Be careful with consumption of Aloe. There is some info out there that suggests it could have health risks. If you know about that and you're ok with the risk that's fine, but I wanted to make sure you knew about it. Here's what the American Cancer Society says about it: The use of aloe on the skin for the relief of minor cuts and burns appears to be safe. Some people who have used aloe gel on their skin for long periods of time have had allergic reactions such as hives and rashes. Those who are allergic to garlic, onions, tulips, and similar plants may be more likely to have an allergic reaction to aloe. There are mixed reports about the safety of taking aloe internally. Part of the confusion is that safety outcomes may be different depending on whether a person took pure aloe gel, aloe latex, or used aloe leaves that contained both gel and latex. Not all reports single out which type of aloe preparation was used, so this information is limited. One report suggested that aloe taken by mouth might increase cancer risk to humans. Side effects of taking aloe by mouth may include abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting, diarrhea, and electrolyte (chemical) imbalance in the blood, especially at high doses. It should not be used as a laxative. Women who are pregnant or breastfeeding should not take aloe by mouth. Doctors around the world have reported a few cases of hepatitis (liver inflammation) in people who had taken aloe by mouth for a few weeks or longer. Some of these people had to be hospitalized, but no deaths were reported. Aloe injections are illegal in the United States, and may have caused or contributed to the deaths of several people with cancer. Taking aloe by mouth may cause dangerous interactions with prescription drugs and with other herbal supplements. Relying on this type of treatment alone and avoiding or delaying conventional medical care for cancer may have serious health consequences. Here is a link that might be useful: American Cancer Society's page on aloe

There seems to be some confusion again with common names - Aloe vera is Aloe vera :-) Although that term is sometimes used to refer to ANY kind of aloe, there are not two species of true or common, aka medicinal aloe. There ARE many species of aloe....as many as 400 have been registered but true aloe, Aloe vera (formerly Aloe barbadensis), is the one noted for medicinal purposes. There is some documentation that Aloe arborescens also has similar medicinal properties but as the species name suggests, this has a much more tree-like growth habit and develops a distinct stem or trunk. The difference in growth habits between the two plants shown in the pics is simply due to age and maturity. Aloe vera will form a full rosette if given sufficient time and proper growing conditions. Check the Wiki photo linked below. The smaller ones that appear to only grow laterally rather than in a round rosette of leaves are just young, immature plants (offsets or pups) and hampered from full development by lack of time and indoor growing conditions. Here is a link that might be useful:

So the yellow, stinky stuff is called aloe latex and if you are going to consume aloe for the health benefits you want to first drain the aloe latex. The smell is normal (kind of a horrible body oder sort of smell). The latex is a powerful laxative and can really irritate your intestines. Unless you are very constipated than you want to get rid of it before eating it. I start by washing the aloe after cutting it. Cut off the ends and top of the aloe branch. Let it first sit at a 45 degree angel for 30-45 minutes. Then let it soak it soak in some water for another 20-45 minutes. This will help extract the aloe latex and leave the aloe gel. There are plenty of YouTube videos that show how to filet an aloe branch to get the gel out. But that stinky yellow substance you're smelling is natural (and naturally smells bad), nothing wrong with your aloe at all!

There are three "major" medicinal Aloes: Aloe arborescens (seriously people, if you live in SoCal, use this!), Aloe saporina, and Aloe vera. These are the standard, "put it on what hurts" Aloes, good for burns, scrapes, and other topical ailments. There are many other species used for other reasons (purgatives and laxatives are common!). In reality, most stuff sold at supermarkets is just the inner gel of the leaf with some other stuff mixed in. The thing is, most of the "medicinal" compounds are in the yellowish sap than runs more in the skin of the Aloe than in the middle, clear gel. If you've ever used real leaves instead of a supermarket bottle, you'd have found that it is much more effective, but leaves a yellowish, sticky residue that would be too uncivilized for something sold in the beauty department. So would A. maculata work? Probably, since the inner leaf gel is mostly just water in all species, and the supermarket bottles are mostly just water too. Then again, it is possible that it has some sort of compound in it that might actually irritate your skin. Depending on how much of a gambler you are (and how much extra A. maculata you have laying around) it may be worth a shot. Then again, I'm not even remotely a doctor, so maybe I'm not the best person to be listening to!