Dietary Factors in the Modulation of Inflammatory Bowel Disease Activity

Aloe Vera

Aloe vera is used by some patients with IBD. Few studies have been performed evaluating the effectiveness of aloe vera in the management of IBD. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of aloe vera in patients with mild to moderate ulcerative colitis demonstrated improved clinical symptoms (P = .01) and histologic scores (P = .03) in patients taking aloe vera vs placebo. The exact mechanism of action of aloe vera is unclear, but may include antioxidant and immunosuppressive effects. In vitro studies on human colon mucosa have demonstrated that aloe vera gel inhibits prostaglandin E₂ and IL-8.^[52,53]

© 2007 Medscape

Cite this: Dietary Factors in the Modulation of Inflammatory Bowel Disease Activity - Medscape - Mar 27, 2007.