Those familiar with the Aloe Vera might find it surprising that the sticky, often bitter gel inside the leaves is remarkably beneficial to your health and can be a rather tasty raw food supplement.
Harvesting Aloe Vera Gel
Aloe Vera, sometimes referred to as the miracle plant, has many medicinal properties and can be used topically or taken internally in either its raw form or combined with smoothies. Harvesting Aloe Vera gel is easy. The video below explains which leaves to pick for external use (concave leaves will be more bitter) versus which leaves are better for eating (convex, or thick on both sides, and soft leaves are more tasty). The narrator also shows you how to cut a leaf and scrape out the aloe vera gel out of the middle for using and eating.
In the video, the narrator recommends to “get up every morning and eat a leaf. ” Yet, if you have a westernized palette, then the taste and texture of Aloe Vera gel by itself will probably leave a lot to be desired. A different method is to take the gel from a leaf and add it to a morning smoothie. You can even add citrus fruit and ginger to the smoothie to cover the bitterness of the Aloe. This makes it easy add this powerful healing food to your diet.
Aloe Vera as Holistic Medicine
Because of its rejuvenating, healing and soothing properties, Aloe Vera gel is commonly used as a sunburn remedy, in cosmetics and lotions, and in alternative medicines. When taken ingested internally in its raw form, Aloe Vera can:
- Treat first and second degree burns
- Reduce chafing of the nose for persons suffering from hay-fever or common cold
- Alleviate symptoms of eczema and psoriasis
- Improve digestive issues, such as irritable bowel syndrome, constipation and ulcers
- Improve circulation
- Regulate blood pressure
- Strengthen the immune system
- Defend against bacteria
- Cleanse the colon, reducing the risk of colon cancer
- Improve your metabolic rate
Although Aloe Vera gel is mostly made of water, within 1% of this substance there are over 20 minerals (including Calcium), 12 vitamins (including Vitamin A, C, D, B1, B12 and E), 18 amino acids (including collagen protein), and various enzymes. If you’d like to start taking Aloe Vera, there are many commercially produced juices you can purchase if you do not own a plant. Or you can easily cultivate your own plants, which are very easy to keep.
I regularly add Aloe Vera to my morning smoothies for that healthy boost I would never get from a breakfast of bacon and eggs. You too can take advantage of this simple, easy to harvest medicinal plant and benefit your health.
Like Awareness Junkie on Facebook
Awareness Junkie created and published this article (The Miracle of Aloe Vera) under a Creative Commons license with attribution to Anna Hunt and AwarenessJunkie.com. You may repost freely with proper attribution, author bio, and this copyright statement.
Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Moreover, views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of Awareness Junkie or its staff.
