If you’ve spent any time lately in the Mold Toxicity or MCAS circles, you’ve seen aloe vera recommended for just about everything. It’s been shared as a gut lining support, gentle mycotoxin binder, inflammation support, and more.
And you might be wondering if this supplement would be helpful to add to your healing routine.
**We’ve been using aloe in the clinic for years. It can be a helpful addition for gastrointestinal and immune system support. **
While aloe vera has some decent research behind it, some of it is still emerging. And there are some things you should know about supplementing and sensitivities. You want to make sure you are getting a formula that’s right for what you want it to do, and that doesn’t contain known mast cell triggers.
With a plant this variable, the differences matter a lot if you are sensitive.
Where does the extract come from?
What part of the leaf is used?
What were the growing conditions for the plant itself?
And more.
Sourcing matters when dealing with sensitivities, because consuming the wrong type of aloe vera supplement could cause more digestive distress than improvement.
Let’s look at what the studies actually show, and where there is more nuance.
This post is for informational purposes only. To read our full disclaimer, please scroll to the bottom of this post.
When you think of aloe vera, you might picture the green gel you see at the grocery store that goes on sunburns. And we know that it soothes the skin. Maybe your grandmother even had an aloe vera plant at home and broke off a piece any time someone was dealing with skin irritation.
**Aloe vera is most commonly known for these skin-supportive properties. But did you know that it can also help support digestion, blood sugar and metabolic health, and even the immune system? **
It has been shown to have antiviral and immune supportive properties. So researchers decided to put it to the test against certain mold species.
One study specified the way polyphenols are drawn from aloe vera leaves and then tested that extract directly against mold species isolated from spoiled wheat, including Penicillium and Aspergillus. Penicillium and Aspergillus are among the molds that show up commonly in water-damaged building assessments.
This study found the extract showed antifungal activity against these molds. How strong that effect was depended on both the mold species and how concentrated the extract was.
The extract was also rich in polyphenols (natural occurring plant compounds that act as antioxidants and anti-inflammatory agents) and showed strong antioxidant activity.
Another study looked at the antifungal properties from another angle. Researchers combined aloe vera extract with betel leaf extract into a topical gel and tested it against Candida albicans (commonly occurring yeast found in the body that can result in yeast overgrowth). The combination gel performed comparably to a marketed antifungal gel in inhibiting Candida growth in the lab.
Worth noting: both of these studies were lab-based trials, not human studies.
Extract-on-a-petri-dish (or on skin, in the case of the gel) doesn’t automatically translate to the oral benefits of supplementation.” Because of this research showing the potential for aloe vera to fight against mold and provide digestive support, both common issues in the MCAS community, is reason for it to keep showing up in mold and fungal support communities.
There are a small number of controlled human trials regarding oral use of aloe vera, that are also worth knowing about.
Gut inflammation: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial (the gold standard of research) gave 44 people with mildly to moderately active ulcerative colitis either oral aloe vera gel or a placebo, twice daily for four weeks. The group getting aloe vera showed a meaningfully higher overall response rate (improvement or remission combined) than the placebo group. This was performed in a small sample size but warrants further research.
Metabolic and oxidative stress markers: A separate double-blind, placebo-controlled pilot study looked at 45 people with prediabetes or metabolic syndrome, comparing two different standardized aloe vera inner-leaf preparations against a placebo over eight weeks. One preparation significantly reduced total and LDL cholesterol, fasting glucose, and fructosamine. The other significantly reduced HbA1c, fasting glucose, insulin, and a marker called HOMA (a measure of insulin resistance). It was also the only group that showed a significant drop in urinary F2-isoprostanes, a marker that is used to measure oxidative stress in the body.
If you’re dealing with Mold Toxicity or MCAS, it’s common to experience symptoms across multiple systems, including gut inflammation, blood sugar issues, and oxidative stress.
Oxidative stress, and imbalance of free radicals and antioxidants in the body leading to cellular and tissue damage, is part of what’s going on in both of these conditions. A human trial showing a specific, standardized aloe vera preparation that lowered urinary F2-isoprostanes, which are formed in cell membranes that undergo free radical mediated oxidation, is directly relevant to the MCAS community. Adding in the antifungal and antioxidant benefits, and you can see why you are hearing about this supplement everywhere.
The caveat that applies to both trials: they used specific, standardized extracts. They didn’t just go grab any kind of aloe vera juice off the shelf and consume it. Quality and preparation methods matter here.
The colitis trial used a gel prepared specifically for the study. The metabolic trial compared two named, standardized commercial preparations (referred to in the study as UP780 and AC952) against each other and against placebo, and got different results from each one.
That shows how important sourcing is for this supplement.
