Aloe vera is known as a pretty decorative plant and is thought of by many as a ‘magic potion’ for herbal medicine, being able to treat a host of different ailments. As a homeowner, however, you might wonder how to get this plant for you and your family. One option is to grow this plant yourself, for an overall cheaper and emotionally rewarding experience. Another option is to buy it either pre-grown or processed already, for convenience and safety. How do you know which one is better?

Growing the aloe vera plant on your own can be a very rewarding experience – it takes time and effort to grow a plant and making it bloom can be like success. However, it does have potential drawbacks that you might want to think about.

First, it might not be completely safe. The aloe plant in particular contains 2 elements inside its leaves: the clear aloe gel which is what will benefit us, and a yellow sticky substance enveloping it. This substance is actually not meant to be ingested and can cause allergic reactions or diarrhoea when eaten accidentally. Any incorrect slicing or not filtering thoroughly enough can cause even the tiniest of impurities like this to be in your gel, and this is not safe for you or your children. This is something that might be better off in the hands of industry-qualified and precise cutting machines.

Second, when you buy aloe vera, many of the products come with other ingredients already, meant for boosting the already good effects of aloe. These include tea tree oil, fruit particles and coconut oil for refreshing and soothing effects. Raw aloe may not be as effective as a processed aloe rich with nutrients.

Third, special aloe products have instruction manuals meant for teaching you the right way to apply or intake them. These have been tested over time and are meant to keep you safe.

This is not to say that growing aloe on your own should not be done – it can be very convenient. Always just remember to take caution and stay informed when deciding to use it for medicinal purposes.

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Buyers’ Guide to How Aloe Vera is Produced

For consumers, the manufacturing process for aloe vera can be quite interesting and helpful in making decisions when buying an aloe product. Here we describe the typical manufacturing process behind the production of aloe vera.

Where Does Aloe Vera Grow?

As a succulent plant, most of the world’s aloe vera plants are grown in some of the most arid places on the planet – this includes North Africa, China and India. Although this does not mean that you cannot produce this plant if you are anywhere else. The US and Australia are also big producers, using controlled temperatures and timing seasons for harvest.

How is the Gel Extracted?

By harvest time, the aloe vera farms can take the fattest leaves for filtration. Filtration is important since this plant contains a yellow substance protecting the actual clear aloe gel. This yellow substance should not be digested and many industry-wide organizations have created manufacturing standards to make sure this is not mixed in the process.

Testing for Purity

Some companies also add empty fillers, much like water and claim that their product is only 100% made of aloe. To counter this, other companies have “starch tests” to ensure that their product is only made of pure aloe and does not have any foreign substances. These starch tests are regulated by organizations in the aloe industry.

After the starch test, the raw products undergo chromatography, which separates bad chemicals from good chemicals, which may have been created within the manufacturing process.

Eventually, the aloe vera gel is pasteurized and from there is refined into different products, such as creams, oils or sprays.

As you can see, not all aloe vera products are alike so it is important to buy from reliable suppliers.

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