Mayo Clinic Care Network Content
Articles

Aloe

Our take

Generally safe

Aloe gel is generally safe and can be effective in treating skin conditions such as burns and psoriasis.

However, avoid using aloe latex orally. Unprocessed aloe latex contains chemicals that appear to have the potential to cause cancer, and processed aloe latex might have cancer-causing compounds. Taking 1 gram a day of aloe latex for several days can cause kidney damage and might be fatal.