A woman claims alternative medicines have cured her of a painful disease.

For the past 15 years Sarah Page's life has been plagued by the chronic illness Crohn's disease.

The mother-of-three endured severe stomach pains, fatigue and diarrhoea and had to avoid milk, which research suggests can bring on the disease.

Doctors tried to ease her pain with traditional drugs to little effect.

During the last 18 months, however, Sarah's life has been turned around.

Since October 2001, she has been taking a daily dose of the plant extract aloe vera, which contains vitamins and minerals.

Sarah, 42, of Jonas Lane, Wadhurst, has also been taking ambrotose, which is made up of energy-producing, plant-derived carbohydrates that target the immune system.

Although still taking prescribed drugs, Sarah started to feel better just two months after she began taking the natural remedies.

She said: "When I was ill I was physically drained. Having to deal with Crohn's on a daily basis made me very depressed and it was often difficult to cope with simple things.

"I was sceptical about alternative medication but I thought I might as well give it a go as I had nothing to lose.

"Within a couple of months I felt ten times better. Now I feel like a normal person and I can cope with everyday life again."

Sarah's husband Tim runs national group the Chronic Crohn's Campaign and was told about the remedies by a fellow sufferer.

He said: "I would have never looked at alternative medicines before. I just did not believe any of it would work.

"But I have been proved well and truly wrong. Our lives have been completely changed and it is fantastic to see Sarah well again."

Professor Paul Ciclitira, a Crohn's specialist based at St Thomas's Hospital in London, said Sarah might simply be in a period of remission.

He said: "I am not saying alternative medication does not work but, as Crohn's disease comes and goes, it is difficult to ascertain if somebody has been cured.

"Some people have found aloe vera gel helps their condition and trials are underway to find out if it has a significant effect."

But Tim is so convinced by the natural remedies he has written a letter to Prince Charles, who runs the Foundation for Integrated Health.

Tim has been writing to St James's Palace since 1996, keeping the Prince of Wales updated on the work done by the Chronic Crohn's Campaign, set up after Sarah was diagnosed in 1989.

He said: "Prince Charles has written back to me and told me he has passed my letter on to the foundation, asking them to research my wife's experiences."