You might have spotted fellow horse owners at the barn lugging jugs of aloe vera juice for their horses. Aloe vera juice is a popular supplement, especially for gut health. But the question is, does it really work?

The Study
There's one prominent study that directly compares aloe vera to omeprazole (Gastrogard). This study found that when horses were fed 17.6mg/kg of aloe vera gel for 28 days, gastric ulcers improved in 56% of the horses and healed in 17%. In contrast, horses treated with omeprazole saw an improvement in 85% and healing in 75%.
So, did Aloe Vera help? Yes. Was it as effective as Gastrogard? No.
Considerations
However, let’s take a closer look at some aspects of this study:
Duration: The study only covered a 28-day trial period, aligning with the recommended treatment duration for gastric ulcers with omeprazole. Natural remedies like aloe vera might take longer to show effects compared to pharmaceuticals. Would a longer treatment period with Aloe Vera have shown more benefits? Possibly. In a separate study on people with chronic gastric ulcers, 93% experienced healing after three months of Aloe Vera Gel supplementation.
Long-Term Effects of Omeprazole: Omeprazole is a highly effective treatment for gastric ulcers but comes with potential long-term side effects, such as kidney disorders, cardiovascular events, fractures, infections, micronutrient deficiencies, cancers, liver issues, and dementia. While similar research isn't available for horses, it's reasonable to think that prolonged use of Gastrogard could have some unwanted effects.
The Real Question
Does feeding your horse aloe vera juice from the grocery store make a difference?
Probably not. Why? Because most of the medicinal qualities of aloe vera come from the inner leaf, which is often purified into Aloe Vera Gel—the most expensive part of the plant. The aloe vera juice you buy at the market is usually made from the whole plant, which is crushed, ground, and then filtered. This means it has a very low concentration of beneficial polysaccharides like acemannan and aloeride.
If you've seen sources claiming to know the exact amount of aloe vera juice to feed your horse for ulcers, just know there's no research to support those claims. No research has been done on aloe vera juice in horses, and the tested juices show a wide range in polysaccharide content, with some containing hardly any at all.
The Alternative
There are only two studies on horses, and both test Aloe Vera GEL. It needs to be the food-grade gel, not the one you put on your skin.
So, what do we use in our Equi-Gut+ product?
ACTIValoe, a dried 200x powder made from the purified inner leaf. This product is produced by ALOECORP, an industry leader in quality aloe vera products. Each batch is quality tested to ensure at least 10% pure polysaccharides. For reference, most Aloe Vera Juice contains less than 0.015% polysaccharides.
We don't mess around! We won't waste your money with poor-quality ingredients. We use the best in all our products!
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