Aloe Vera

[Abigail]

Does anybody eat fresh Aloe Vera regularly? Out of curiosity, I bought two huge (2.5 feet long!) Aloe Vera leaves from an ethnic grocery store. I peeled off the outer green part of one leaf and cut up the gel inside into little cubes hoping to put it in my morning smoothies. (It's so slimey, though.) It's still sitting in the fridge untouched as I am not sure whether I know what I'm doing and whether that gel part is indeed entirely edible. The other leaf is still sitting on the kitchen counter.

Any advice? Thanks in advance.

[sport]

I posted a query some time ago asking how much you should add on a daily basis but did not learn anything.
I have sometimes put in about a half inch (skin and all) but I do not know if I should so I am afraid to do it everyday. They are so easy to grow and spread so quickly that I want to use it up if I can.

[Nenyath]

I have my own aloe plant and I sometimes do eat a little part of it if I use some of the leaf for scrathes and so and I have not felt bad yet.. I did think of using it for smoothies but I can not bring myself to take the leaves :p

Fly forever free..

[cheflissy]

I used to take aloe vera juice every morning. I bought a bottle of it from the health foods store. I didn't taste that great but I didn't feel bad from it. Haven't had it in a really long time. I know the bottle said to start small and work up to 2 TB a day or to bowel tollerance. The stuff worked for skin, bowel issues and many other things. I think the company was aloe life. The website may even be aloelife.com. I'm not sure on the differences from the gell to the juice however. Hope that helps.

Melissa

[cheflissy]

The website is aloelife.com. Just tried it. They have all sorts of stuff with aloe in it and I'm sure lots of info on it too. Didn't look around though.

Melissa

[sport]

But this will be processed stuff.
It is so easy to grow as a pot plant and loves to have babies so cut it as you need it and avoid the processing.

[Jackie1995]

I grow aloe plants outside, and once a week or so, just because - I cut off a chunk and peel it and throw the gel into my green smoothie. Last time, I used a piece about the size of my thumb up to the first joint. And about that thick.

My son swears by it, says it's the first time ever he can remember feeling really good in the bowels department.

I never used the skin, but does anyone know any objection to using the stuff unpeeled?

Have fun! Oh, it's wonderful on dry skin, too. And sunburn. But you already knew that!

[Abigail]

Thanks all.

I have heard that aloe vera is a laxative. That's why I hesitated to put it in my morning smoothies, because you don't want, you know, ... stuff ... to happen to you at work.

I'll experiment with the amount Jackie uses. We'll see what happens. Thanks again, guys.

[cheflissy]

Sport,

Thanks for pointing that out. It completely slipped my mind that it would be processed since it was in a bottle. Ooops!!! :rolleyes:

Melissa