The aloe’s leaf is thick and firm; break it open and there is clear gel, the cut face slowly sealing back as if a wound were healing itself. Scrape off a layer of gel and press it cool against the skin—the easiest remedy of summer.

Break It Open: A Pouch of Gel

The aloe’s leaf is thick and firm, spiny along the edges; snap a piece off and the cut face is transparent gel, slick and cool, seeming to knit itself back together after a moment. Scrape a layer off with a knife, press it to the skin, and the cool comes through at once.

This self-sealing quality is its way of storing water: the leaf is rich in mucilage that seals the moisture in, which is why it stands straight through a month or two without watering.

— Botany Notes, self-inscription —

Split a leaf into balm for sudden need—

a body of thickness not lightly cast away.

In Old Books, “Lu Hui”

Aloe was anciently called lu hui, recorded in materia medica as early as the Tang dynasty—a medicine for clearing heat and easing the bowels, made from the sap inside its leaves. Its bitterness and viscosity are exactly the shape of its medicinal nature.

Today more households keep a pot on the balcony: for a scald or sunburn, break off a leaf and apply the cut face directly. The old way is handy, but remember to judge severity—if the skin is broken, the area large, or blisters form, go to the hospital.

The Balcony Staple

Aloe loves light and tolerates drought; in the south it grows in open ground, and a northern balcony suits it too. It is not fussy about the pot—given good drainage, one pot yields new leaves and fresh cuttings year after year.

Picking leaves has its rule too: work from the outer, older leaves, snapping them whole from the base, and leave the center’s new leaves to keep growing. Snatching the tender center leaves is to destroy the very part that grows.

• How to know it: Perennial succulent herb; leaves clustered, narrowly lanceolate, spiny-edged; flower stalk tall and erect; flowers orange-yellow, blooming winter to spring.
• Season: May send up a flower stalk in winter and spring; otherwise chiefly for viewing and cutting leaves.
• Caution: Leaf sap is for external use; do not take it internally casually—see a doctor promptly for broken skin, extensive burns, or blistering.

How to Keep It from Rotting

Two iron rules: no standing water, plenty of light. The soil should be loose and airy, and drier is better than wetter; water too much, the roots rot first, and no amount of gel in the leaves can save it.

It is not cold-hardy; in winter keep the room above about five degrees and cut watering way back. Give it a sunny south-facing windowsill—the most comfortable seat it can have.

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Keywords: aloe · thick leaves · balcony · food and medicine