The proper way of how to cut and extract fresh Aloe Vera gel from the leaf

Aloe Vera

The proper way of how to cut and extract fresh Aloe Vera gel from the leaf

June 20, 202301/08/2023

There is nothing like Aloe Vera, which is a magic plant that has a miraculous effect on your skin, your hair, and your health.

What do you do once you have the Aloe Vera leaf?

Aloe Vera leaves can be trimmed, peeled, and frozen to keep the fresh gel readily available for everyday consumption, for topical use or you can mix it with other ingredients to deeply hydrate your skin or you can apply it to your hair.

Besides relieving sunburn, it can also be consumed as a beverage to gain additional health benefits.

What is the best way to extract the fresh gel from an Aloe Vera leaf?

1. Under cool water, rinse the Aloe Vera leaf.

Make sure the leaf is clean and free of dirt and sticky residue. Leave the Aloe Vera leaf to dry naturally.

2. The leaf should be cut off at the top and bottom.

Trim off the top quarter and the bottom quarter (where the leaf is attached to the plant) using a clean cutting board and a sharp knife. There isn’t much Aloe Vera gel in these sections.

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3. Allow the aloin to drip out.

The cut end of the plant should be placed down in the jar. Set it upright in a glass or jar for about 15 minutes before moving on.

Aloin or Aloe Vera latex is a yellow-brown sap with a bitter taste. This will allow the aloin (yellow-brown sap liquid) to drain out of the leaf. Consuming aloin can cause diarrhoea and other stomach problems.

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4. Aloe Vera leaf should be cut off on both spiked sides.

When handling the Aloe leaf, keep your hands away from the spikes running along each side.

Make sure the Aloe leaf is flat against the cutting board. By running your knife along the length of the leaf, cut away the spiked sides. You should try to remove as little meat from the leaf as possible.

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You have more control when you are using a smaller, sharp knife instead of a larger chef’s knife.

5. Using a vegetable peeler, peel the top and bottom exterior sides of the leaf.

Keep the Aloe leaf flat against the cutting board. Peel the leaf from the top down using your vegetable peeler. Start at the top of the leaf and work your way down, removing the exterior skin in sections. Repeat the peeling process on the other side of the Aloe leaf.

Once you’re done, the Aloe’s green exterior should be gone, leaving only the opaque gel inside. If you cannot remove small streaks of green with your peeler, use your knife to carefully slice them away.

The Aloe gel will be sticky and slimy. Keep your hand that holds the peeler/knife as dry as possible to prevent it from slipping.

picture source wikiHow

6. Make small cubes of raw Aloe gel by dicing it.

Make small, equal-sized cubes of Aloe using your knife, taking care not to cut your hands.

You can leave the gel in whatever size you prefer at this point. For smoothies and drinks later on, small cubes are a good size for mixing into smoothies or drinks.