>>> Part 3 of 7...

From:   Sally Heeren
   Linda, I don't know where you live but when we were in Florida
   (south) I placed my overgrown aloe under a seagrape tree until I
   could find time to repot it.  By the time I got that time it had
   planted itself and was cheerfully running amok in the deep shade. It
   seemed to enjoy the shade and was thickest where the shade was
   deepest.  Go figure.

From:   Linda Taylor
   Okay.  It's simple.  You take the leaf of the aloe and split it
   lengthwise. Use a spoon to scoop out the pulp of the aloe into a
   bowl.  Now you want to mash it flat.  I mean flat.  You don't want it
   to be thick at all. lay this out on a cookie sheet covered with waxed
   paper.  Don't forget the paper or you'll have a cookie sheet covered
   in a concrete like substance that will take years to get off.  Now
   heat the oven to 250 degrees.  Put the aloe into the oven on the
   cookie sheets and let it dry for up to 24 hours.  Just keep an eye on
   it, and be sure that it doesn't brown.

   When dry you can grind this up into a powder, and store it in jars.
   Then all you have to do when you need the jell is to add water till
   it's wet, and let it sit for a bit till it's rehydrated.

   The powder is also great for wounds that tend to be wet and
   weepy.

   Or you can keep the jell as it is by whizzing it in the blender for a
   bit, adding a teaspoon of tincture of benzoin for every ounce of jell
   you have, and bottling it in a clean sterilized jar.  (Sterilize a
   glass jar, and lid, in a pot of hot boiling water for five minutes.)

   Jell should be kept in the fridge though in order to give it just
   that little bit of extra potency.

From:   Linda Taylor
   I don't really know.  I know that it's good for such things as bowel
   problems, and really helps to coagulate a cut if used immediately.
   It's also possible to rehydrate it to use it for sunburn.  Really
   cooling and soothing.

   I really don't know if that takes out some of the properties or not.
   It doesn't seem to harm it too much.  At least I've not noticed if it
   did.

   p.s. I've used the dried powdered form on the cats when they got
   scrapes.  It seems to help them alot.

From:   Mandy Carbery
   I was just reading my new Chinese Herbal which states the therapeutic
   effects of Aloe are :
   "laxative, purgative, stomachic, emmenagogue, antiseptic,
   refrigerant, helps regulate blood pressure by clearing debris from
   viens & arteries (TCM:sedative to liver-energy)"

   and follows on with
   "Indications : Internal: chronic constipation adn related skin
   problems, gastritis, ulcers, indigestion, abdominal pains, and
   hearburn; high or low blood pressure, headache, dizziness and
   irritability due to liver inflammations; intestinal parasites (TCM:
   ascending liver-fire; excess heat in large intestine)
   "External : premature balding, scrapes, burns, sunburn, skin
   blemishes and frostbite; athlete's foot, insect bites, acne;
   hemorrhoids"

   Has anyone heard of Aloe for treating high-blood pressure? as this is
   new to me and I can't see how this herb could have the same effect on
   high & low pressure.

   Also anyone experienced in Chinese Herbals might be able to confirm
   my impression that "clearing debris" would mean this herb has an
   effect in clearing cholestoral as I can't think what other "debris"
   there would be in veins.

   Unfortunately cholesterol isn't a contributing factory to my HBP but
   certainly some interesting info here on possible other uses for this
   herb.

From:   Mandy Carbery
  -=>     Quoting Linda Taylor to Mandy Carbery <=-
  LT> heat the oven to 250 degrees.  Put the aloe into the oven on the
      cookie sheets and let it dry for up to 24 hours.  Just keep an eye
      on it, and be sure that it doesn't brown.

   Do you mean to leave it cooking at 250deg for 24hrs, surely it would
   BURN, or do you mean to preheat the oven to 250 then turn oven off
   and let it dry.

   On second thoughts I think I'm probably looking at the wrong scale
   oven, ie. farenheit or celsius.

   250 is the maximum top temperature of my oven and I can't imagine
   cooking anything at that high temperature for 24hrs, when I can do a
   whole casserole at 180 and it only takes one hour!

From:   Linda Taylor
   Sorry.  I keep forgetting that you guys are on the metric system. It
   failed here in the States you know.  (Grin.)  I couldn't convert if
   my life depended upon it, but then again math and I are dire enemies.
   (Laughing.)

   It's 250 degrees F.  That's actually the lowest setting on my oven.
   The temperatures must be kept low or it will kill the best properties
   of the aloe. Not to mention that it would, as you pointed out, burn.

   Just keep an eye on it every now and again.  Oh!  Also this. Prop the
   oven door open a bit.  Gods I can't believe I almost forgot to
   mention that.  You have to let the moisture that is turned to steam
   by the heat escape or it will all be for nothing.

   Dry the aloe till it's just crisp.  Very dry and brittle.  Then you
   can put this end product in a mortar and grinde it up to a powder. Or
   into a food processor.  I have a special attachment to my food
   processor that will actually turn dried orris root to powder in a few
   seconds.  Really comes in handy when you want to grind a dried
   product.

   Be sure that you store the powder in an air tight jar or tin. Any
   amount of moisture will ruin your efforts and the powder will mold.



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