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9Nails
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Aloe vera information.
lately there have been some posts concerning aloe vera and how to prepare it. In order to help folks out here's some info about the plant, growing and maintaining the plant and preparing it.
There are over 250 different aloe spicies of which the Aloe Vera plant is probably most famous.
The powerful ingredients of the aloe vera plant have been known to humans since the time of ancient pharaohs in Egypt. Only recently have people become aware about the benefits of this plant. Here is some information I found about the plant. Please note that the information was in Dutch. I translated it as good as I could.
Vitamins:
Aloe contains a lot of vitamins, except vtiman D. It contains vitamin A, C and E and even vitamin B12 which is hardly found in any plant. Vitamine B12 is very important for vegetarians and vegans.
Enzymes:
There are certain "biochemical catalists" that aid in the digestion of fat and sugars. When applied to the skin it acts like a painkiller when suffering from let's say a burnwound or cut. Aloe not only moisterises your hair but also your skin. So in stead of buying lotion from your healthstore you can also apply some aloe.
There are also some substances in it that helps you lose weight and speed up your digestion.
Minerals:
Calcium, sodium potassium, manganese, magnesium, copper, zink, chrome and antioxidant selenium or minerals as these substances are also called only need to be taken in very small quantities a day. However these minerals are vital for certain enzymesystem and metabolic routes.
Sugars:
These are found in the mucuslayer of the plant that surrounds the inner layer where the gel within the leaf is located. These sugars help to increase your immunesystem. Aloe is perfect for people who are sick. Not only people who suffer from a simple cold but also cancer and AIDS patients benefit from drinking aloe. Those people have on the worst immunesystems you can imagine so they need all the help they can get.
The sugars are absorbed into the bloodstream but are not broken down like normal sugars. Once absorbed into the bloodstream they act as a kind of barrier in your intestine that stops other unwanted (bad or sick, whatever) substances from entering.
Then there is a bit that I hardly understand let alone able to translate. But what I basically says is that aloe helps as a painkiller in certain conditions and aloe has an antibacterial (sp?) effect.
Saponine (dunno if that's the right translation)
This soap-like substance helps get rid of bacteria, virusses, fungus and yeast. So you could say it cleans your body.
Amino acids:
The human body needs 22 different amino acids. Aloe vera contains 20 of these acids. More important, aloe contains 7 of 8 essential amino acids that the body itself CANNOT produce.
Drinking aloe juic
When you drink aloe juice extracted from a plant it's best if you mix it with some other juice like applejuice or orangejuice. Why? Because aloe is probably the most gross liquid I've ever tasted in my life. If you wanna be hardcore about this be my guest  but I wouldn't advice it. I use about 4 teaspoons which isn't alot but since it tastes so horrible it's enough for me.
Taking care of the plant
Aloe plants are succulents meaning they love warm weather and lots of sun. They grow best in a half shade environment. They do well standing in the sun all day but the leafs will turn brown for protection. Another side-effect is that there won't be much juice in the leaf when exposed to too much sun. The plant will recover itself when it's taken out the sun. Still it's better to keep it in a half shaded environment.
During spring and summer the plant uses a lot of water. In very warm climates water the plant every 2 to 4 days. Water enough till the soil is damp. Make sure excess water can get out of the pot. If it can't the roots will rot and the plant will eventually die. During fall and winter the plant use less water so then water every 5 to 10 days. Of course when you're in a country such as Australia which has great weather almost throughout the whole year you don't have to water less during winter and fall.
Aloe vera can take temperatures as low as 5 degrees centigrade/40 degrees Fahrenheit. Although it is not advicable to keep the plant outside all the time with these low temperatures since it will hardly grow. Best is to bring it inside and at a spot where it has plenty of light during the day.
When aloe vera plants get a lot of sunshine and are in a warm environment it can produce new, young plants. Babies if you will.
There are two things you can do when this happens. 1 Keep them in the same pot or 2 Take them out and put them in a new pot. If you decide to keep them in the same pot they will grow into a big plant. This isn't much of a problem if there is only one "baby" but when you have five you might want to consider option 2. Let the baby grow till it's about 3 (or bigger) inches tall. To rip the baby plant out find the root, follow it down as low as you can (in other words this mean sticking your fingers in the soil) and rip the baby out of the pot. This will not harm to plant at all. Re-pot the baby in a smaller pot and water every 5 days.
Preparing aloe
FINALLY (you might think)!
Very simply cut a leaf off. If you need the whole leaf cut it an inch away from the stem. This way you won't harm the plant. The part that stays behind will heal itself like a wound on human skin.
Cut the leaf in pieces and put them in a blender. Keep blending until you're left with green goo. Then filter it through a sock or sieve. I've noticed that a soch works best. Aloe is too thick to get through the holes of a sieve. With a sock you can squeeze the juice through, using your hands, faster. And of course..use and old but clean sock. You can directly squeeze aloe from the leaf using your hands or whatever but that isn't as effective as putting it through a blender.
Then simply apply your hair as if you're putting in gel in your hair. Or pour it directly onto your scalp.
Juice rots quickly. You can't keep it for a long time after it's extracted from the leaf.
Maximum would be 12 hours. After that it turns into a brown not-so-gooey-anymore liquid. The best way to preserve aloe is in the plant itself. In other words...only take what you need.
Well hope this help out folks. Good luck 
Edit 1: You can keep aloe in your hair as long as you like. However as you might have noticed aloe has an unpleasant smell. When it dries you won't notice it but when it gets wet you most certainly will. So best is to rinse your hair the day after you applied aloe.
Last edited by 9Nails, 9/6/2004, 1:29 pm
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8/29/2004, 5:50 am
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j sun
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Registered: 04-2004
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Re: Aloe vera information.
Perfect explaination!
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9/4/2004, 1:59 pm
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farley
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Registered: 07-2004
Location: PEACE
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Karma: 129 (+167/-38)
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Re: Aloe vera information.
(Nails u rule!!! i wnet to a greek island and got back last week while i was there i noticed like a million aloe plants so being the cheeky girl i am i dug up 4 baby plants hid them in my suitcase and brought them home hehehe i have potted them in 4 beautiful pots and place some pebbles around the base u r my new oracle on aloe plants i shall do all u say oh great master xxxxxx
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10/10/2004, 1:59 am
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xenogirl
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Registered: 08-2004
Posts: 126
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Re: Aloe vera information.
Wow! Awesome info! I never knew much about the plant. Can you get the plant easily? You don't have to go to some kind of special plant store, do you?
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10/12/2004, 1:09 am
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but I wouldn't advice it. I use about 4 teaspoons which isn't alot but since it tastes so horrible it's enough for me.
+1
<--- Thats My Nigga 
