Good health begins in the belly. You need nutritious fuel to keep the body’s energy furnace roaring. Sometimes that furnace runs a little hot and burns your food improperly. This is when Aloe Vera comes in handy. Aloe has a great reputation for calming 1st degree burns but it can be taken internally in tasty smoothie as well.
Aloe gel contains C-glucosyl chromone which is powerful anti-inflammatory medicine and Alprogen which helps the immune system. Aloe is works as a wound healer by increasing collagen both topically and internally. Collagen is an important protein in wound healing.
For people with IBS (inflammatory bowel disease) or ulcers, aloe can be a real game changer. The Mayo Clinic suggests taking 100 ml of aloe gel twice daily for up to 4 weeks to help with digestive inflammation. 100 ml of slippery, slimy, bland tasting aloe vera is quite a mouthful. How does one take fresh aloe gel internally? The easy answer is: Smoothies!
Your blender is one of the best friends an upset stomach can have. A freshly blended smoothie lets you consume the soothing benefits of aloe vera with other gut healing fruit. In our case, we added the anti-inflammatory properties of pineapple with other fruit that is high in antioxidants. We couldn’t resist the tummy calming appeal of lemon balm, ginger, turmeric and cinnamon. Brewing up the tea to add to the smoothie is extra work but it strengthens the power of this blend.
If you have lemon balm syrup, this would be a splendid substitute for the fresh lemon balm. Don’t forget to throw a few lemon balm ice cubes in the blender bring a chill to your cup.
Aloe vera gel is available in the refrigerated section of most health food stores. You can also grow it at home. Aloe gel is easy to harvest and you will guarantee it is organic if you do it yourself.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
- 1 cup fresh pineapple
- 1 cup chopped fresh lemon balm (or 1/2 cup lemon balm syrup)
- 1 Tbsp grated ginger
- 1 Tbsp grated turmeric
- 1 stick cinnamon
- between 2 tablespoons to 1/2 cup fresh aloe vera gel
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 4 lemon balm ice cubes (optional)
Equipment
- A blender
- Measuring spoons and cups
- A saucepan with a lid
- A strainer
- knife
Procedure
- Grate and measure the turmeric and ginger roots.
- Boil water in a saucepan.
- Add cinnamon, ginger, and turmeric to the saucepan.
- Simmer with a lid on for 5 minutes.
- Chop lemon balm.
- Remove saucepan from heat, add fresh lemon balm and replace the lid. (10-minute steep time)
- While herbs steep, scrape the gel from aloe vera.
- Strain herbs from tea and discard herbs.
- Add fruit, aloe, and tea to the blender.
- Blend until smooth, adding lemon balm ice cubes if available.
- Pour your smoothie into a cup and enjoy!
Storage and Use
Aloe Vera Tummy Soother Smoothies should ideally be consumed immediately, but I like to store the extra in a labeled canning jar to drink at lunch or snack time. You can also speed up the process by brewing the tea ahead of time and storing a quart or so in the refrigerator. Just let the tea brew a little longer so that it infuses the larger quantity of tea with herbal goodness.
