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Aloe
Aloe — what the European monograph actually supports, what it is not for, the form and how long it is meant to be used, side effects, and the 3 medicine interactions documented for it.
This is a reference page, not a diagnosis and not a prescription. Herbal products are real pharmacology: they have effects, side effects and interactions with medicines. Tell your doctor and your pharmacist everything you take, including teas and supplements, and never stop or change a prescribed medicine because of anything you read here.
What it is
Aloe vera (L.) Burm.f. and other Aloe species — dried leaf latex, and separately the inner-leaf gel
Local names across the region this site serves: aaloe (ET) · aloe (FI) · алоэ (RU).
Grouped here under Digestion, bloating and the bowel. Regulatory position: EU herbal monograph — traditional use for the latex; the inner-leaf gel is a cosmetic and food product, not a monographed medicine.
What the evidence supports
The registered indication: Short-term treatment of occasional constipation, for the dried leaf latex.
One plant, two products, opposite risk profiles — and the label rarely makes clear which one you have. The bitter yellow latex that weeps from a cut leaf is an anthranoid stimulant laxative in the same family as senna, with the same short-term limits and the same potassium problem on prolonged use. The clear inner-leaf gel, once the latex is stripped out, is what goes into drinks and skin products; it does not have that laxative action, and its evidence for wound and burn healing is thin. Aloe beverages are decolourised and purified for exactly this reason. European food law adopted in 2021 went further and prohibited certain hydroxyanthracene derivatives — including aloe-leaf preparations containing them — in food and food supplements, following an EFSA safety assessment that could not establish a safe intake because of genotoxicity concerns.
C — Traditional use only Plausible from thirty or more years of use, which is what a traditional-use registration means. No clinical evidence was required and none has settled it.
What it is not for
Long-term bowel management, weight loss, or "colon cleansing". The gel is not a treatment for eczema, psoriasis or diabetes.
Form, strength and how long
Dried latex in tablets and teas; purified inner-leaf gel in drinks, juices and skin preparations; whole-leaf extracts, which are the ones that may carry latex compounds through.
Duration. Not more than about one week of continuous laxative use without medical advice.
No gram figure appears on this page on purpose. The plant part, the extraction solvent and the drug-to-extract ratio together define a preparation, and a number taken from one does not describe another. The reasoning is set out on the hub; the amount that applies to you is the one printed on the pack you are holding, and a pharmacist will read it with you.
Side effects
Cramping, diarrhoea and electrolyte loss with the latex. Skin preparations can cause contact allergy. Aloe drinks in quantity have caused diarrhoea and, in reports, low potassium.
Who should avoid it
Not in pregnancy or while breastfeeding, and not for children under 12, for the laxative preparations. Avoid with intestinal obstruction, inflammatory bowel disease or abdominal pain of unknown cause.
Interactions with medicines
| Medicine or substance | What is described |
|---|---|
| Digoxin | Potassium loss from anthranoid laxatives increases sensitivity to digoxin. |
| Blood-pressure medicines, diuretics and corticosteroids | Diuretics and corticosteroids add to the potassium loss. |
| Any medicine swallowed at the same time | Faster transit reduces absorption of other swallowed medicines. |
The reverse view — start from the medicine rather than the plant — is in the medicine, food and alcohol interactions reference, and summarised for every herb on this site.
As a food
This one is also in the kitchen, so the nutrition figures are worth having next to the pharmacology: see the food data page for calories and nutrients per 100 g and per portion. Culinary amounts and medicinal preparations are different exposures, and the difference is usually the whole safety story.
Sources: European Medicines Agency — Committee on Herbal Medicinal Products (HMPC), European Union herbal monographs · European Food Safety Authority — scientific opinions on coumarin, green tea catechins and hydroxyanthracene derivatives · NIH National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health — herb fact sheets · checked 2026-09-06
Frequently asked questions
What is aloe used for?
Short-term treatment of occasional constipation, for the dried leaf latex. One plant, two products, opposite risk profiles — and the label rarely makes clear which one you have. The bitter yellow latex that weeps from a cut leaf is an anthranoid stimulant laxative in the same family as senna, with the same short-term limits and the same potassium problem on prolonged use. The clear inner-leaf gel, once the latex is stripped out, is what goes into drinks and skin products; it does not have that laxative action, and its evidence for wound and burn healing is thin. Aloe beverages are decolourised and purified for exactly this reason. European food law adopted in 2021 went further and prohibited certain hydroxyanthracene derivatives — including aloe-leaf preparations containing them — in food and food supplements, following an EFSA safety assessment that could not establish a safe intake because of genotoxicity concerns.
Does aloe work?
Graded C here: Plausible from thirty or more years of use, which is what a traditional-use registration means. No clinical evidence was required and none has settled it. Long-term bowel management, weight loss, or "colon cleansing". The gel is not a treatment for eczema, psoriasis or diabetes.
How much aloe should I take?
This reference does not print gram figures, because they do not transfer between preparations of different extract strength. What can be said honestly is the form and the duration: Dried latex in tablets and teas; purified inner-leaf gel in drinks, juices and skin preparations; whole-leaf extracts, which are the ones that may carry latex compounds through. Not more than about one week of continuous laxative use without medical advice.
What are the side effects of aloe?
Cramping, diarrhoea and electrolyte loss with the latex. Skin preparations can cause contact allergy. Aloe drinks in quantity have caused diarrhoea and, in reports, low potassium.
Does aloe interact with medicines?
Yes — documented for Digoxin, Blood pressure, Absorption timing. Each one is described on this page, with a link to the medicine-side reference where one exists.
Others in digestion, bloating and the bowel
Peppermint
Symptomatic relief of minor spasms of the gastrointestinal tract, flatulence and abdominal pain, especially in irritable bowel syndrome, for gastro-resistant oil capsules; the leaf is registered for mild digestive complaints.
Caraway
Mild spasmodic gastrointestinal complaints including bloating and flatulence.
Ginger
Prevention of nausea and vomiting in motion sickness, and mild digestive complaints such as bloating.
Fennel
Mild spasmodic gastrointestinal complaints including bloating and flatulence; and as an expectorant in cough associated with a cold.
Turmeric
Relief of digestive disturbances such as a feeling of fullness and flatulence.
Liquorice
Digestive complaints including burning sensation and dyspepsia; and as an expectorant in cough associated with a cold.
Keep the whole list in one place
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