Can You Eat Aloe vera?

Aloe vera has been used for hundreds of years in wound healing, burn treatment, and other topical applications. It can also be eaten if prepared properly and only ifif only the correct parts are consumed.

What is Aloe Vera?

Aloe vera is a cactus-like plant that grows in subtropical regions around the world. In the US, you can find it in the southern areas of Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California.

Aloe vera has historically been used to help skin healing, primarily topically, although it has also been used orally. It has been thought to improve baldness and promote wound healing, although there have been no studies showing these effects.

The aloe vera leaf has three main parts: skin, gel, and latex.

Is Aloe Vera Edible?

The aloe vera plant is mostly edible. Many people have consumed aloe vera in the form of aloe vera syrup or drank aloe vera juice for many years. Recently, aloe vera supplements and even aloe vera mouthwash have appeared on the market. as well.

Keep in mind that only raw aloe vera is edible. Do not consume commercial aloe vera gels designed for topical skin care or treatment of skin conditions.

This kind of aloe vera gel products topically treats sunburn, soothes irritation, reducesreduce inflammation, and helpshelp with other skin disorders. They have often been treated with preservatives or other chemicals to improve their smell, color, texture, and shelf life.

While effective at topically treating skin conditions, processed aloe vera products are not safe to eat. When consuming aloe vera, make sure you get fresh aloe vera leaves or food-grade aloe vera from the grocery store.

Let’s talk about which parts of the aloe vera plant are safe to eat and the potential health benefits of each part of the aloe plantleaf.

Aloe Vera Skin

There is littlenot much conclusive evidence on the benefits of eating aloe vera skin. However, it is generally safe to consume.

When you prepare aloe vera skin, make sure to wash it thoroughly because the outside of the aloe plant may have been treated with pesticides.

The aloe skin has a refreshing taste, not unlike celery or cucumber. The mild flavor makes it an enjoyable snack, even without if there are no conclusive health benefits.

Aloe Vera Gel

Aloe gel is safe and has many potential health benefits. You can eat it raw or cooked, and it has a refreshing taste that is often used in treats like smoothies or salsas.

Aloe vera gel contains more than 200 essential vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, andas well as  amino acids that help build muscles and enzymes that aid in digestion.

Aloe Vera Latex

Consumption of aloe vera latex is a bad idea. The latex of the aloe vera plant is the yellow liquid or sap-like substance found in the inner rind of the leaf.

Aloe vera latex contains powerful laxatives. At one time, Theythey were once used to relieve constipation, but the safety concerns caused the FDA to recall all over-the-counter laxatives containing aloe vera latex in 2002. Since then, the dangerous yellow substance has been left out of medicine.

It is not a good option to treat constipation. Eating aloe vera latex can lead to a number of harmful side effects, including the following:

  • Increase muscle weakness.
  • Cause stomach cramps.
  • Stimulate uterine contractions, which can lead to miscarriage.
  • Worsen digestive disorders like gastroesophageal reflux disease, inflammatory bowel disease, and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).
  • Interacts with kidney medications and diabetes drugs to exacerbate their side effects.

Let’s look at the right way to eat aloe vera for its health benefits and avoid eating aloe vera latex.

How Do You Eat Aloe Vera?

You can either harvest aloe vera yourself or buy individual aloe leaves from the grocery store.

If you harvest the leaves yourself, make sure you harvest from an aloe vera plant and not from other aloe species. Other aloe species, though they look similar, can be poisonous, so be absolutely sure you’re grabbing an aloe vera leaf.

If selecting from a grocery store, pick a leaf that is full and firm without too many imperfections or blemishes, just like picking out an apple or other fruit.

To prepare the aloe leaf and extract the aloe gel:

  1. Run cold water over the leaf to rinse.
  2. Remove the top and bottom. A vegetable peeler may be helpful for this and the following steps.
  3. Trim off the serrated edges.
  4. Slice the leaf into fairly even halves or thirds. For a larger or longer leaf, use thirds.
  5. Submerge the slices in a bowl of water and wait ten minutes.
  6. Remove the slices.
  7. Use a spoon or butter knife to scoop out the aloe vera gel.
  8. Rinse off any dirt or aloe vera latex that you can see.
  9. Cut the gel into gel cubes.

