Aloe Vera Oil
experiment II
Experiment II has been restarted as of today. Three to four weeks from now the maceration process should be complete and the oil should be ready to undergo personal trials.
Understanding preservation of extracted Aloe
After more research I discovered that once aloe is extracted from the plant it begins to lose its potency within as little as two hours. Prevention of oxidation and light exposure is key, aloe will begin to turn a pinkish color and proceed to brown when it begins to oxidize. This happens when aloe is left out in the open at room temperature or warmer. Refrigeration is the best way to preserve the aloe: fillets are best kept in an airtight container, preferably dark glass; if the gel is to be eaten or applied directly to the skin it is best kept refrigerated in an airtight container in its whole leaf form. Refrigeration will preserve maximum potency for two to three weeks.
Understanding maceration (cold infusion of oil)
As mentioned above, heat destroys the medicinal potency of aloe vera. This is something I was not aware of during my first Aloe oil experiment (experiment I). This second experiment will explore the method of maceration-a type of "cold" infusion of oils. Since aloe can not be heated, the liquid from the gel must be extracted by other means. Maceration requires soaking the desired plant material in a base oil, thus extracting the oil soluble components of the aloe into the base oil while still preserving its quality-no heat required. A stable base oil should be a virgin cold pressed oil. I found sunflower oil to be one of the more stable oils available on the market for a reasonable price; I might also mention it is non-GMO. Sunflower oil is also naturally high in Vitamin E, the vitamin acts as a natural preservative and is also very important for restoring skin. I filleted half a dozen aloe leaves into a glass container with "shoulders" and poured in enough sunflower oil to submerge the fillets; using a sunflower to aloe ratio of parts 3:1. Note that using a minimum amount of base oil will provide for a more dominant ratio of aloe to sunflower components. The differences in ratios of components and their subsequent differing effects on the body will be explored in later experiments. For now I am starting on the lower end of the potency spectrum if you will; this gives me a good basic foundation to work up from when exploring potency. All components and their medicinal properties need to be considered when making a combination of any kind. These experiments are not only about discovering which components to use, but also discovering how these components best work together and at what ratio. I filled the top of the container with two cap-fulls of rubbing alcohol and sealed the container with its airtight cork and put it in the refrigerator. I will let it sit for about three weeks, checking and stirring it occasionally.
The use of a differently shaped glass container with "shoulders" and a small neck will not only help keep plant materials submerged, but will also allow for the easy application of a small amount of alcohol on top of the solution to prevent molding.
After the Aloe oil is made, it will be added to three other oil mixtures: one for hair, one for the body, and one for the face. These three mixtures will be compared to using just the aloe oil alone (known as the control in experimental terms). Trials will follow afterward and will be compared to the prior trial in experiment I.
Aloe Oil Project so far:
Experiment I Experiment II
The Green Project 2013
~Gabriella
