Your experiences eating Aloe Vera Gel? Aloe Vera juice?

[CitrusHigh]

Oh no wonderrrrrr. Yuck dude.

Anyway, are you near any farms you can volunteer at in exchange for produce?

[Kauxer]

I grow aloe vera plant at home, and make juice by myself. but i don't drink it on it's own, I usually either mix it with some other juice and add sugar, or I make cocktails for lunch  for example this one is my favourite (the similar cocktail is described here) - aloe vera juice, milk, orange juice, chocolate extract and ice. I also like the taste of bottled aloe vera juice, but not freshly made, that's why I mix it with other ingredients.

[Sorentus]

Been drinking it daily, first I had this organic brand and it was a clear white tasted like gatorade, pretended to be all so mighty healthy and organic. So I bought another brand and it actually taste like aloe vera with a very deep brown color, clearly this new one has NOTHING to do with that gatorade crap I had. In any case I can't see if it helps or not, I think a good diet work better then any "super" food.

[dariorpl]

I've been eating aloe vera gel extracted directly from the inside of the leaf, and so far, I don't know what you guys were talking about, about the taste. It doesn't have a taste. It's really slimy, but no taste at all. It's like water. I even ate a tiny bit of a thin part of a leaf, and also pretty much no discernible taste, not anything strong or bitter at least. If anything it had a very mild resemblance to cucumber.

I heard it may be that certain leaves are bitter and others are not, depending on whether they curve inward or outward, or something like that. I don't know if it's true or not. I get the leaves already cut for me and maybe they're only selling me the ones that aren't bitter. Or maybe I've been lucky so far.

Does anyone know the nutritional and/or health/healing/energetic effects/properties of eating aloe vera gel and/or leaves and/or juice? Also the nutritional info would be nice if anyone can find it, I wasn't able to.

[TylerDurden]

Aloe vera is a well-known laxative.

Try the usda nutrient database, they might have an entry for aloe vera.

[dariorpl]

I tried, but they don't.

Are you sure the gel is a laxative? It didn't have that effect on me. I heard there's a part near the stem of the leaf where the laxative is, but not in the rest of the leaf/gel?

[TylerDurden]

No, it is an all-round laxative. Here is a study on the health benefits of aloe vera:-

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK92765/

[A_Tribe_Called_Paleo]

I live in San Diego, California. And there is a species of Alovera that grows like a weed all over the coast. I have a few plants in my backyard. I have eaten the gel before a few times and it don't remember it having much of a taste at all. The last time i ate it i got really bad stomach aches/cramps and never did again. I use it mainly to topically apply to the skin if i get a cut or bad sun burn.

[sabertooth]

I don't think aloe was meant to be eaten, the plant tries to warn you with its terrible taste.

What other animals related to us in nature eat Aloe?

Its suppose to be outright poisonous to cats and dogs...http://www.petpoisonhelpline.com/poison/aloe-vera/

[dariorpl]

I don't know what kind of aloe vera you're eating, but like I said, the one I tried doesn't have a taste at all in the gel, and the leaf, if anything, has a very, very mild cucumber-like flavor. Also, fish guts taste absolutely horrible, but I'm sure they have some healthy nutrients in them. I hear similar reports on high meat (which I haven't tried yet)

In general, plants which have spines are better to eat once you remove the spines than those that don't. Spines are a physical form of deterring animals from eating them, whereas plants without spines must resort to naturally produced chemicals that are poisonous to animals.

A lot of things are poisonous to cats and dogs, because they're mainly carnivores, whereas we're omnivores. I hear even chocolate can kill dogs.

It could still be that it's a bad idea to eat aloe vera in particular, however.

[jessica]

the big stuff that grows in the desert is actually kind of tasty, especially if you are parched, i think there are many varieties of the plant, perhaps some are more palatable than others, and it might depend on if they are growing in a natural environment or not .  i dont think its a staple food but it definitely has its medicinal uses and benefits.

have you ever been to the desert derek?  everything has spines and thorns, especially the juicer and more delicious plants and fruits...

[dariorpl]

I also wanted to add that sometimes pets such as dogs and cats will willingly eat plants (or dirt) they can't digest as a way to purge themselves of some toxin.

The general view is that animals are dumb and they will eat anything in nature even if it will kill them. I don't think that's necessarily how it works. I think if you have an aloe vera plant and your cat or dog eats a bunch of it, it probably has a reason to do it. Especially if it's already done it in the past and repeats the behavior.

[TylerDurden]

I always recall aloe vera tasting very bitter. Perhaps it is a matter of different varieties.

[jessica]

maybe different varieties and nutritional needs?

[A_Tribe_Called_Paleo]

There are over 300 species of aloe vera. I think only a couple are edible, some sites say there's only one.

[sabertooth]

The point Im trying to make is that there is some anti-nutrient content in aloe which may mitigate some of its alleged healing properties.

I am speaking from experience.... I have had raw aloe plant and drank bottled organic food grade aloe products and I found them distasteful, without any benefit, and even slightly noxious.

There are people who are sold on the stuff as having internally healing properties, and perhaps for people on neolithic diets who are internally congested with toxic crap, it may have some mild cleansing/soothing effect......but for people like myself who have a more carnivorous gut ecology which more resembles a dog than it does a desert herbivore I would advise caution be used when consuming aloe.

Also for people with damaged digestive capacity they may indeed lack the same capacity as cats and dogs to enzymatically break down the anti nutrients in aloe..... much in the same way some people have intolerances to many other foods which humans are allegedly able to consume which dogs and cats arent

Being finicky as a feline with past stomach issues, I have developed a sensitivity to food which goes beyond the simple taste reflex. Although things like high meat and fish smoothies are not the most appealing, after consuming them I feel good... aloe on the other hand may not be the worse tasting stuff out there, but after I consume it I get a feeling in my gut that tells me this stuff isn't good for me.

Anecdotally speaking the people I have known who have used aloe for long periods of time do not seem to have any observable benefit from it, and as for its alleged ability to heal and nourish when taken internally, I dare to claim that my stomach smoothie would be much more effective in rebuilding and rejuvenating the bodies tissues.

Ultimately in debates such as these one must use your own judgement(after all there is no sense in arguing over taste)
People who consume aloe and feel that it is beneficial then who am I to say "its not" all I ask is that for people to develop a deeper awareness on the gut level and after consuming any food be it aloe or fish guts you should strip away all preconceived notions and book learned tripe and ask your innerself " does it feel right?"

For me eating aloe whither it be raw, juiced, gelled or prepared any other way never tasted right and never felt right in the gut.

[dariorpl]

Good post sabertooth.

I'm going to continue having raw fresh aloe vera gel, and perhaps some of the leaf, until I find a reason not to.