Q:

How should I cut an Aloe vera plant for extracting juice?

I am about to buy an Aloe vera plant for extracting its juice. I have heard that a leaf needs to be cut so that juice can be extracted from it.
My questions are:

How should I cut the leaf without too much damage to the plant?
How much leaf is needed for 1 tablespoon of juice?
How frequently can I cut the leaves? 
How long will the plant be able to survive if I go on like this?

I wish to keep this Aloe vera plant alive permanently (for a long time) in my house so that I can extract juice as needed.

A:

Here are the answers to your questions in order:

Cut the leaf as close to the base of the plant as possible to be able to extract as much of the Aloe Vera Gel as possible.
About 2-3 inches of leaf should provide a tablespoon of juice if cut at the widest part of the leaf.
Always leave a couple of leaves on the plant to keep it healthy enough to regrow. I buy my Aloe Leaves at Wholefoods, their stores stock them.
As I mentioned about don't cut all of the leaves off unless you want the plant to die.

Top tip! Make sure you remove the Aloin compound which is the yellowish slimy layer underneath the skin of the leaf and only use the pure gel underneath for juicing. The Aloin compound is a natural laxative. Beware! 
For more top tips on Aloe Vera Check out the link below.
http://www.aloeverahq.com/how-to-make-your-own-aloe-vera-juice/

