Prickly pear cactus, a thorny, flat-leave cactus that has been a Mexican food staple since Aztec times. Prickly pear is the fruit of a cactus that grows widely in desert or semi-desert regions. The fruit is delicious (one of my favorite fruits) and has many health benefits. Prickly pear ( also known as Opuntia or Nopal) contains many flavonoids.

Milpa Alta, a rural backwater where some people still speak the ancient Nahuatl indigenous tongue despite it being part of one of the world's largest cities, is the center of Mexico's prickly pear cactus industry. Mexican health stores and scores of U.S. Web sites advertise prickly pear remedies in pill and powder form and Milpa Alta is taking advantage of its proximity to Mexico's capital to drive pickup trucks laden with the thorny pads to markets.

In Mexico the prickly pear cactus leaf, which has a slimy texture similar to okra when cooked, is made into ice cream, grilled over charcoal and even mixed with cow brains at taco stands for a nutritious snack. It contains protein, several vitamins and large doses of fiber, was central to Aztec symbolism and today features on coins and government seals.
While the U.S. government does not yet back the medicinal properties of the plant, herbal medicine firms are now promoting the results of Mexican research suggesting it can reduce blood sugar and help certain types of diabetes.

Prickly pear cactus composition
Stems and fruits of prickly pear Opuntia ficus-indica var. saboten contains many compounds. Some of these include flavonoids such as kaempferol, quercetin, kaempferol 3-methyl ether, quercetin 3-methyl ether, narcissin, dihydrokaempferol (aromadendrin), (+)-dihydroquercetin (taxifolin), eriodictyol, and terpenoids, (6S,9S)-3-oxo-alpha-ionol-beta-D-glucopyranoside and corchoionoside C.

Antioxidant benefits
Supplementation with cactus pear (Opuntia ficus-indica) fruit decreases oxidative stress in healthy humans: a comparative study with vitamin C.
Am J Clin Nutr. 2004 Aug;80(2):391-5. Dipartimento Farmacochimico Tossicologico e Biologico, Facoltà di Farmacia, Università di Palermo, Via C Forlanini, I-90134 Palermo, Italy.
Prickly pear cactus fruit contains vitamin C and characteristic betalain pigments, the radical-scavenging properties and antioxidant activities of which have been shown in vitro. We investigated the effects of short-term supplementation with prickly pear cactus pear fruit compared with vitamin C alone on total-body oxidative status in healthy humans. In a randomized, crossover, double-treatment study, 18 healthy volunteers received either 250 g fresh fruit pulp or 75 mg vitamin C twice daily for 2 wk, with a 6-wk washout period between the treatments. Before (baseline) and after each treatment, 8-epi-prostaglandin F(2alpha) (8-epi-PGF(2alpha)) and malondialdehyde in plasma, the ratio of reduced to oxidized glutathione (GSH:GSSG) in erythrocytes, and lipid hydroperoxides in LDL were measured as biomarkers of oxidative stress; plasma Trolox-equivalent antioxidant activity (TEAC) and vitamins A, E, and C were evaluated as indexes of antioxidant status. Both treatments caused comparable increases compared with baseline in plasma concentrations of vitamin E and vitamin C; vitamin A and TEAC did not change significantly. After prickly pear cactus supplementation, 8-epi-PGF(2)alpha and malondialdehyde decreased by approximately 30% and 75%, respectively; GSH:GSSG shifted toward a higher value; and LDL hydroperoxides were reduced by almost one-half. Supplementation with vitamin C did not significantly affect any marker of oxidative stress. Consumption of prickly pear cactus fruit positively affects the body's redox balance, decreases oxidative damage to lipids, and improves antioxidant status in healthy humans. Supplementation with vitamin C at a comparable dosage enhances overall antioxidant defense but does not significantly affect body oxidative stress. Components of cactus pear fruit other than antioxidant vitamins may play a role in the observed effects.

Prickly pear cactus for blood sugar
Hypoglycemic activity of two polysaccharides isolated from Opuntia ficus-indica and O. streptacantha.
Proc West Pharmacol Soc. 2003;46:139-42. Health & Biological Sciences Division, Health Sciences Department, Metropolitan Autonomous University, Iztapalapa Campus, AP 55-535, CP 09340, Mexico, D.F.

Gymnema supplement for blood sugar and diabetes treatment.

