How to Prepare Aloe
Aloe vera plants are native to Africa, where they have been used since antiquity as a laxative and to heal wounds. Modern science has demonstrated that aloe has applications in conditions like diabetes, osteoarthritis and sunburns. Aloe benefits human nutrition by providing vitamins B1, B2, B6 and C, choline, amino acids and niacin. Aloe is sold as a food additive approved by the Food and Drug Administration, used in topical cosmetics and creams and as a nutritional supplement. Preparing aloe from the leaves focuses on the preservation of the inner gel, where all the benefits live.
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Things You'll Need
- Knife
- Aloe plant
- 2 bowls
- Cutting board
- Ascorbic acid
- Citric acid
- PH testing kit
- Glass storage container
Instructions
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1
Trim the desired number of leaves from your aloe plant and place them in a large bowl.
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2
Fillet the aloe leaves one at a time by cutting the leaf in half lengthwise on your cutting board. Cut off the top and bottom inches and discard.
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3
Peel the outer green portion of the leaf away from the inner gel. Discard the leaf, rinse the gel under water and place it into your other bowl. After a few minutes the gel will begin to liquefy.
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4
Mash and mix the gel until it is a thick liquid.
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5
Add ascorbic and citric acids until your gel has a pH of between 3 and 3.5 (using a pH testing kit). This will preserve the gel and make it palatable for eating.
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6
Store the aloe in a glass container in the refrigerator. Aloe should be used within a month's time.
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1
Tips & Warnings
If using the aloe for consumption, ensure that the thin layer of latex between the gel and the outer leaf does not get into your fresh gel or it will alter the taste significantly and increase the laxative effects.
Process your aloe within six hours of harvest for optimal nutrition to be retained; even in the refrigerator, leaves rapidly lose their nutritional value.
Alternatively, you can mash the entire leaf to a pulp and then strain it through a small holed colander where it can be rinsed until the green outer leaves have been removed.
Bacteria will grow on your raw, fresh aloe if you do not add preservatives.
Exposing your aloe to excessive heat destroys its benefits.
To process a large quantity of fresh aloe by hand takes many hours and is tedious work.
