Harry and David, a company that sends fruit send fruit throughout the year. I always get baskets of fruit - mainly apples and pears at this time of the year. This fruit is referred to as 'nopal" in Mexico. In South America this fruit is known as 'tuna" ( not the fish) It is cultivated and domesticated for the fruit, known as Prickly Pear ( Opuntia )
At this time of the year you might have a species of Opuntia in your house. Yes, in your house. The species is called Opuntia leptocaulis. It is the Christmas Cactus. My mother loved Christmas Cactus. After my mom died my father always had one around the holiday time. I have two in my Connecticut home
For the adventurous, Opuntia can be made into jam and jellies. Italy also produces a after dinner liqueur from Opuntia.
It was not mentioned in James Duke Handbook of Medicinal Plants of the Bible. Some cultures eat the cactus pads especially when the plant is young. I personally have never tried eating the pads. So another 'yet' is added to my wish list.
All plants have some chemical constituent that may or may not be medicinal. In Opuntia it is betaines and flavonoids. These are two of the finest anti-oxidants. Beta carotene and lutein (used for eye problems) are also found in Opuntia. Minerals, amino acids and sterols are also found in these plants.
For those that drink and suffer from hangovers and 'kiss the porcelin' sometimes, you will happy to know that old folklore claims that Opuntia is the hangover cure.
If you haven't noticed while walking in both New York City and other cities throughout the United States, We are in the midst of two great epidemics, Diabetes and Obesity. These twin peaks will lead to heart disease. There are millions of Americans walking around with pre-diabetes. This is also known as Syndrome X, Insulin Resistance or Metabolic Syndrome. The pathology in Metabolic syndrome involves elevations in all lipids, especially the triglyceride level (TG) and glucose ( sugar) plus a resistance to insulin (high 1 hour and 2-hour insulin level)
Opuntia does exert his metabolic effects on Insulin Resistance. Other countries market Opuntia by other names. The French studied Opuntia with results stating that within 14 days there will be a decrease in total cholesterol (TC), Low density lipoproteins (LDL) and triglycerides (TG).
Until tomorrow…