According to the Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database, most of the studies on nopal cactus, or prickly pear, have been conducted in Mexico where nopales are a dietary staple and a popular alternative treatment for diabetes. Nopal cactus, or Opuntia ficus-indica, grows in the driest regions of the Western hemisphere. A 1998 report in the journal Nutrition Bytes by University of California scholars states that native Indians of North America and South America used nopal cactus for food and medicinal purposes for many centuries. Still, more research is needed to determine the efficacy of nopal cactus. Please consult a physician before using this or any naturopathic treatment.
Diabetes Management
According to the NMCD, nopal cactus is high in fiber, with 18.85g of fiber per 500g serving. Fiber can slow down the absorption of carbohydrates and fats in the digestive tract. Daily intake of 100g to 500g of nopal cactus divided in three servings is the recommended dose for diabetes. Broiled stems are more effective than raw stems, but the reason for this is not known. Single doses have reportedly decreased blood sugar by 17 to 46 percent in clinical trials, according to the NMCD. The effects can last up to six hours.
Treatment of Hangover
Medical researchers at Tulane University investigated nopal cactus to reduce hangover symptoms in the June 2004 Archives of Internal Medicine. Sixty-four healthy adult participants consumed alcohol to induce symptoms of hangover, including nausea, dry mouth and loss of appetite, and then ingested nopal cactus to counteract these effects. The researchers hypothesized that hangover symptoms are related to an inflammatory process brought on by impurities in the alcohol and byproducts of alcohol metabolism. Nopal cactus decreases the level of C-reactive protein, an inflammatory marker. Tulane researchers found that nopal cactus moderately decreased the severity of hangovers by 50 percent, encouraging more study.
Antioxidant Benefits
According to the NMCD, nopal cactus contains vitamin C, an antioxidant that protects the health of cells from harmful oxidative processes---boosting immunity and defense against disease. Researchers at the University of Palermo in Italy compared the antioxidant effects of nopal cactus to vitamin C for the August 2004 issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Volunteers were given either nopal cactus pulp or vitamin C daily for two weeks. Each group then had blood tests for chemical markers of oxidative stress as well as signs of antioxidant status, including vitamins A, E and C. Researchers concluded that nopal cactus was more effective than vitamin C alone in reducing cell damage makers and suggested further investigation of nopal cactus' antioxidant properties.
References
- Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database: Prickly Pear Cactus
- EScholarship: University of California: Nutrition Bytes: Medicinal Use of the Latin Food Staple Nopales: The Prickly Pear Cactus
- Archives of Internal Medicine: Effect of Opuntia Ficus-Indica on Symptoms of the Alcohol Hangover
- The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition: Supplementation With Cactus Pear (Opuntia Ficus-Indica) Fruit Decreases Oxidative Stress in Healthy Humans: A Comparative Study With Vitamin C
Member Comments