Brain protecting effect of prickly pear cactus
Neuroprotective effects of antioxidative flavonoids, quercetin, (+)-dihydroquercetin and quercetin 3-methyl ether, isolated from Opuntia ficus-indica var. saboten.
Brain Res. 2003 Mar 7;965(1-2):130-6. Department of Pharmacology, College of Medicine, Dongguk University, Kyongju, Kyongbuk 780-714, South Korea.
The flavonoids quercetin, (+)-dihydroquercetin, and quercetin 3-methyl ether were isolated from the ethyl acetate fractions of the fruits and stems of Opuntia ficus-indica var. saboten. These results indicate that quercetin, (+)-dihydroquercetin, and quercetin 3-methyl ether are the active antioxidant principles in the fruits and stems of Opuntia ficus-indica var. saboten exhibiting neuroprotective actions against the oxidative injuries induced in cortical cell cultures. Furthermore, quercetin 3-methyl ether appears to be the most potent neuroprotectant of the three flavonoids isolated from this plant.

Prickly pear cactus and cholesterol
Effect of raw and cooked nopal (Opuntia ficus indica) ingestion on growth and profile of total cholesterol, lipoproteins, and blood glucose in rats
Instituto Tecnologico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey, Mexico. Arch Latinoam Nutr. 1998 Dec;48(4):316-23.
Two different concentrations (approx. 6 and 12%) and two presentations (raw and cooked) of dehydrated nopal were fed to laboratory rats and growth and serum total cholesterol, lipoprotein profile and glucose determined. Samples of raw and cooked nopal were chemically characterized for moisture, protein, ash, crude fiber, ether extract, total dietary fiber, reducing sugars, amino acids, minerals and gross energy. Cooking slightly affected some of the nutrients analyzed. After one month feeding, blood was withdrawn via intracardiac puncture and serum glucose, total cholesterol, HDL, LDL, and VLDL were determined. Rats fed 12% nopal had lower weight gains when compared with counterparts fed 6% nopal or the control diet. Consumption of nopal did not affect glucose, total cholesterol and HDL cholesterol levels. However, rats fed raw nopal at the 12% concentration level had a 34% reduction in LDL cholesterol levels; thus, it was concluded that raw nopal had a potentially beneficial effect for hypercholesterolemic individuals.

Hangover symptoms
An extract of the prickly pear, taken before drinking alcohol, appears to reduce some hangover symptoms. People who took the herbal supplement, derived from prickly pear Opuntia ficus indica, five hours before drinking experienced less nausea, dry mouth and low appetite the next morning. They were also less likely to develop a severe hangover. Prickly pear herbal supplement appears to work by inducing the body to produce proteins that repair damage to cells. Drinking alcohol appears to damage cells by creating body-wide inflammation, he noted. The study wa.s funded by Extracts Plus, which sells Opuntia ficus indica. Archives of Internal Medicine, June 28, 2004.

Prickly pear cactus for inflammation
An anti-inflammatory principle from cactus.
Fitoterapia. 2001 Mar;72(3):288-90. College of Pharmacy, Sookmyung Women's University, 140-742, Seoul, South Korea.
In previous studies, the ethanol extract of prickly pear cactus (Opuntia ficus-indica) showed potent anti-inflammatory action. In the present study, following fractionation of the methanol extract of cactus stems guided by adjuvant-induced chronic inflammation model in mice, an active anti-inflammatory principle has been isolated and identified as beta-sitosterol.

Prickly pear cactus for ulcer prevention
Antiulcer activity of Opuntia ficus indica (L.) Mill. (Cactaceae): ultrastructural study.
J Ethnopharmacol. 2001 Jun;76(1):1-9. Pharmaco-Biological Department, Vill. SS.Annunziata, 98168, Messina, Italy.
In Sicily folk medicine, Opuntia ficus indica (L.) Mill. cladodes are used for the treatment of gastric ulcer. We studied the effect of administration of lyophilized cladodes on experimental ethanol-induced ulcer in rat. In this paper, we report the ultrastructural observations of gastric mucosa. The ultrastructural changes were observed by trasmission electronic microscopy (TEM) confirming the protective effect exercised by administration of lyophilized cladodes. Pre-treatment test in rats revealed a protective action against ethanol-induced ulcer. Probably, the mucilage of prickly pear cactus is involved.

Prickly pear pill emails
Q. I am interested in some assurance that prickly pear supplement works for diabetes before I buy the product.
   A. There is no guarantee that any supplement (or pharmaceutical drug) will work in everyone who takes it. Prickly pear cactus has potent antioxidants which are normally helpful in people with diabetes.

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