Hi. Could someone share, or point me in the direction to, a description of what function aloe gel serves for the Aloe vera plant itself? I'm amazed at how much is stored in the leaves, and figure it is largely for moisture storage, but what is aloe gel? Why is it stored as a gel? As such, does the plant lose less water through transpiration? And is it used for other functions within the plant? The internet is laden with how it can be used by humans, but I'm finding little on the gel itself and would be very thankful to learn more.
See: Extraction, Characterization and Properties of the Gel of Aloe Vera (Aloe barbadensis Miller) Cultivated in Chile