How to Make Aloe Vera Juice

The medical properties of Aloe vera are well known throughout the world. While usage of the plant gained popularity in the United States in the sixties and seventies, historians cite usage of the plant as far back as Ancient Egypt.

Today, Aloe vera is most widely used to cure skin infections, scrapes, cuts, and burns. But the plant's application is not limited to external use. Recent trends have seen the growth of Aloe vera yogurt in Japan and Aloe vera soft drinks in South Korea. Some creative and fun individuals

have even been making Aloe vera smoothies.

While not as extravagant as yogurt, soft drinks, or the increasingly popular smoothies, properly prepared Aloe vera juice will still provide the internal digestive and immune system benefits that comes with ingesting the Aloe vera plant.

Preparation of Aloe vera juice is simple. All that is needed is a blender, a gallon of water (or an equal amount of the fruit juice of your choice) and 10 to 12 Aloe vera leaves.

To begin, wash your leaves thoroughly in cold water and slice off and dispose of the thorny sides. While some call for including the green of the leaf, this has been known to cause irritation in some digestive systems, so it is best to instead drain the juice from the leaves. To do this, simply chop your leaves into 3 to 4 pieces , put them in the blender, and press blend.

After blending for several seconds, you should have enough juice. Strain the pulp from the pure juice, and discard the pulp. Wash the blender thoroughly before pouring the juice back into the blender and adding a gallon of water. It is best to add the juice of a lemon or other fresh citrus to give the Aloe vera juice some taste.

Some prefer to substitute a low calorie and low sugar fruit juice instead of water. This is perfectly acceptable and will not adversely affect the benefits of the Aloe vera juice. In fact, combining the Aloe vera properties with the beneficial properties of orange juice will be a double dose of medicinal benefits for the body.

Making this juice is a simple and preservative-free way to give the body an extra boost. Best of all, it doesn't require any additional chemicals outside of what nature intended. In our chemical and preservative heavy society, that alone is good news for our bodies.

Aloe vera in Ayurveda

In Ayurveda, aloe is known as Kumari, or "young girl", because aloe is believed to bring back youthful energy and femininity. Not surprising is aloe's use as a tonic for the female reproductive system.

Aloe is seen in Ayurveda as having alliterative, tonic, rejuvenating, purgative and vulnerary actions. Aloe is believed to tone the liver, spleen, blood and reproductive organs. Aloe is also believed to tone all three of the Ayurveda constitutions, Vatta, Pitta, and Kapha, though in large doses, it can worsen Vatta conditions.

Aloe vera in Traditional Chinese Medicine

In traditional Chinese herbalism, aloe is considered a food to reduce toxic heat. Like their Ayurvedic peers, Chinese herbalists recognized aloe's potential as a purgative; they used aloe to expel worms, alleviate constipation and normalize bowel movements.

Aloe in Traditional European Herbalism

Though Aloe vera is native to the Mediterranean region, aloe didn't find its way into widespread use in Europe until around 1000 CE. But after its introduction, aloe quickly became a mainstay of European medicine and became the purgative of choice for various ailments.

Aloe in Native American Healing

Aloe vera was only introduced to the Americas in the 1500s but today, aloe is extensively cultivated in warmer areas of both North and South America, as well as the islands of the Caribbean.

Little is known of aloe's role in Native American healing and much of what we do know almost certainly borrows heavily from the information shared by the Spanish explorers who brought aloe with them. As you might expect, modern Native healers use aloe in many of the same ways as their European counterparts.

Aloe in Modern Herbalism

Recently, Aloe vera, and extracts made from it, has become the subject of a number of scientific studies. One of the most exciting areas is in the field of type 2 diabetes. Other aloe studies have looked (with varying degrees of success) at aloe's potential as a cancer preventative, wound healer and burn remedy.

Aloe vera is also considered a mild laxative and that seems to be its most popular internal use among modern herbalists. The use of aloe as an oral medication isn't without controversy, though, and many feel that aloe supplements should be removed from the market altogether.
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