Once you have the aloe vera gel cubes, you can eat aloe vera by mixing it into a smoothie or other recipe, gently cooking it (such as steaming, poaching, or blanching), or you can eat aloe vera gel raw.

What Are the Benefits of Eating Aloe Vera?

Aloe vera leaves and aloe in the gel form have several health benefits, but you must be careful to only eat the clear gel and never the yellow liquid!

  1. May Reduce Blood Sugar Levels

Consuming aloe vera gel has been shown to reduce blood sugar levels by increasing insulin sensitivity in human and animal studies (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12663610/).

Lower blood sugar levels have various health benefits, particularly for those with diabetes or prediabetes. Consumption of aloe vera can help lower blood sugar levels. (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27347994/https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21494375/).

  1. May Suppress Inflammatory Signals

Aloe vera has anti-inflammatory properties. It can reduce inflammation by suppressing the chemicals that can cause inflammation.

In at least two studies, aloe vera extract suppressed inflammatory signals like TNFα, IL-1 and IL-6 (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29284895/https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18570273/).

These studies were conducted using animals and test tubes, so aloe vera’s anti-inflammatory properties have not been conclusively observed in human trials, but the results so far are promising.

  1. Reduces Dental Plaque

Aloe vera may fight dental plaque if used as a mouthwash (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24603910/). It has even been found to be as effective as regular mouthwash in reducing dental plaque (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24795515/).

  1. May Boost Memory

One animal study showed consuming aloe vera improved learning and memory. It also reduces depression symptoms (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23394255/).

  1. Rich in Antioxidants

Aloe vera is rich in antioxidants, which help combat free radicals (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25803090/). Free radicals are linked to many chronic diseases such as cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, cardiovascular disease, and central nervous system diseases..

What Are the Risks of Eating Aloe Vera?

The latex of the aloe vera plant can be very dangerous. In small doses, eating the latex could help in treating constipation, but in high doses, the latex could even be fatal.

Eating latex is not worth it. Additionally, you should not eat aloe vera skin care gels since they do not have the same nutrients as raw aloe gel and contain ingredients that should not be eaten.

If you are taking diabetes, heart, or kidney medications, you should speak with a doctor before consuming aloe vera gel. It is possible that aloe vera could worsen the side effects of these kinds of drugs (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19882025/).

Can You Drink Aloe Vera Juice?

You can drink aloe vera juice. Some people find aloe juice has an unpleasant bitter taste which can be improved with sugar or artificial sweetener.

Aloe vera juice has some of the same benefits as the gel form, such as antioxidants.

It is proposedsupposed that aloe vera juice can help treat skin disorders, but the best way to soothe sunburns is to apply it topically. Most studies have been done on aloe vera supplements, not aloe vera juice, so there is no conclusive research to support aloe juice’s health benefits.

How Can The Root Brands – Restore Help Me?

Restore can help to aAvoid the unpleasant bitter taste of aloe vera leaves and benefit your digestive system without the risk of safety concerns like muscle weakness or uterine contractions.

You can gain the benefits of aloe vera without the potential side effects with The Root Brands – Restore.

Restore even contains a safe amount of aloe vera powder, so you get the power of aloe vera without having to eat it directly.

What Are the Benefits of Using Restore?

Restore is strategically formulated as a quantum nano-emulsion of nature’s most powerful support system to protect and regenerate your gut microbiome.

Restore works to destroy fungus and parasites while supporting the reduction of systemic inflammation and rehabilitating your gut’s tight junctions.

Immune Support

Restore contains all the vitamins, nutrients, antioxidants, and amino acids you need to keep your systems running at full throttle.

If you’re trying to lose weight or go vegan, Restore can supplement the nutrients you need to make sure your immune system doesn’t take a hit.

Supports Bone Health

It provides the nutrients your bones need for healthy growth and longevity through a number of natural ingredients like turmeric root extract.

Supports Healthy Blood Pressure

Ingredients like aloe vera powder and D-Ribose may support healthy blood pressure by affecting insulin levels and or improving heart function.

Conclusion

Most of the aloe vera plant is safe to eat, but the latex is not. While you can eat the rest of the aloe vera leaf and gain its health benefits, there is also a risk of side effects and an unpleasant taste.

Get all the benefits of aloe vera with none of the risks and . Try  The  and add the Root Brands  Restore to your daily routine. – Restore.