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How to Harvest Fresh Aloe Vera Gel 10-15-08

By Mike Adams Health Ranger and Dr. Beth Dupree

There is nothing more rewarding than growing your own aloe vera for health and longevity. Make sure you start with organic plants and organic soil.

Aloe Vera Benefits

Aloe vera is one of the only known natural vegetarian sources of Vitamin B12, and it contains many minerals vital to the growth process and healthy function of all the body's systems. Numerous studies worldwide indicate that aloe vera is a general tonic for the immune system, helping it to fight illness of all kinds. Various research studies are underway to explore the potential of aloe vera components to boost immunity and combat the HIV virus, and to treat certain types of cancer (particularly leukemia). It may even have a role to play in managing diabetes.

Aloe vera contains protein, calcium, magnesium, zinc, vitamins A, B12 and E, essential fatty acids and is naturally rich in:

Vitamin C which helps maintain tone of blood vessels and promotes good circulation and is essential to the health of the adrenal gland which supports our body in times of stress.

Amino acids which are chains of atoms constructing protein in our body.

Enzymes, which are the life-principle in every live, organic atom and molecule of natural raw food, rejuvenate aged tissues and promote healthy skin.

Germanium which is a mineral that some health authorities claim therapeutic benefits for: immunodeficiency, pain, cardiac disorders, circulatory disturbances and eye problems.

Aloe vera juice is said to be one of the finest body cleansers, cleaning morbid matter from the stomach, liver, kidneys, spleen, bladder, and is considered the finest, known colon cleanser. Studies have shown that it is healing and soothing in the relief of indigestion, stomach distress and ulcers. People claim relief from arthritis, bladder and kidney infections; leg cramps, constipation, hemorrhoids, insomnia, and for vaginitis, it is said to be an excellent vaginal douche. An excellent internal tonic for energy and well being Aloe juice may add greatly to the strength of the food fed, digestive tract, skin, and overall good health and happiness.

It is also used to ease heartburn, ulcers, diverticular disorders, and other types of digestive upset. It is used as an anti-inflammatory and may be taken internally as a remedy for certain digestive complaints. European folk medicine calls for using Aloe vera juice to relieve heartburn and ulcers. Preliminary research has shown promising results. Clinical trials in Japan indicate that certain compounds in Aloe vera reduce the secretion of stomach juices and the formation of lesions.

Animal studies and anecdotal reports claim that drinking Aloe vera juice or taking it as a tablet or capsule can reduce swelling and inflammation in arthritic joints. Drinking Aloe vera juice may also help those asthmatic patients who are not dependent on cortico-steroids.

In 1997, University of San Antonio researcher Jeremiah Herlihy, Ph.D., conducted a study to observe any negative effects of drinking Aloe daily. Rather than exhibiting negative effects, however, test animals receiving daily Aloe showed a remarkable reduction in leukemia, heart disease, and kidney disease. Dr. Herlihy concluded, "We found no indication of harm done to the rats even at high levels." In fact, the Aloe-drinking animals actually lived 25 percent longer than those in the control group (IASC Conference, Texas, 1997).

There is no single ingredient that makes Aloe vera potent and healthful. Researcher Robert Davis, Ph.D., an endocrinologist-biologist, explains that fifteen different compound groups of nutrients work together to make the plant effective. This means that Aloe vera's effects cannot be synthesized easily in a laboratory. On the upside, this makes the plant useful across a wide spectrum of circumstances. And because the various elements that make Aloe effective are nutrients rather than drugs, Aloe juice may complement medical treatments. In fact some cancer patients state that Aloe vera seems to reduce nausea, increase energy, and may help to minimize low blood counts caused by chemotherapy or radiation.

Aloe vera may help adults, children, and even pets receive more value from daily foods and supplements.

Growing Aloe plants
Because Aloe plants consist of 95% water, they are extremely frost tender. If they are grown outdoors in warm climates, they should be planted in full sun, or light shade. The soil should be moderately fertile, and fast draining. Established plants will survive a drought quite well, but for the benefit of the plant, water should be provided.
Because of their popularity, Aloe vera plants are available at almost every garden shop or nursery. Unless you live in area with a very mild climate, it's best to leave your Aloe plant in the pot and place it near a window that gets a lot of sun. You can move the pot outdoors during the summer months.
Aloe vera is a succulent, and as such, stores a large quantity of water within its leaves and root system. During the winter months, the plant will become somewhat dormant, and utilize very little moisture. During this period watering should be minimal. Allow the soil to become completely dry before giving the plant a cup or two of water. During the summer months, the soil should be completely soaked, but then be allowed to dry again before re-watering.
Aloes have a shallow, spreading root system, so when it is time to repot choose a wide planter, rather than a deep one. Use a planter with a drainage hole, or provide a 1-2 inch layer of gravel in the bottom of the pot to ensure adequate drainage. Use a good commercial potting mix with extra perlite, granite grit, or coarse sand added. You may also use a packaged 'cacti mix' soil. Fertilize yearly, in the spring with a dilute (half strength), organic bloom type fertilizer (10-40-10).
Aloes are propagated by removing the offsets which are produced around the base of mature plants, when they are a couple inches tall (or larger). They may also be grown from seed.

