|E s2.so GENUINENESS OF PRODUCTS IZ, THECARBOHYDRATE FRACTION OF ALOE t2.so An account of the Glucomannan which is such an important contributor to Aloe's overall biomedical effiects. 13. TFIEACTIONSOF ALOE AT CELLULARLEVEL t2.50 How the three prime actions of Aloe - healing, anti-inflammatoql and immune - are mediated through chemical messengers and through cell-surface receptors. 14. THE EXUDATECOMPOUNDSOF ALOE AND TTIEIRLIKELYBENEFTTS IN GELOR WHOLE LEAFEXTRACT t2.50 15. ALOEVERAAND TFIEFOURA'S- ARTFIRMS, ATHEROMA,ANGINA AND ASTFIMA t2.50 For full cletailsapply to the Aloe Vera Information Service or your local distributor