Weeds & Seeds Swap

2 years ago, my husband and I traveled to Colorado and up through the Dakotas for a visit to family and our vacation. Along the way, we pulled off at a deserted roadside, and here was a large Prickly Pear plant. My husband assured me it would be okay to bring home a piece, so I came home with a 3-section piece of the plant. We didn’t plant it right away, set it aside for the winter, on a plate in a quiet location. This summer, living only on the humidity in the air, I noticed it was putting out two new “sections”, so quickly planted it in a large pot, and put it out in a hot, sunny location. It is doing very well.

Scientific Information:

The medicinal properties of this plant are found in the gel from the pads of the cactus. Also called Nopal, they contain many phytochemicals, pectin, mucilage and gums that aid the digestive system. Nopal contains nutrients that prevent the bowel from absorbing dietary fat and excess sugars. In addition, it has been found to strengthen the liver and pancreas, improving the ability of insulin to stimulate the movement of glucose from the blood into the body cells to be used as energy. A study on rabbits showed that the Nopal lowered the blood sugar level in the blood. Another study found that it reduced total cholesterol and triglycerides…all of these things are beneficial to those suffering from diabetes. There are even studies showing some promising findings on reducing cancer growth and immune building properties. As always, please click here to write to me if you would like me to cite these studies for you. It’s a lot to type here.

Sources of Nopal, click Nopal and Sugarreg.

I thank you for reading, and have a wonderful day!