Harvesting:

First, start by cutting a large aloe vera leaf from a living plant. Be sure to thank the plant for granting you this nutritious gift, as we should always give thanks to nature for providing us with nourishment and natural medicine.

Pick a large aloe vera leaf that's green and thick. The thicker the leaf, the more gel you'll get. A healthy aloe vera leaf is about the size of your forearm. Always respect the plant and leave enough for the plant to survive and prosper. Never destroy an aloe vera plant to harvest its leaves unless, of course, you're running an aloe vera farm and plan to re-plant it.

After cutting the leaf, let the dark red resin drain out by holding the leaf upside for several seconds until the resin drips out. The gel will stay in the leaf, so don't worry about losing gel.

Notice the thick gel in this aloe vera leaf. (This was taken from a plant in my front yard.) It is this gel that we're after. The method here is to use a knife to remove the thick skin and resin of the aloe vera leaf, leaving only the gel.

It is the gel that has the health benefits we're interested in. The dark red resin (latex) actually causes diarrhea, but the gel is soothing to the entire digestive tract and is even well known to cure heartburn, IBS, ulcers, Crohn's disease, constipation and many other digestive disorders.

Here, I've cut away a section of the leaf to show you the transparency of the aloe vera gel. Aloe vera gel is 96% water. The water is locked in a matrix of complex polysaccharides made of over 200 phytonutrients. It is these polysaccharides and glyconutrients that we're interested in. This is where the healing benefits come from.

Here's a close-up of the aloe vera leaf. You can clearly see the texture of the aloe vera gel vs. the skin. What's impossible to see here, however, are the numerous healing elements present in aloe vera.

In this close-up, you can see not only the gel and skin, but also the entry points of the resin pathways (the dark red spots). These represent the circulatory system of the aloe plant. The gel represents the water storage system. All aloe vera plants are antibacterial and self-healing. If you cut one, it will seal itself in a matter of hours and kill all bacteria that try to invade the leaf. These antibacterial properties are also passed along to humans who consume the aloe vera gel. Aloe vera is antibacterial, antiviral and antifungal.

To fillet the aloe vera leaf, start with a thick leaf on a cutting board. Use a serrated knife with a bit of flexibility in the blade. Harvesting aloe vera will also coat your cutting board with a layer of antibacterial gel, by the way.

First, slice off the top skin layer of the leaf. Start from the thick end of the aloe vera leaf and work your way to the thin end. Hold your knife parallel to the cutting board, and try not to cut off too much of the aloe vera gel.

This cut will expose the top part of the aloe vera gel.

Next, cut away the two side pieces of the aloe vera leaf. This is done by holding the knife at approximately a 45-degree angle to the cutting board, and using a sawing cutting action to move along the length of the leaf, removing one side of the leaf skin at a time.

When you're done removing both sides, you'll be left with the aloe vera gel attached to the bottom skin.

Now hold your knife parallel to the cutting board and gently slice away the gel from the bottom layer of skin. Since large aloe vera leaves are slightly concave, you may have to press down on the top of the gel to flatten it against the cutting board.

Be sure to remove all the skin, because you don't want to blend up the tough skin in your smoothie.

Now, notice that the gel has been complete separated from the aloe vera skin. (Look closely in the picture above. The gel is almost transparent.)

Now you can pick up the gel, which resembles a large piece of gelatin. This is what you want to eat. You can actually eat a piece of it fresh. The taste is slightly bitter. Once blended into a smoothie, it has virtually no taste at all.

This gel, by the way, can be packed into flesh wounds to prevent infection and accelerate healing. You can actually drop a chunk of aloe very gel directly into a wound before heading to the emergency room. It's also wonderful for cuts, scrapes, burns and bruises.

Here's another view of the finished aloe vera wedge. There's a lot of medicine in this piece! This is equivalent to thousands of dollars worth of anti-cancer and anti-cholesterol drugs, yet it was provided free by nature! Simply drop this wedge into a blender along with some fruit and water (or almond milk) and blend it up into a wonderful healing smoothie!

That's all there is to it. By the way, nobody showed me this technique, I simply figured it out on my own after trying various methods to eat aloe vera gel. This seems to be the easiest method. I'm sure there are others that work well, too. Use what works best for you, and please remember kitchen knife safety! The good news is that if you cut yourself, aloe vera is a natural antibacterial band-aid. You can rub it right into any wound to protect that wound and accelerate healing. See the additional articles below.

You'll find more smoothie recipes in my book, Superfood Smoothies. I have home-grown recipes for halting degenerative disease, ending digestive disorders, lowering cholesterol and much more, all using delicious natural medicine from fruits and vegetables.

Organically Grown Aloe Vera from my front yard is one of the most important ingredients in Our Bella Mira 2n1 Moisturizer/Toner Spray. Handy Cleanser/Toner/ Moisturizer Spray That does so much more! Only 4 Natural Ingredients, Contains Amazing Prill Water. No chemicals

Beneficial for all skin conditions: Acne, Rosacea, Psoriasis, etc..