Rung Five
Supplements
Unclear

Aloe vera

aloe gel, juice, latex and pills. Herbs & mushrooms.

Also called or includes: Kumari, Aloe

Safety: Aloe injections have caused serious side effects, including deaths. Taken by mouth, aloe juice and latex are strong laxatives that can lower potassium; the FDA ruled aloe unsafe as a laxative.
Verdict
UnclearThere isn't enough human evidence to say either way.
How sure
Rung 2 · LimitedFew, small or conflicting human studies, or only indirect measures such as blood markers.

The rung shows how sure the science is, not how big the effect is. How to read these ratings

Cancers affected

None as a treatment

What the evidence shows

Memorial Sloan Kettering says aloe vera isn't an effective cancer treatment. Studies of aloe gel for radiation skin reactions had mixed results, and early evidence suggests it may ease mouth sores from chemotherapy or radiation.

What to do

Ask your team before using aloe gel on radiation-treated skin, and don't take aloe by mouth or by injection for cancer. Avoid it in pregnancy.

Sources

Memorial Sloan Kettering About Herbs: aloe vera (October 2026)
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Related

Every supplement we rated, or follow one cancer step by step: breast cancer, colorectal cancer, lung cancer and prostate cancer.