Most people know aloe vera as the gel you put on a sunburn. But there's so much more to this desert plant! We added aloe vera to Clear because of its impressive medicinal properties, along with a family of long-chain sugars found inside that gel.
The short answer
Aloe polysaccharides are long chains of sugars found in the gel of the aloe leaf. One of the main ones is called acemannan. Your body does not digest them, so they reach the large intestine, where gut bacteria can ferment them. In each serving, Clear provides 100 milligrams of ACTIValoe®, a standardized organic aloe extract.
Why the amount is standardized
Not all aloe extracts are the same. The processing methods and the part of the leaves used significantly impact the finished product's efficacy and safety. The chain length of the aloe vera polysaccharides indicates the plant's therapeutic efficacy. The most important polysaccharide in aloe vera is acemannan, a long-chain polysaccharide. If the leaf is properly processed and the long chains remain intact, the plant will have greater therapeutic benefits.
ACTIValoe is standardized to more than 10 percent aloe polysaccharides. Each serving of Clear contains 100 milligrams of ACTIValoe, which provides more than 10 milligrams of aloe polysaccharides, with the same minimum from batch to batch.
What the studies found
- In the laboratory. In two studies, human gut bacteria fermented aloe gel or the polysaccharides taken from it, producing short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), the small molecules that are produced when gut bacteria ferment dietary fiber. SCFAs are the primary fuel source for colon cells and help maintain the health of the intestinal lining. They also reduce inflammation and play an important role in metabolic regulation and immune function. A 2025 study ran a similar test with samples from 30 healthy volunteers. It found more short-chain fatty acids and a lower concentration of harmful by-products.
- In mice. In older mice, a standard measure of gut leakiness was lower after 10 days of consuming aloe gel. The study had no untreated mice to compare with. In cells grown in the laboratory, the same gel raised a sealing protein called ZO-1 and left two other proteins unchanged.
The limits of that research
None of these studies used ACTIValoe. They used other aloe preparations.
The amounts used were also larger than ours, however, they were not standardized to 10 percent aloe polysaccharides. Because not all aloe preparations maintain the same integrity, this is a moot point.
ACTIValoe is in Clear to support the gut lining and the bacteria that live along it.* None of the results above has been shown for it.
How it fits with the rest of the Kit
In our working theory, aloe acts on the microbiome and the gut barrier. In supporting a healthy and resilient microbiome, short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs or postbiotics) are produced. SCFAs feed colon cells, help maintain healthy tight junctions and increase mucus production. SCFAs also send messages throughout the body to promote metabolic health, decrease inflammation, support the immune system and promote healthy organs such as the liver and brain. As a bonus, aloe vera supports the absorption of other herbs and micronutrients taken at the same time. All the more reason to include aloe vera in our kit!