Drink your aloe vera—without it being disgusting. While you have probably decided to try aloe vera juicing to aid your digestive track, don’t disregard your taste buds. They matter too! Here are a bunch of my favorite recipes for drinking aloe while keeping your mouth smiling.
Give it to me Straight! A Virgin Aloe Water Recipe
Order up! A virgin aloe water on the rocks, please. Although not a drink you will find in a high-class bar, add an umbrella and you will feel just as fancy drinking pure aloe vera water. Not to mention, your liver–as well as your digestive system–will thank you. Because aloe can help cleanse the digestive tract and detoxify your body, opting for a virgin aloe vera instead of a whisky will give you a nice health buzz. Since the most effective way to get all the medical benefits of aloe vera out of the leaf and doing wonders for your body is to drink the pure juice, what are you waiting for? Give it go!
Spring Cleaning: Rid your body of toxins with Aloe
Aloe plants, native to northern Africa, have long been used as a natural remedy for healing burns and cuts. Today these hardy plants are grown as houseplants and farmed all over the world, and are more sought after than ever. Aloe leaves, juice, and supplements now available in most grocery stores, and its benefits beyond sunburn relief more widely known. While Aloe is a popular treatment for a wide range of skin conditions, it has many nutritional and digestive benefits as well and makes a great addition to a detoxifying dietary cleanse.
Dietary Benefits of Aloe Vera
The benefits of a diet that is supplemented by Aloe Vera can be varied and profound. To name a few, research suggests that Aloe may lower cholesterol, slow tumor growth, prevent kidney stones and ease inflammation. It is widely known that topical use of this plant will increase recovery time for scratches and burns, however, it is less well known that ingestion of the gel, or derivatives thereof, may also increase healing time of internal afflictions like ulcers. Nutrients from these plants have also been used as a natural treatment for colon polyps and pre-cancerous lesions in the colon. Moreover, when ingested, the gel is a gentle natural laxative that cleanses the colon and detoxifies the blood.Nutrients in Aloe Vera include minerals, vitamins, essential amino acids and plant compounds like triterpenes and polysaccharides. Triterpenes are known to exhibit antioxidant activity and reduce blood sugar. Polysaccharides boost immune function and digestive function. It is this breakdown that makes Aloe one of the most useful herbal products on the market today. The unique blend of these vital ingredients allows aloe to cleanse the body in a way that is safe and powerful.
Benefits of Cleansing
Cleanses are used to break down and clean out waste from the colon and detoxify the blood stream. Toxins in the colon, if reabsorbed into the blood stream, may cause fatigue, low energy and headaches. Cleansing the colon flushes the toxins from the colon and the blood stream, and rejuvenates the body. This can help with weight loss, boost the immune system and reduce the risk of colon cancer.
Other popular methods for cleansing range from doing yoga, juice fasting, and eating a raw-only diet, to seeking a procedure such as a colon irrigation, and drinking salt water. Aloe Vera does not require a procedure or a major lifestyle change and is easy to incorporate into other types of cleanses. It’s readily available on the market in juice, powder and pill forms, and can also supplement a normal diet without major expense.
Supplements and Products
For those who grow this plant at home, the fresh gel inside the thick and fleshy leaves may be harvested and blended into a nutritious smoothie. If this is too labor-intensive, supplements may be purchased in powder, pills or juice form. These supplements are available for purchase online and in health and nutrition stores. These products have an advantage over fresh leaves from the plant because a diet daily gel from the plant could require someone to have many plants on hand at all times. These products can have a long shelf life and require no upkeep.
Juice or powder may have a bitter taste that is usually mixed with sweet ingredients like sugar and berries to make a smoothie. Pills, like other dietary supplements, should be taken as directed by the instructions on the label.
Aloe Vera Smoothies: My First Attempt
I usually go to the gym after work. I do a little weight training followed by an hour of cardio. I have gotten into the habit of rewarding myself a delicious fruit and yogurt smoothie when I get home. It was really hot yesterday and I was daydreaming about my smoothie the whole ride home. It suddenly occured to me to try something different this time in the spirit of research: Aloe Vera gel. [Read more…]
Halitosis? HaliNOsis!: Getting Closer With Aloe
There’s no getting past it. Everyone has to deal with bad breath. Don’t lie to me and pretend that you wake up in the morning with breath smelling of roses. Liar. You know you have dragon breath. Make aloe your friend. [Read more…]