What do the states mean?+
- Solid: well studied, and it works.
- Half-there: the science is still forming.
- A ghost: almost no real studies.
- Hollow: well studied, and it does not work.
- A cord: the pair itself has been tested together.
- Air: nobody has ever tested this pair.
The full scoring method: How we score
Aloe vera benefits: where the science stands
For gut and digestion: not settled yet.
Gut and digestion are what most people take aloe vera for, and the strongest evidence says it does not help: two combined reviews found no real difference. As of August 2026, the verdicts on this page rest on evidence from 8 trials, drawn from the strongest research among the 90 papers on PubMed that mention aloe vera. Every claim is checked below.
90 papers on PubMed · evidence from 8 trials
Claim by claim
- Gut and digestionThe science is still forming. No real difference found so far.
- Blood sugarThe science is still forming. Results lean positive, but there is not much yet.
- CholesterolThe science is still forming. Results lean positive, but there is not much yet.
- LiverAlmost no real studies. What exists leans positive.
Pairs people ask about
The four sources we read
- 2011Meta-analysis · no clear effect on gut and digestionsource
- 2012Randomized trial · 40 people · benefit for liversource
- 2016Meta-analysis · pools 5 trials, 415 people · moderate benefit for blood sugar; benefit for cholesterolsource
- 2025Meta-analysis · no clear effect on gut and digestionsource
Chosen as the strongest evidence out of 90 papers on PubMed. Every row links to its paper.
Fair questions
Does aloe vera work?+
For gut and digestion, it is not settled. No real difference found so far.
Is aloe vera safe?+
No caution is recorded on this page. That is not a safety guarantee; the studies we read were not safety trials.
Why only 4 sources, when PubMed lists 90?+
The 90 is every paper that mentions aloe vera in any way: animal studies, blood measurements, papers where it is a side note. The strongest sources are combined reviews, and each one already gathers every trial its authors could find. Our 4 cover 8 trials between them, and every one is linked above. Both counts are measured, not estimated.