How to Harvest Fresh Aloe Vera Gel
First, start by cutting a large aloe vera leaf from a living plant. Be sure to thank the plant for granting you this nutritious gift, as we should always give thanks to nature for providing us with nourishment and natural medicine.
Pick a large aloe vera leaf that’s green and thick. The thicker the leaf, the more gel you’ll get. A healthy aloe vera leaf is about the size of your forearm. Always respect the plant and leave enough for the plant to survive and prosper. Never destroy an aloe vera plant to harvest its leaves unless, of course, you’re running an aloe vera farm and plan to re-plant it.
After cutting the leaf, let the dark red resin drain out by holding the leaf upside for several seconds until the resin drips out. The gel will stay in the leaf, so don’t worry about losing gel.
Notice the thick gel in this aloe vera leaf. (This was taken from a plant in my front yard.) It is this gel that we’re after. The method here is to use a knife to remove the thick skin and resin of the aloe vera leaf, leaving only the gel.
It is the gel that has the health benefits we’re interested in. The dark red resin (latex) actually causes diarrhea, but the gel is soothing to the entire digestive tract and is even well known to cure heartburn, IBS, Crohn’s disease, constipation and many other digestive disorders.
I’ve cut away a section of the leaf to show you the transparency of the aloe vera gel. Aloe vera gel is 96% water. The water is locked in a matrix of complex polysaccharides made of over 200 phytonutrients. It is these polysaccharides and glyconutrients that we’re interested in. This is where the healing benefits come from.
Here’s a closeup of the aloe vera leaf. You can clearly see the texture of the aloe vera gel vs. the skin. What’s impossible to see here, however, are the numerous healing elements present in aloe vera.
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