Introduction
Cactus fruit may look intimidating, but once you get past its spiny outsides, it yields a mild and nutrient-rich flesh. This fruit is delicious eaten raw, added to recipes, or turned into a refreshing beverage.
Cactus fruit comes from the Opuntia cactus genus that's native to Central America and the drier, desert parts of North America. There are about 90 species of Opuntia in the United States alone, and all produce cactus fruits.
The fruit, both the flesh and the skin, ranges in color according to the variety. Even within the most common species, Opuntia ficus-indica, you might see fruit that's white, green, purple, yellow, red, or orange.
Opuntia ficus-indica is a domesticated type of cactus used as a crop plant, but wild species of Opuntia act as food sources too. The fruit of the cactus is also known as prickly pear, cactus pear, prickly pear fruit, nopal fruit, tuna, sabra, Barbary pear, and Indian fig.
Cactus pads and cactus fruit have long been tied to indigenous cultures all across Mexico, with people using them as food as far back as 9,000 to 12,000 years ago. Today, you'll find Opuntia grown as a crop throughout Mexico, the Mediterranean, northern Africa, Chile, South Africa, the Middle East, California, and other parts of the Southwestern United States.
Health Benefits of Cactus
Cactus plants have a number of nutrients that may be good for different aspects of your health:
Cholesterol
Blood sugar
High blood sugar in the body can be a symptom of several illnesses, such as diabetes, stroke, or heart disease. Some research shows that people who ate cactus pads on a regular basis had lower blood sugar than those that didn’t. More research is needed to determine the reasons for this.
Immune system
Cactus fruits are an excellent source of vitamin C, which is one of the best immune boosters. Regular doses of vitamin C increase the production of white blood cells, which can help your body fight off viruses.
Digestion
The betalain and potassium content in cactus are good for digestion. Potassium helps your body absorb nutrients, while betalains are anti-inflammatory and help to protect your digestive tract.