Aloe Vera aids the management of many problems and these pages are designed to educate and inform the visitor.  Suggestions made are not to be interpreted as a medical consultation.

Asthma is one of the most commonly diagnosed conditions affecting some 1 in 4 patients.  It can develop in any age group and tends to be inherited in allergy induced asthmatics but can equally be triggered by intrinsic factors such as stress and emotional upset.

Incidence of atopic asthma which is common in childhood has increased partly through trigger factors that encourage dust mites.  These include double glazing, central heating and carpeting.  Other trigger factors include animal and plant proteins that are secreted in cat saliva and pollen.

Mechanism of Asthma

Asthma is commonly manifested as excessive coughing, wheezing and production of copious amounts of clear sticky mucus.  The disease process is characterised by over reactivity of the muscles in the airway causing wheezing and inflammation which produces copious mucus which causes the cough.

Acute Phase

Allergens in the inhaled air dissolve in the mucosal lining of the airway where sensitised mast cells, which are loaded with histamine, degranulate and release the histamine into the surrounding tissue, triggering inflammation.

The loss of certain key minerals such as magnesium and copper can trigger excess amounts of histamine in the system.  Histamine causes increased leakiness of the blood vessels as well as bronchospasm.  It also triggers off substances which further hyper stimulate the immune system causing the latent phase.  Acute bronchospasm, in the acute phase, can be stopped and responds well to conventional bronchodilators such as Salbutamol inhalers.

Latent Phase

However, an attack of asthma can be prolonged to a point when beta 2 stimulants fail to control the wheezing.  This process is called the latent phase.  It is caused by the triggering of histamine in a cascade of reactions which attract inflammatory cells of the immune system and production of prostaglandins, interleukin and bradykinin.

The inflammatory cells involved are phagocytic lymphocytes called macrophages, monocytes and T-cells.  Conventional steroids are used to dampen this phase of the immune system and, therefore, act as preventers.

How Aloe Vera works in Combating Asthma

This is done in several ways:

1.   Regular use of Whole Leaf Cold Processed Aloe Vera Juice will help to reduce the latent phase of asthma.  We know it contains sufficient quantities of  bradykininase and phyto steroids, such as Lupeol, B-Sitosterol and Campesterol, which inhibit inflammation.

2.   Aloe Vera contains Acemannan which has a direct affect on the immune system activating and stimulating macrophages, monocytes and T-cells.  Acemannan is the trade name given to the mannose rich polysaccharide extract from Aloe Vera.

3.   Pitman implies that Acemannan forms large chains between proteins on virus and bacterial particles and receptors on macrophages.  Thereby, allowing the macrophages to engulf the foreign body and harmful bacteria.  It is also thought to stimulate production of nitric oxide which kill harmful bacteria which can invade the airways.

The process of phagocytosis by macrophages and neutrophil is critical in removing harmful bacteria as well as viruses and foreign particles which can perpetuate the process of inflammation.  Therefore, any process which promotes the activity of phagocytosis will also help to curtail inflammation. The presence of high levels of polysaccharides in Aloe Vera certainly helps to do this.

4.   Research scientists who studied the effect of Aloe Vera on asthma deemed the response to be long term and preventative.

Dosage

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