How to Extract Aloe Vera
Assess your aloe vera plant., Cut off some aloe vera leaves., Clean off the cut aloe vera.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Assess your aloe vera plant.
Before you start to harvest any aloe vera gel, you'll want to be sure you're working with a mature plant.
A mature and healthy aloe plant is recognizable by its large, green leaves: they should be about 8 inches (20 cm) long.
Aloe grows from the center outward, making the outermost leaves the oldest, largest, and richest of the leaves to use., Depending on how much aloe vera you need, you will probably not need or want to use an entire aloe vera plant for this.
Cut off one of the outermost leaves of an aloe vera plant using a sharp knife at the base of the plant.
The leaves do not grow back, but by only cutting a portion of the plant, you will leave the whole of it to continue to grow and produce more aloe vera for you in the future.
Be sure that your knife is sharp to cause minimal damage to the plant. , Once you have cut the leaf, a yellow substance will begin to ooze from the cut.
In order to keep the plant from making a mess, you'll want to point the leaf vertically, cut end down, into a bowl to allow the substance to continue coming out.
Use a pitcher of water and your fingers to clean the leaf from top to bottom, directing the water into the bowl as well.The yellow ooze produced in this step is a sap called aloe latex.It is not the aloe vera gel, which will be clear and thick in appearance, and you do not want it to contaminate your gel because it has laxative properties that may mess up your digestive track. -
Step 2: Cut off some aloe vera leaves.
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Step 3: Clean off the cut aloe vera.
Detailed Guide
Before you start to harvest any aloe vera gel, you'll want to be sure you're working with a mature plant.
A mature and healthy aloe plant is recognizable by its large, green leaves: they should be about 8 inches (20 cm) long.
Aloe grows from the center outward, making the outermost leaves the oldest, largest, and richest of the leaves to use., Depending on how much aloe vera you need, you will probably not need or want to use an entire aloe vera plant for this.
Cut off one of the outermost leaves of an aloe vera plant using a sharp knife at the base of the plant.
The leaves do not grow back, but by only cutting a portion of the plant, you will leave the whole of it to continue to grow and produce more aloe vera for you in the future.
Be sure that your knife is sharp to cause minimal damage to the plant. , Once you have cut the leaf, a yellow substance will begin to ooze from the cut.
In order to keep the plant from making a mess, you'll want to point the leaf vertically, cut end down, into a bowl to allow the substance to continue coming out.
Use a pitcher of water and your fingers to clean the leaf from top to bottom, directing the water into the bowl as well.The yellow ooze produced in this step is a sap called aloe latex.It is not the aloe vera gel, which will be clear and thick in appearance, and you do not want it to contaminate your gel because it has laxative properties that may mess up your digestive track.
About the Author
Ashley Ferguson
Brings years of experience writing about cooking and related subjects.
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