Saturday, May 14, 2011

Drink Your Aloe Vera

When we think of aloe vera, we think of a topical gel that is used to treat dry skin, sunburn, bug bites, and skin irritation. Yet, aloe vera juice can also be taken internally as it provides many health-promoting qualities. Here are just a few:

- It has anti-viral, anti-bacterial, and anti-fungal properties and can help cleanse the colon.
- It contains mono- and polysaccharides, which can boost the immune system.
- It’s a source of anti-oxidants that help to fight free-radical damage.
- It contains MSM, or methylsulfonylmethane, a powerful anti-inflammatory that helps to dissolve calcified deposits in the body and make them soluble so that they can be excreted.
- It is a source of eight essential (and many non-essential) amino acids and a number of vitamins and minerals including vitamin A, C, E, B vitamins, magnesium, zinc, calcium.

You can buy aloe vera already extracted from the aloe vera plant, or if you juice fruits and vegetables, pass the leaves through a juicer. The picture above shows a juice combination that I like to drink often. I use a large chunk of the leaf for each drink. Alternatively, peel the leaf and blend the flesh into a smoothie.

Have you ever tried aloe vera juice? Please share your experience with it here!

2 comments:

  1. Hi Ro,

    I'm not sure what you mean by all aloes, but I would stick with whole leaves that you can find at the market in the produce section or aloe vera juice specifically prepared for consumption. I wouldn't try ingesting aloe gel found at the pharmacy that's specifically prepared to use topically. You could also grow your own plants organically and use those.

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