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ALOEVERAANDTHE HUMAN IMMUNESYSTEM
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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
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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
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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.
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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.
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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$ascolitis,includingulcerativecolitis,polyposisof the
colon,diverticulitis,irritablebowel syndromeandCrohn'sdisease.Much anecdotal
that this
andtheir patientsalreadysuggests
evid€ncefrom Altemativehealthprofessionals
is the case.
Candidiasis- infectionof the intestineswith Candidaalbicans- is an obviouscasein which
inrmrmesystemresponseis obviouslycrucial- andit seemsapparentthat it is a stimulatory
effectwhichwould be needed,
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known or believedto involvethe
I-astly,andparticularlyinterestingly,their arediseases
immuneslstemin a majorway. The mostobviousof theseis allergles.On the faceof it
the last thing which the immunesystemmight appearto needin suchcasesis stimulatio4
becausethe trouble appearsto arisefrom an over-stimulatedconditionof the immune
non-foodsin anunnecessary
systemin whichthe systemattacksfoodsandenvironmental
way.
However,allergiescanalsobe viewedasa mis-directionof
andunproductive
immunefirnctionandit is possiblethat Aloe mayin future be foundto hep to put the
immrrnesystembackinto a better orderedstateof firnctionandto alleviateallergic
conditions.So far no scientificwork seeruto havebeendonein this direction.
Qther conditionswithin which the immunesystemappearsto play a major pd, asyet
undefined,would includeME (myalgicencephalomyelitis).This presentationhasbeen
limited to demonstratingthe existanceof the immune-stimulatory
effect andlisting
which
either
conditions
definitelydo benefitfrom Aloe treatmentor canbe expectedto do
sowith varyingdegreesof confidence.Futureissuesof the Aloe Vera newsletterwill
exploremanyof theseaspectsrathermorefully andwill alsointroducethe other
firndamental
modesof actionof Aloe andtheir likely benefitsto diseaseconditions.
The author wishes to state clearly that, whilst this article
quotessomework which has beendone by others,which
hasinvolvedanimals,that he is in no way involvedhimself
in working with laboratoryanimals,nor would he either
condoneor justi$ 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
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