DO YOU KNOW IT IS GOOD FOR PURIFYING WATER AS WELL AS REDUCING SUGAR LEVEL IN BLOOD?
cactus part is edible?
There are over 200 species of prickly pear cacti. Most are found in southwestern North America, Mexico, Central America and South America. Opuntia humifusa is native to the United States east of the Rockies, where it grows in dry, sandy soils in open pine woods, prairies and scrub. Prickly pear is easy to grow, rooting readily from pads stuck in the ground, or even just lying on the surface. Grows best in full sun, in dry, sandy soil.
WATER PURIFIER
Millions of people lack access to clean water globally, and that lack of access - or rather, access to unsafe drinking water - kills as many as 15 people per minute.
We have many options for filtering water, but a primary problem with clean water technologies is they're expensive and not simple to maintain once placed where they're needed. Yet, that could change.
By using a cactus found commonly worldwide, a team of researchers have devised what could be a solution for access to clean water.
According to New Scientist, the prickly pear cactus could be key to cheap, clean water globally - or at least that's the hope of Norma Alcantar at the University of South Florida in Tampa. She and her team extracted the gum used by the cactus to store water. When mixed with water that had high levels of sediment or the bacterium Bacillus cereus, the gum caused the sediment and bacteria to settle at the bottom of water samples, filtering out 98% of the contaminants.
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It is of great economic value, and is extensively grown in Mexico, parts of Central and South America and the Caribbean region. "In Mexico, the flattened stems are eaten, and are very popular. Prickly pear cactus also gives a delicious fruit called tunas. The cactus can be dehydrated, pulverized and made into capsules. Mexico exports huge quantities of prickly pear cactus to Japan as a herbal medicine," says Ms. Margarita Barney de Cruz, President of the Group to Promote Education and Sustainable Development (GRUPEDSAC), a pioneering non-governmental organization in Naucalpan, Mexico. "Also the prickly pear cactus is used in making a highly effective water-proof paint for homes. The technique originated in Mexican rural areas and is probably pre-Columbian. It was mostly used in the 16th to 18th centuries for painting churches and convents and the smooth paint gave a shiny, silk-like finish if white of eggs were added to the mixture," says Ms. Barney de Cruz.
The researchers think that by boiling a slice of cactus and adding it to the water needing purification, a household could have the cheapest, easiest solution to clean water where other more advanced technologies are unavailable.
Questions remain, however, on when a household would know when the bacteria is filtered out, as well as what variety of contaminants this could filter. If it can't filter the bacteria, pollution and viruses common in drinking water, then it isn't the simple solution hoped for. And of course, there's an issue of having enough cactus available. More research is needed, but this could be an excellent supplement for areas or times when other options are simply not around.
Prickly pear cacti typically grow with flat, rounded platyclades that are armed with two kinds
of spines; large, smooth, fixed spines and small, hairlike spines called glochids that easily
penetrate skin and detach from the plant. Many types of prickly pears grow into dense,
tangled structures.
Like all true cactus species, prickly pears are native only to the Western hemisphere; however,
they have been introduced to other parts of the globe. Prickly pear species are found in abundance
in Mexico, especially in the central and western regions. They are also found in the West of the
United States, from arid regions in the Northwest, throughout the mid and lower elevations
of the Rocky Mountains, and especially in the Southwest. Prickly pears are also the only types
of cactus natively found to grow far east of the Great Plains states, as far north-east as Long
Island, where it can be found in Northport.
Prickly pear species were introduced into Australia in the late 1800s, causing major ecological
damage in the eastern states (see www.northwestweeds.nsw.gov.au). They are also found in
the Mediterranean region of southern Europe, especially on the island nation of Malta where they
grow on cactus found all over the island, and can be found in enormous numbers in parts
of South Africa, where it was introduced from South America. Opuntia are the most cold-tolerant
of the lowland cacti, extending into western and southern Canada; one subspecies, Opuntia
fragilis var. fragilis, has been found growing along the Beatton River in central British Columbia,
southwest of Cecil Lake at 56° 17’ N latitude and 120° 39’ W longitude.
