aloe mum

i've posted before about the really great golden pacific market. one of the nice things about the place is that often, when you check out, they give you a free item. on a relatively recent trip, while i was in a hurry to leave, i was given a 7.5 oz. jar of aloe barbadensis. as i was leaving, and looking quizzically at the bottle, i thought they said to me that it was a dessert. sounded good (assuming i heard correctly), and i did not think anything of it until i got home, told my wife the story, and she replied, "but there's aloe in it!?"

so now i'm not sure what little gem i have. is it for ingesting, skin application, or . . . both? i did an unsuccessful goodle search and checked out the manufacturer's website (http://www.lienhoafood.com/aboutus.htm), but i can't find the product on the site. any hints?

Golden Pacific Market
5353 N Broadway

Hi foo d. While I can't provide you with a definitive answer on the actual product you received, your questions--and wife's reaction--prompted my reply.

Back in my dancing days, we alternated between the grand pursuits of ultimate thinness and ultimate healthiness. What I only later realized is that one of our "wonder fads" helped with both: the scadloads of aloe vera juice I consumed for a strong immune system--the 80's precursor to wheatgrass juice, I'm assuming--was purportedly a strong laxative remedy as well. In any event, while aloe barbadensis (the scientific name for aloe, aloe vera, etc.) is widely known as having medicinal values, its benefits are not only topical. However, I can not imagine how you could end up with a palatable dessert (read: BLECH!) unless you used minimal amounts of aloe masked by maximum amounts sweet stuff!

Perhaps you could contact your folk at the market and they could clear up any confusion. If not, the International Aloe Science Council (look, I just read about these things!) might provide you with more insight. Their website ( http://www.iasc.org/ ) actually has an article on aloe's use as an ingredient versus as a drug.
Good luck!

shanti

thanks, shanti. my default is going to the market and asking, but it's cold out, and i'm lazy. i might give them a call.

Aloe is not an entirely unusual beverage or dessert. Aloe shakes and canned beverages are available at SE Asian places, and I have seen aloe jelly in Indian stores. As for how they make it taste good, have you ever had a raw cranberry or pod of tamarind, or seville orange? I expect the answer lies in some heat and lot of sugar.

got over the lame "it's cold and i'm lazy" excuse and went back to golden pacific to find out what i've got on my hands. they confirmed that it was a dessert and that it is edible. tried it and found it not terribly pleasing to thr palate. i'll try the heat and sugar method.