How do you harvest aloe?

March 7, 2024 1:51 PM

I have several aloe plants, and don't know what to do.

The interwebs just say scrape the gel from the leaves, but I have a lot of them. I rub it into my skin, but are there other uses?

And the interwebs say the juice can be toxic?

Any experience with this? Thanks!

posted by rhonzo to Home & Garden (3 answers total)

A lot of people use it as a laxative or tonic, or to help manage blood sugar. You have to make sure the aloe you have is safe for human consumption. Idk where you live, but here where there’s a large Hispanic/Caribbean population, they sell the leaves in the produce section of the grocery store. Here’s some general information about it, but first you have to make sure you have a edible variety:

https://www.webmd.com/diet/supplement-guide-aloe-vera
posted by toodleydoodley at 2:11 PM on March 7

I make soap with aloe vera, using Elly's recipe. Of course soap making is a whole hobby unto itself, and not something to be undertaken lightly, given the use of lye as a key ingredient.
posted by snakeling at 3:03 PM on March 7

You can freeze your excess aloe gel for future use. Once you’ve got a good amount of the gel collected you can blend it for a smooth consistency and pour it into ice cube trays or whatever kind of portioning you prefer so you can break off a bit at a time as you need it.

The toxic aspect of aloe comes from a substance that it produces that’s similar to (or maybe a type of? I was never clear on that) latex. Ingested, this aloe latex can screw up your GI system and has had links to some other scary stuff. It seems like for the most part it doesn’t hurt when applied topically, though. I vote just don’t eat it! But I was taught when I was little to let a freshly cut aloe leaf soak in water for half an hour or so, to leech the latex out. I don’t know if that is true or not - a cursory google seems to show that is suggested but I didn’t search too hard for scientific research about it or anything. I do know that, because it’s kind of a yellowy opaque goo it can mess up the appearance of the aloe gel when you blend it up so getting it out of the plant before collecting the gel makes sense.

Uses for fresh aloe gel are many. There are a lot of more dubious internal herbalist things that I dont know have any proof, though apparently something about it is promising for diabetics? Seems like something to not mess around with, though. There are so many external uses for aloe instead.

It is of course great for burns. But it also has a soothing quality that helps general itch and dry skin. You can slather it on crusty calluses and leave as a mask to soften them up before manual exfoliation. You can work some into damp hair for a soft hold and shine, to tame flyaways or help form curls. It is pretty good at staying where you stick it on your skin so you can work any scent you love into a small amount of it and use that to perfume yourself with precision. It’s good as a transparent brow gel, just use a bit on a spoolie brush or old toothbrush and work it into your brows, get them into the shape you want and let it dry - no weird wax pomade residue stuff. It can be used as lubricant for personal activities though it does evaporate pretty quickly. Similarly it can be used to combat chafing. A swipe of it under a bra band or between the thighs can help on hot days. If you are using it from frozen it can be a nice way to address puffiness and redness - the cold will help that and then the aloe gel will moisturize once it fully thaws. Some people say it helps their dandruff, I’ve not ever tried that but it makes sense if their dandruff is from inflammation, and it wouldn’t hurt to apply some to your scalp to find out.
posted by Mizu at 10:59 PM on March 7 [2 favorites]