Dear Friends,
In my last letter, I reviewed the top three gut health benefits of Aloe vera supplements.
These were helping to balance stomach acid levels, promote increased absorption and bioavailability of certain vitamins and nutrients, and provide prebiotic activity to help friendly probiotic bacteria grow and flourish in the gut.
An important part of getting the health benefits of Aloe vera is using a high quality and potent Aloe vera supplement like what's used in research studies.
This is a challenge for many consumers because historically Aloe vera has been one of the most adulterated or counterfeited botanicals in the market.
It likely stems from Aloe vera being the most widely used botanical (or herbal ingredient) when you add together supplements, skin care and topical products.
Consequently, some bad actors try to pass off fake or subpar Aloe vera that’s lacking potency, as the real stuff.
Today I'm going to give you a checklist you can use to make sure you're getting a top shelf premium and real Aloe Vera ingredient in your supplement and avoid getting ripped off.
#1 - Choose USDA Certified Organic Aloe vera
This is always a good idea, but especially important with Aloe vera because of the way this plant works, which we will cover momentarily in the next section.
You want your Aloe vera to be as pure as possible, virtually free of pesticides, herbicides, pollutants, chemical fertilizers, and contaminants.
Related to this is the growing conditions of the Aloe vera plants. For example, the main source of Aloe vera we use in our supplements is grown in ideal conditions in the southeastern part of Mexico.
Not only is the entire farm certified organic, it's located in a mountainous region hundreds of miles away from industrial pollution - and the soil is naturally very rich in minerals, which Aloe plants love.
Water is never an issue because of the local mountain springs and this location also gets plenty of sunshine.
All of this makes perfect conditions to grow what we think is some of the most pure and potent Aloe Vera in the world.
#2 - Aloe vera Should Be Freeze-Dried, Not Spray-Dried
Make sure the Aloe vera was dried using a freeze-drying technique, not spray drying or some other cheaper method that uses high heat. Here’s why this matters:
Part of what makes Aloe unique and helped it thrive on Earth for thousands of years is its biologically complexity – with over 200 nutritional compounds.
These include many vitamins, minerals, enzymes, and 20 of the 22 amino acids required by our bodies – as well as many other nutrients.
Here’s the catch – most of these are only present in trace amounts.
The brilliance of Aloe vera is how these nutrients work together to help support your digestion, joint health, heart and blood sugar health, skin appearance, and more.
Some Aloe vera researchers have explained this by comparing Aloe to a symphony orchestra versus a solo performer.
The many instruments playing together sound much more powerful and beautiful than apart.
For Aloe vera to work its best, you need the full complement of instruments – and that’s why freeze-drying Aloe vera after harvesting is key, because sustained high heat can destroy Aloe nutrients (such as enzymes) and you lose potency.
At NatureCity, we go next level, using patented freeze-drying techniques shown to be superior to traditional methods.
You should avoid spray-dried Aloe vera, which introduces a carrier like maltodextrin, which is the source of much of the adulterated or counterfeit Aloe vera found in the market.
#3 - Aloe vera Should be Certified by the IASC
You should only buy Aloe vera supplement ingredients or products that have been 3rd Party certified by the International Aloe Science Council, or IASC.
The IASC was set up specifically to deal with the issue of fraudulent Aloe vera products being sold.
Fake Aloe products are bad for consumers because they may think Aloe vera doesn't work and they wasted money - and it's bad for those in the Aloe vera business for the same reason, which hurts Aloe vera’s reputation.
The IASC addresses this by testing and certifying Aloe Vera purity and ingredient content. In other words, you can be confident the Aloe vera is real.
Now, there is a little trick you can do at home to see if the Aloe Vera in your product contains starch or maltodextrin which is a common substance used in adulterated Aloe vera powder.
If you have any drugstore iodine at home, put a drop or two on the Aloe vera powder. The iodine should just stain the Aloe vera powder with the brown color of the iodine.
If the powder turns very dark brown or black that's an indication the Aloe vera is not pure and contains starch or maltodextrin.
This is just one way Aloe vera can be adulterated, which is why we suggest making sure that the IASC has tested the Aloe vera ingredient or product for purity and content.
That's what we do at NatureCity to ensure the Aloe Vera in our products is real.
#4 - Avoid the Aloe Latex
Make sure that your Aloe vera product is not made with the Aloe latex part of the plant.
The Aloe latex contains compounds called anthraquinones that have a very strong laxative effect that can cause unwanted side effects.
Aloe vera taken without these Aloe latex compounds has a very strong history of being well tolerated by consumers, with relatively few unwanted effects reported.
This is another benefit of the independent IASC certification we just spoke about.
One of the criteria for being certified by the IASC, is that testing must find that the Aloe vera raw material is virtually free of the laxative anthraquinone compounds.
Their standard is the Aloe vera must contain less than 10 parts per million of the main anthraquinone, which is called aloin.
I can tell you the Aloe vera we use at NatureCity consistently tests at 1 or less part per million, or barely detectable amounts, which well within the strict IASC limit.
#5 - How Confident is the Brand Selling It?
Finally, the money back guarantee that the supplement maker offers can say a lot about the quality of the product (or the confidence the brand has in it).
A 30 day or 60 day money back guarantee isn’t good enough – that’s often not enough time to judge satisfaction with a supplement.
That’s why we offer a full 1-year money back guarantee at NatureCity.
You should demand a similar extended guarantee. If the brand won’t offer a long guarantee like the NatureCity 1-year guarantee, it signals they’re not completely confident in what they’re selling.
If you find Aloe vera supplements that meet all the criteria outlined above, you have a great chance of experiencing the many health benefits of Aloe vera.
We offer two of these supplements in the TrueAloe capsules and the AloeCran drink powder.
If you want a topical aloe vera product, check out the TrueAloeGel.
Yours for Good Health,
Carl Pradelli
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