ALOE VERA – IS IT SAFE FOR HORSES?

By Hannah Botha, MSc Equine Science, Epol Nutrition Advisor

Aloe vera is certainly not a new addition to the management of horses, and for many years it has been used topically for ailments such as inflamed or burnt skin. More recently, aloe vera has come into focus for treating common conditions such as gastric ulcers. But can it really help, and is it safe?

This article aims to delve a little deeper into aloe vera and hopefully answer some of these crucial questions.

Is aloe vera safe to feed?

Dietary or herbal supplements are often thought of as ‘safe’, but the complex nature of such supplements can make it difficult to evaluate their efficacy and safety.

Herbal products often exhibit significant variability in quality due to issues such as authentication, mixing of ingredients and substitution during manufacturing. There are also many factors that can affect such ingredients during growth, harvest, and post-harvest processing.

Unfortunately, in horses, there is very little research on the correct dosage and long-term effects of aloe vera. In general, however, it seems aloe vera gel is as safe for internal use in horses as it is in humans.

However, aloe vera has one element that can prove troublesome for horses. Laxative anthraquinones within aloe have been shown to cause diarrhoea. It’s hard to know if an aloe vera brand contains this as laxative anthraquinones aren’t declared on the label. If a horse is being fed aloe vera according to body weight, then it’s more likely a problem with diarrhoea could be seen. However, the dosage is rarely in the proper ratio to body weight, so the quantity fed rarely causes loose droppings.

But this begs the question – if the dosage is incorrect, will aloe vera have the desired effect?

Aloe vera and the treatment of gastric ulcers

A research-led team from the University of Adelaide in South Australia studied the effect of aloe vera on protecting the stomach’s sensitive lining.

“The inner leaf gel of the aloe vera plant has been reported to be effective in the prevention and treatment of gastric ulcers in man and in animals in experimental models. Its anti-ulcer properties have been attributed to a variety of possible mechanisms, including anti-oxidant activity, anti-inflammatory properties, cytoprotective and mucus-stimulatory effects, and its ability to regulate gastric acid production,” explained the team.

Equine Gastric Ulcer Syndrome (EGUS) includes ulcers affecting both the squamous and glandular portions of the stomach. EGUS negatively impacts performance, can be difficult to treat effectively, and often recurs once treatment has stopped.

To determine whether aloe vera was viable for horses with EGUS, 39 horses diagnosed with one or more gastric ulcers (grade ≥2 lesions of the squamous and/or glandular mucosa) were offered either aloe vera or omeprazole.

Key findings of the study included:

• Better healing rates were noted in the omeprazole group; and
• Of the patients diagnosed with squamous ulcers, 56% of horses offered aloe vera improved, whereas 85% of horses treated with omeprazole improved.

NOTE: The possibility that a higher dose would have resulted in higher improvement rates could not be ruled out, although the study dose was higher than that commonly given to horses and above that recommended by the manufacturer.

Even though aloe vera proved inferior to omeprazole in the treatment of gastric ulcers, more than half of all horses improved, which could indicate that aloe vera is useful in maintaining gastric health and might reduce ulcer reoccurrence after treatment with omeprazole.

However, this situational usage has not been studied; therefore, using aloe vera for EGUS still warrants further study.

Conclusion

As with any herbal supplement, care should be taken as long-term effects, correct dosage rate, and impact on nutritional profiles within the body have generally not been studied in the horse.

Treating EGUS effectively requires scoping, veterinary treatment and ongoing alterations to management, diet and stress levels to ensure that the root cause is treated and not just the symptoms.

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References

Bush, J., R. van den Boom, S.H. Franklin. Comparison of aloe vera and omeprazole for treatment of equine gastric ulcer syndrome. Equine Veterinary Journal. In press. https://thehorse.com/19987/aloe-vera-for-equine-ulcers/