Aloe Vera Leaf

[jenna rose]

The past few times I've gone grocery shopping, I've noticed that the store is carrying aloe vera leaves. Now, I did a search on here for it and nothing came up.

I still wanted to ask around - has anyone ever bought one before and used it? What did you do with it?

:)
~jenna

[Jackie1995]

Hi!

There is a man from the Dominican Republic who I met at Publix (my supermart) and we got to talking about the large aloe leaves in the produce department.

He explained that to add a piece if it to a blender drink every day is great for the digestion, as he learned it from his grandparents in that country.

I grow my own Aloe Vera outside, does great, bugs don't destroy it, and I cut a leaf every week or so and use a chunk in my green smoothies every day.

I only peel the sharp things off the side (I know they get blended but psychologically I just HAVE to get them off first) (so, who said there's LOGIC in PSYCHOLOGICALLY?)

Then I toss it in with the greens in my green Vitamix smoothie, after the flaxseeds and ice, and it just disappears in there.

No bad flavors, because it's mixed with all the other stuff (usually a banana, perhaps one other fruit, flaxseeds and kale, oh, and cinammon. Sometimes ginger root, too.)

My digestion is fine. I don't know if this particular thing is helping me, but I say, what the hay, I'm putting all the raw stuff I can get into my diet, it can't HURT, right?

I'd never buy aloe juice off the shelf, because I don't think it has any good lifeforce left in it. But I wouldn't buy carrot juice or apple juice off the shelf, either. I'll juice my own, thank you!

Hope that helps. Oh, it's also great for your face or sunburn or wounds etc. topically.

Have fun!

Jackie

[solarliving]

Hi jackie,

I am curious about how you use the aloe. I have a giant plant on my porch and it just sits there. When I have cut it there is a yellowish goop present. Is that normal? Do you use the whole leaf or just carve out the stuff from the inside?

Thanks,

Angelique

[RawTruth]

Aloe vera is fantastic for the skin. I try to always have a plant growing in my yard. If you have a burn, an abrasion, or even a cut, slice of a bit of aloe vera and spread the sticky gel-like substance within on your skin. In the past, I used it on someone with a severe sunburn and all the redness abated by the next day, which was amazing. Though it did make for sticky sheets!

It is one of those "folk" remedies that was rediscovered in the 1970s or so and was made into a huge skin care industry.

Internally, it's another whole story. My grandfather used to drink bottled aloe vera juice daily for his arthritis. However, what I found on the internet says that aloe vera juice taken internally has a laxative effect.

There is lots of information available by doing a search online; I think I'd be a bit cautious about drinking it without researching it first. One thing I do know is that the green, stiff outside othe leaves should not be eaten.

[Sweet lips]

We use it to move the bowels - and for cuts and burns, which before raw was how I cooked, now :rolleyes: it is used for my cuts. It is wonderful for sunburned skin relief and as R.T stated, great for the skin and the hair as well.

Google - uses for aloe vera:

Here is a start: http://curezone.com/foods/aloevera.html
http://www.caremark.com/wps/portal/_s.155/6169/.cmd/ad/.ar/sa.spf_ActionListener/.c/1905/.ce/6166/.p/4226/_s.155/6169?PC_4226_spf_strutsAction=!2fhtml!2fview!2fpul l.do!3fname=Aloe!26amp;primerid=100226864

[Jackie1995]

Hi solarliving,

Your plant may just be the aloe barbadensis miller plant. I know mine is for sure, since I sought out that species, but mine isn't totally huge. Big enough, with the largest stalks from the bottom at about 14 inches long.

And yep, when I cut it, it leaks yellowish goo, which I smear on my face and elbows (they get a bit dry) while I'm carrying it into the house.

I wasn't peeling it before popping it into my green smoothie, but now that I've read RawTruth's input, I will research this more thoroughly. I can start peeling it, no problem, although it gets a bit "sticky" as you can imagine!

As SweetLips mentioned, that may be what my Dominican friend was referring to when he says it helps digestion. I have to allow for a bit of translation misunderstanding. I do not get the impression from my personal use that it moves the old bowels any more than they move anyway, but I really wasn't paying attention to that part of it.

If that is the case, what a great remedy for those who need that!

Being raw, I haven't had that problem at all. But I still do a five day juice fast at the beginning of each month, and start that off with a modified Master Cleanse (lemon, carrot, apple juiced) so I guess doing the aloe the night before will be a natural addition to that process each month.

Gee, the things you learn on these threads! Ain't it grand?

Have fun!

Jackie

[solarliving]

Thanks Jackie for the information, I think I will blend up some tommorrow.

p.s.
I had also heard aloe was good for soothing the stomache.

[solarliving]

Ooh just found this info:

Fresh Aloe Vera gel is a mucilaginous liquid that contains large molecules (polysaccharides) that can form a layer on the wall of the stomach and so protect a damaged or irritated stomach wall against the acid of the stomach itself.

Many medicines against an irritated or an inflamed stomach have the same working mechanism.

It is unclear if the gel can cure or help cure any other intestinal diseases.

Before eating the gel the leaves must be washed and cleared of the green skin. Also, all the yellow liquid that drips out of the leaf when it is cut must be washed away because this has a strong laxative effect.

The gel can be blended in a kitchen blender and some sugar may be added for taste, a recipe that is used all over the world.

Aloe Vera Gel consists for 99.3% of water. The remaining 0.7% are the solids that consist for a large part of polysaccharides of the glucose and mannose type. Together with the enzymes and amino-acids in the gel they give the gel the special properties as a skin care product.
The gel stimulates cell growth and as such enhances the restoration of damaged skin. It moisturizes the skin because it has a water holding capacity. This moist on the skin also has a cooling effect. As a drink it protects the mucous membrane of the stomach especially when irritated or damaged.

[RawTruth]

But I still do a five day juice fast at the beginning of each month, and start that off with a modified Master Cleanse (lemon, carrot, apple juiced) so I guess doing the aloe the night before will be a natural addition to that process each month.Jackie - would you mind describing your 5-day juice fast, starting with the modified Master Cleanse? I haven't been interested in the MC because of the maple syrup, so I'd love to know what you do. Thanks so much!

[Jackie1995]

Hi Raw Truth,

I got the idea of doing this at the beginning of each month because that's how I started raw: with a cleanse, and then the juicing for 7 days.

To begin, I usually stop eating after lunch the day before (the 30th or 31st of the month), and just drink water until bedtime.

Next morning, I juice one lemon, (yellow peel off, leaving as much pith as I can), one organic apple and 3 organic carrots. Sometimes I add a pinch of cayenne, too. That's the modified cleanse, no maple syrup (with syrup even SOUNDS yuckie). That makes somewhere between 8 and 12 oz liquid.

From that point on, I juice when I feel "hungry" although it's not the same as feeling "hungry" on SAD! I use a variety of veggies, some fruits (mostly apple and pear, and only for variety) and drink about three huge (24 to 32 oz) juice drinks per day. I'm not hungry, and crave nothing except my next green juice!

Typical juice: apple, carrots, celery, cucumber, kale stems, yellow squash, fennel. Or any variety of whatever is available out there to juice! I have juiced spinach, but not enough juice to make it worthwhile. Kale works best for me. I also will juice sweet potatoes, calabaza, other hard squashes, ginger root (with just about everything), and I add limes a lot because of the taste.

This continues for 5 days, and on the morning of the 6th day I juice AM, then start adding veggies during the day, usually salads with no oil for the first day. I may juice one more time that day, too.

Then I'm back on track with my normal raw diet.

It's easy, fun, and I feel great. Hope this helps!

Jackie