Yellow substance dripping from aloe plant when cut

Question

I have been noticing a yellow, foul smelling liquid dripping out of my aloe plant when it is cut to obtain the pulp to add to juices etc.

Is this a disease or is this yellow substance normal.

Answer 1

The plant itself does not appear unhealthy, however, the cut stem you describe as foul smelling and yellow inside is abnormal. The pulp inside the leaf should be a clear greenish colour, not yellow. I would strongly suggest you don't use any of that leaf again in juices etc.

Whenever a leaf is cut, it's possible for pathogens to invade the cut area - if you have used the same stem previously to extract the pulp, then taken another section for use later, that could explain why it's foul smelling and yellow, i.e., it became infected after the first cut.

The cut leaf I can see in the image of the whole plant is presumably the one you used - whatever has caused the problem in that leaf might cause a problem with the whole plant over time, but at the moment, it looks fine.