Place a plant on your windowsill and you'll have your own first aid kit, beauty solution, and health food all in one. Here are a couple uses of fresh aloe vera:
1. Spread it on your skin. Break off the tip of an aloe leaf and spread the clear gel all over. The gel is great for soothing cuts and scrapes and sunburned skin. It can also be used to calm the burning and itching from poison ivy and other rashes. While you can get aloe vera gel in a tube, nothing compares to the gel straight from the leaf when it comes to freshness and potency. Aloe vera has also long been used as a beauty solution. It can also be used against ultraviolet radiation and as a preventive measure against acne.
2. Put it in your drink. Aloe vera has long been known for its health benefits for the digestive system and is sometimes eaten cooked in Asian countries or mixed into beverages. It has been reported to soothe irritable bowel syndrome as well as helping ease other digestive inconsistencies. One easy way to try it is to put a chunk of the raw, clear gel into a glass of fruit juice. This can be orange juice, grape juice, or any other juice you prefer. Cheers to good health! You might have heard of aloe vera being a laxative, but it is only the yellow inner lining of the leaf that contains laxative properties. Eating the clear gel from the inside should not have negative effects.
3. Eat it. In some Asian countries, aloe vera is eaten cooked as a vegetable. It has many vitamins and is good for your health. You can try cooked aloe vera yourself by taking several large leaves and peeling off all the skin until only the clear gel remains. Chop the gel into bite-sized segments and sauté gently with a little oil. Season it to your taste.
4. Grow for decoration. Once you get it going under the right conditions, aloe vera will grow and grow and just keep growing. Keep it indoors if you live in a climate with harsh winters, and it will thrive and expand into a giant ornamental beauty. As long as you give it a big enough pot, the plant will continue to grow. It flowers, too, but the main show is the long, fleshy arms that can grow several feet long! No need to buy a big plant. You can start with a small one, and before you know it you'll have more aloe vera than you can eat and use!