Charles Darwin was the first to note that these cacti have thigmotactic anthers: when the anthers
are touched, they curl over, depositing their pollen. This movement can be seen by gently poking
the anthers of an open Opuntia flower. [1]
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PRICKLY PEAR cactus (Opuntia species known as `Chapathi kalli' in Tamil) is found in abundance along roadsides and drought-prone regions. It is highly nutritious and is endowed with good medicinal properties.
It is of great economic value, and is extensively grown in Mexico, parts of Central and South America and the Caribbean region. "In Mexico, the flattened stems are eaten, and are very popular. Prickly pear cactus also gives a delicious fruit called tunas. The cactus can be dehydrated, pulverized and made into capsules. Mexico exports huge quantities of prickly pear cactus to Japan as a herbal medicine," says Ms. Margarita Barney de Cruz, President of the Group to Promote Education and Sustainable Development (GRUPEDSAC), a pioneering non-governmental organization in Naucalpan, Mexico. "Also the prickly pear cactus is used in making a highly effective water-proof paint for homes. The technique originated in Mexican rural areas and is probably pre-Columbian. It was mostly used in the 16th to 18th centuries for painting churches and convents and the smooth paint gave a shiny, silk-like finish if white of eggs were added to the mixture," says Ms. Barney de Cruz.
The type of whitewashing is also excellent for henhouses and pig stables, because it acts as a germicide and sealer, which prevents the formation of bacteria and the nesting of insects.
Stables, hen and rabbit houses should be whitewashed at least two times a year and also each time there is a change of inhabitants in such places, according to her.
The waterproofing substance is made by adding water to chopped paddles of the cactus, lime and salt in the right proportions. About 100 litres of water is added to 20 chopped stems of the prickly pear cactus (with or without the spines).
Chopped stems should be soaked in water for 24 to 48 hours. The mixture is then strained to remove the chopped stems, leaving only the slimy water. To this decanted fluid is added a mixture of about 20 kg of lime and 2 kg common salt.
A thick white paint will form, and it is then used for painting, according to Ms. Barney de Cruz. "It is recommended that at least two coats of this paint should be applied within a minimal interval of 24 hours. This paint gives an intense white colour to any kind of wall. Painting ferro-cement structures with this special whitewash seals the cracks that may have formed in the setting of the cement. The waterproofing effect is 100 per cent," she points out. The whitewash also results in better lighting, as white reflects light in the inside of the buildings.
The paint on the outside results in the reflection of sunlight and thus diminishes heat, according to her. "Waterproofing with this substance is very economical.
The plants are well adapted to dry regions. It can be easily grown from the cuttings or from the seeds. With thick water-retaining stem, lack of leaves and extensive root system, the cacti is well adapted to dry environmental conditions, and it can be raised with minimal care and attention," explains Ms. Barney de Cruz.
The prickly pear cactus was designated the official plant symbol of Texas in 1995. Found in the deserts of the American southwest, the fruits of most prickly pear cacti are edible, and have been a source of food to native Americans for thousands of years. Cacti in general (and the fruits in particular) are still staple foods for some residents of Mexico and Latin America and the prickly pear cactus is raised commercially. The fruit is sold under the name "Tuna"; the branches or pads are eaten as a vegetable, called "nopalito" or "nopales.
"TheseFruits upon first glance, they looked like kiwis with candle wax dripped on them, shaped like baby avocados... but with armor!--tiny hairlike prickles called glochids that leave surprise reminders of their presence as you bend your fingers. Click here to learn more about prickly pears!rickly pears, also known as cactus pears, cactus fruit, cactus fig, or tuna in Spanish, are grown on a cactus called the Prickly Pear, native to the Americas and grown in abundance in Mexico and the western US (we purchased ours from California).
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