Recent aloe vera research adds helpful context of additional supports possible from use beyond the antifungal angle. Across the studies aloe vera has been shown to have:
Anti-inflammatory propertiesincluding effects tied to enzymes that reduce inflammation and to compounds that calm inflammatory signaling pathwaysAntioxidant activity, which matters because oxidative stress is part of what’s going on in chronic mold exposure and MCASImmune-modulating effects, including changes to inflammatory cytokines like IL-8 and IL-12 in lab models of inflamed skin cells
Being able to provide support among multiple body systems makes aloe vera something to consider for people dealing with MCAS and Mold Toxicity.
But this same multi-system activity is also exactly why it may be too much for a sensitive individual to process.
The same research studies didn’t stop at the benefits. It also looked at aloe vera’s toxicology (harmful effects of chemicals or other substances) for important information in the oral use of whole-leaf extract.
The compounds responsible for aloe vera’s known laxative effect (aloin and related anthraquinones, found mainly in the latex layer just under the skin) are the same compounds tied to safety concerns with long-term or high-dose oral use.
This is part of why you’ll see the words “purified,” “decolorized,” or “low-anthraquinone” on the label of certain oral aloe products. That processing step is specifically meant to strip out the latex-derived compounds before the gel becomes a juice or supplement.
In other words: not all aloe vera products are made the same way, and for sensitive bodies, that difference is important.
Whole-leaf, unpurified extracts carry more of the compounds linked to digestive irritation. Extraction method matters too. The mold study mentioned above specifically had to optimize extraction time and technique to get a consistent, concentrated polyphenol yield, which is a good reminder that this supplement isn’t exactly the same from product to product.
None of this means that aloe vera isn’t for those who have MCAS or are recovering from mold exposure. It means the usual rules for sensitive individuals apply. Remember to start low and slow and check for the following on your supplements:
Look for purified or decolorized aloe products— not raw whole-leaf juice, if you’re taking it internally products listed as using the inner leaf are idealStart low and slow— a few drops or sprinkles of a capsule, not the full label dose on day oneWatch how your gut responds— since the anthraquinone-related compounds are the ones tied to gut irritation at higher dosesRemember topical effects are different than oral— the antifungal gel study was applied to skin, not swallowed, and that’s a very different exposure. Your body might respond differently to different applications
This aloe is the one we use personally and in the clinic with clients:
We know how difficult it can be to navigate and sort through all the options out there, so we like to try things ourselves first, then in the clinic, before we offer it to our community. While anyone can react to anything, this has been well tolerated by most people we work with at the right time.
If you are salicylate intolerant, it may not be for you. Something like zinc carnosine may be a better place to start for gut and immune support.
Together in healing, The Mast Cell 360 Team
**PS. ** If you are looking for personalized help and are interested in working with the Mast Cell 360 team, check out the MCAS Stabilization Program. You can schedule a free clarity call if you are on the fence and would like your questions answered!
Visit ** mastcell360.com/ClarityCall** to learn more! 🌟
We’re grateful for this community, whether you’re free or paid.
Questions? Email support@mastcell360.com
Bahekar, S. D., Mujariya, R., & Singh, M. (2024). Formulation and evaluation of antifungal herbal gel using Aloe Vera and Betel leaves extract for the treatment of candidiasis. World Journal of Biology Pharmacy and Health Sciences. https://doi.org/10.30574/wjbphs.2024.18.2.0289
Devaraj, S., Yimam, M., Brownell, L., Jialal, I., Singh, S., & Jia, Q. (2013). Effects of Aloe vera Supplementation in Subjects with Prediabetes/Metabolic Syndrome. Metabolic Syndrome and Related Disorders, 11, 35 - 40. https://doi.org/10.1089/met.2012.0066
Catalano, A., Ceramella, J., Iacopetta, D., Marra, M., Conforti, F., Lupi, F. R., Gabriele, D., Borges, F., & Sinicropi, M. (2024). Aloe vera―An Extensive Review Focused on Recent Studies. Foods, 13. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods13132155
Laib, I., Boubrik, F., & Barkat, M. (2019). Optimization of the extraction parameters of Aloe Vera polyphenols and study of antioxidant and antifungal activities: application to molds isolated from durum wheat. Acta Scientifica Naturalis, 6, 79 - 90. https://doi.org/10.2478/asn-2019-0011
Langmead, L., Feakins, R., Goldthorpe, S., Holt, H., Tsironi, E., Silva, A. D. D., Jewell, D., & Rampton, D. (2004). Randomized, double‐blind, placebo‐controlled trial of oral aloe vera gel for active ulcerative colitis. Alimentary Pharmacology & Therapeutics, 19. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2036.2004.01902.x
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