Aloe Vera May Help Save Lives

It helps take the ouch out of a sunburn, and now new research suggests the home remedy many people grow in their kitchen could help saves lives at the scene of an accident or on the battlefield. Scientists are testing aloe as a therapy to help slow the effects of rapid blood loss caused by injury. The key ingredient is a sticky substance inside the aloe leaf, that when added to blood, helps preserves tissues and organs by preventing oxygen from escaping. There were higher survival rates among the animals that got the aloe injection compared to the placebo group. Researchers say the therapy could be useful in a trauma situation where every minute counts. Trauma is the leading cause of death for people under the age of 40 in the United States, killing 150,000 people a year. Loss of blood accounts for nearly almost half these deaths (American Academy of Emergency Physicians) The study was conducted at the university of pittsburgh and is published in the journal Shock. The researchers, who got funding from the defense advanced research projects agency, tested the mucilage from inside aloe leaves. It is rich in sugar compounds called polysaccharides that affect the qualities of fluid. Just half the 10 rats injected with saline survived, while eight of 10 rats that got aloe did. In a second experiment involving more blood loss, five of 15 rats survived for two hours after getting aloe compared to one of 14 treated with saline solution alone. Seven animals receiving no treatment all died within 35 minutes.