Whether you love its mild, bitter taste or want to try it for its nourishing properties, aloe vera is an ingredient that's taking the wellness world by storm. Here are our most favorite aloe vera recipes, all made with the healthy plant-based ingredients.
What is aloe vera?
Aloe vera is a succulent with characteristic rosette-shaped green leaves that grow in rosettes. Contrary to popular belief, it is not a cactus (all cacti are succulents, but not all succulents are cacti!).
It tends to grow in hot, dry conditions and has therefore developed an incredible ability to store whatever water it can get its hands on. So even though it looks dry and tough on the outside, it stores an impressive amount of liquid in its leaves.
It does this by using a gel-like substance that holds as much water as possible,
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Is the entire aloe vera plant edible?
Technically, you can eat whole aloe vera leaves, but we don't recommend it. First, the edible aloe species (aloe vera barbadensis Miller) can be confused with another, less friendly version. Second, the skin is tough and not very pleasant to eat, although it can be removed.
Third, aloe vera contains a substance called latex or "juice," a yellow liquid that sits between the skin of the plant and the gel inside. Its main component is a substance called aloin. It is extremely bitter and can have harmful effects.
Aloe vera’s reputation as a powerful laxative comes largely from its latex. It’s no surprise that consuming too much latex can cause diarrhea, stomach pain, and vomiting, among other unpleasant effects. It can also damage your kidneys and may even induce premature labor in pregnant women. All good reasons to avoid it! (1)
When people talk about consuming, eating, or drinking aloe vera, they usually only mean the gel inside the leaves. Indeed, that's where all the healthy nutrients are anyway. So our recommendation is to stick with that and avoid the latex and skin.
Of course, if you want to avoid all the hassle of removing the skin and latex and then crushing and extracting the inner juice of the leaves, then we highly recommend our organic aloe vera juice !