How to Use Homegrown Aloe Vera: Gel and Juice

I've been trying to resist writing about aloe vera, but it's such an amazing plant that I can't help myself! I enjoy using aloe vera that's cut fresh from my own garden. It's the "mother of all herbal plants" that inspires me to share my personal adventure with it.

Aloe vera does many great things, including the following:

• Soothes and heals minor skin problems like cuts, burns, and rashes.
• Helps to maintain a healthy digestive system.
• Promotes skin repair, treats acne, eczema, and oily skin.
• Promotes healthy teeth and gums.
• Stabilizes body weight and improves energy levels.
• Enhances the immune system.
• Maintains healthy skin.
• Provides much-needed essential vitamins and minerals.

I have ready stock of fresh aloe vera in my garden. That way, I don't have to pay a lot of money for commercial products and can use the freshest aloe vera you can find! The purest form of aloe vera is the whitish gel found underneath the green skin. This is what you want to use.

How to Use the Gel:

1. After cutting a stalk from the plant, slice off the green outer skin.
2. Now you have the thick, slimy, and translucent flesh that is my elixir of life. This is commonly known as aloe vera gel.
3. Be careful slicing off the skin because there will be a thick, yellowish liquid just between the skin and the gel. This sticky liquid can upset your stomach if consumed. In fact, it is used as a laxative.
4. Use only the whitish gel. You must also use the gel immediately as it is subject to oxidation, thereby losing much of its nutrients and healing properties.

I use the aloe vera gel in two ways: external application and oral consumption.

1. Slice off the thorny edges, leaving the green skin intact. This makes it easier to hold onto the stalk.
2. To apply, hold the stalk firmly and brush the slimy edge onto your arms, legs, face, and whatever parts of the body you choose.
3. Once you brush it onto your skin, the end will lose its sliminess. When this happens, you need to slice the tip off a bit to make the new cut ooze out the gel.
4. Aloe vera gel is good for the scalp.
5. After applying the gel, prepare the remaining gel for oral consumption.

Aloe vera gel is quite tasteless, so it can be quite palatable as is. If you do this, all you have to do is cut the gel into small pieces and swallow them. If you want to turn it into a juice, just follow these simple steps:

1. Cut the gel into smaller pieces.
2. Put them in the blender and add a bit of water.
3. Blend it together with fruits of your choice.
4. Add honey for a little sweetness.

If you want aloe vera in your drink but don't want to wash out a blender, just add the chunks to your fruit juice. I always go with this method.

Aloe vera is perhaps the oldest and most universal herbal plant the world has ever known. This plant spread across cultures and nations. The Chinese call it the "harmonious remedy;" the ancient Egyptians, the "herb of immortality;" and the Russians, the "elixir of youth."

Aloe vera contains the following:

• 20 minerals (including calcium, magnesium, zinc, chromium, and selenium)
• 12 vitamins (including A, B1, B2, B6, B12, C, and E)
• Niacin
• Folic acid
• 20 amino acids
• 200+ active components (including enzymes and polysaccharides)

This being said, aloe vera contains ingredients that are both therapeutic and rejuvenating. It can be used to protect your body from ailments and keep it refreshed.