Aloe vera

[Turbotort]

Just bought an Aloe Vera plant, (I assume theyre all the same) http://www.flowers.org.uk/plants/plantfacts/aloe.htm
i intended to feed my torts once a week but just read the label and it says `NOT TO BE CONSUMED` is this just for humans?? Bit weiry now to feed it to my torts any one know anything??   

[Autumn33]

well where did you bye it? in a plant store? you have to bye the one that is for human consumption, I get mine at Wahl mart in the vegetable IL. But Shelly dont even eats it.

[Turbotort]

Thanks, does anyone else have any ideas??

[Joyce]

I went to homedepot and got a plant but mine doesnt say not to eat..But then again it doesnt say safe to eat either..Sorry I wish I could be of more help..

[Turbotort]

Thanks,
 i just thought aloe vera plants were all the same. 

[Bertas Tortoise]

You know what I really cant find anything anywhere about this!!  I would love to know too

[AquamanX]

I have researched for half the day & I haven't found any info on there being more than one type of Aloe... All the sites I have found have Praised Aloe for it's healing properties not only in Topical applications, but, ingesting it can be a benefit to Humans also! That's pretty Cool! I do have to note though, you should take care in where you harvest it & make sure there aren't any contaminants in the ground, be it Hazardous chemicals, Human/Animal waste, or I would guess different types of Fertilizer. If anyone else has any info. I would love to hear about it also. From my understanding, it seems to help people that have a certain type of Diabetes... (Me included  ...) But, looks like it may even help me! 

[RassyRocks]

I know at the grocery store I work at they sell aloe to eat, and they even make drinks out of the nectar.  So, I think they are edible. 

[SusanMcM]

AquamanX do you have any links for the information about aloe and diabetes. My partner is diabetic on both injections and tablets and would love to find out more. Thanks in advance Susan 

[delinda]

My Tort used to love to eat Aloe Vera and now won't eat it much. I got my plants from a local organic source and if you put them in not too big of a pot, they reproduce very quickly. I used to plant a small new one right in Zaropio's enclosure once/week or every other week for him to eat and he loved that. But I did hear that it was best not to give them aloe vera every day. However, I have no facts to back that up.

Delinda

[Tortellini]

Hi,

Aloe vera can cause loose stools if given too often or in large quantities.  Best to keep it at a minimum   But variety is very good for RTs so you can mix it with its other foods once per week or every othre week.

[AquamanX]

Susan,
 I'm off to bed right now, but, I did a Google search on "edible Aloe Vera" & "Aloe Vera Types"... I have some of them saved on my computer at work, so, I'll link you up tomorrow when I'm at work. There are actually a lot of benfitsof the use of Aloe Vera. Seems the Best over all use of it is for Constipation, & aid in healthy Skin.

Steve X.

______________________________________
Diabetes (type 2)
Laboratory studies show that aloe can stimulate insulin release from the pancreas and can lower blood glucose levels in mice. Results from two poorly conducted human trials suggest that oral aloe gel may be effective in lowering blood glucose levels, although a third, smaller study found no effect. More research is needed to explore the effectiveness and safety of aloe in diabetics.
________________________________________

here's a link You'll have to scroll down to where it says "Aloe vera & diabetes"

And Another...
and another...
and another

A lot of these say the same things, but, some do have some differences.

Hope this Helps!

Steve X.

[SusanMcM]

Thanks for that AquamanX. I will read the links tonight. Anything that can help blood sugar level is worth a try and if it is natural then that is even better. Susan 

[Turbotort]

What would happen if you just cut off a piece and ate it, maybe thats what the label means when it says don`t consume. From what i`m reading there only seems to be one type, maybe we can`t eat it but animals can?

[Turbotort]

After alot more reading, pheww. I`ve found someone talking recently (as in now) about aloe vera and saying they probably won`t like it and its best to just use on cuts, etc for them. Very interesting as i`ve just given my big tort a small piece and she didn`t want to know