While my profile picture shows long, flowing hair, it is a year old. This spring, I found a bald spot the size of a quarter behind my right ear. Immediately, I knew what it was. My sister had gone completely bald five years earlier due to a condition called alopecia universalis. My immune system was attacking the hair follicles. It is a condition that 1.7% of the population suffers from. Luckily, I had the internet and faith in alternative therapies.

Through the encouragement of my sister, I went in for the traditional steroid injections. However, I felt that was a little futile because my sister had not had success with them. The more I read about steroid injections, the more convinced I was that they were not going to work. They couldn't halt the progression of the disease, it could only reduce the inflammation at the injection site. Once I realized the goal was to reduce inflammation, I looked for natural alternatives. I found a shampoo that claimed it would heal my improve my immune system. I tried it and I did not see regrowth.

I read an online testimonial of someone who suffered from Alopecia areata who started taking aloe vera orally and shampooing her hair with an aloe vera shampoo. Immediately, I went out and purchased some aloe vera products to help stop the inflammation and regrow my hair.

In the months that followed, I discovered that not all aloe vera products are created the same.  While I drank aloe juice, my hair continued to fall out.  Then I read about the difference between whole leaf aloe products and inner gel. True Aloe capsules are made with the whole leaf and a cold processing technique to preserve all 200 nutrients that are found within the aloe plant and work synergistically. After taking aloe vera juice for a month with no improvement, I switched to True Aloe capsules. Almost immediately, I noticed a difference in the texture of my skin. It was no longer dry, but felt moisturized and refreshed.

I continued taking the aloe capsules. While the hair fallout did not stop immediately, after almost one month, I noticed that there were patches of regrowth on my scalp. While, I realize that sometimes in cases of alopecia areata, the hair comes back spontaneously, the improvement in the overall condition of my skin and the timing of the regrowth suggests that there is a correlation.

How does aloe vera reduce inflammation? Aloe vera breaks down bradykinin, part of the body's complex mechanism that causes inflammation. In studies, ale vera has demonstrated the ability to impair the activity of bradykinin. It does so by using the enzyme bradykinase to brake down bradykinin.

Aloe vera contains plat sterols that are powreful anti-inflammatory agents. Plant sterols act like steroid drugs. They work by fortifying your body's natural reaction to the pathogens causing inflammation, helping eliminate inflammation at its source. Steroids inhibit healing, whereas aloe vera has been shown to promote tissue regeneration. The plant steroilshaving the strongest anti-inflammatory effect in aloe vera are lepeol, beta sitosoterol and campesterol.

Aloe contains an aspirin like substance called salicylic acid. Salicylic acid has pain relieving properties and reduces inflammation by inhibiting the production of prostaglandin hormones which encourage inflammation.

Aloe has some a COX-2 inhibiting effect. Aloe vera inhibits cyclooxygenase (COX-2), an enzyme that causes inflammation via the arachidonic acid pathway.

Aloe Polysaccharides stimulate fibroblasts which grow and repair tissue. The miracle of aloe is that it can uniquely reduce inflammation while promoting tissue regeneration - which by itself helps reduce inflammation.