Are Prickly Pears The Next Superfood?

Prickly pears, like well-drained sandy soil and grow wild in Greece. You can also find them in the United States, Mexico, Australia, Africa, and South America as well as in the Mediterranean.

When I was young, I can remember my granny always stopping along the way back from our daily swim, to pick some. Several houses along the way would have them, usually growing next to an outer wall and sometimes used almost like barbed wire to deter people from climbing the walls. If the fruit was overripe she would eat it on the spot, that's if the ants hadn't gotten to it first, and at other times she came prepared with a square of cloth, a knife and a tupperware to store them.

I remember one of the times, my uncle having used his T-shirt to pick them, and then forgetfully putting the T-shirt back on!! Let's just say he complained for a solid week about having cactus needles on his back and the T-shirt was thrown away, so don't make that mistake next time you find yourself tempted by a prickly pear.

My granny would just eat the fruit raw and within a day or two, but I have since found out that you can also eat the pads of the cactus, which have been found to be high in Amino Acids, Magnesium, Iron, Fiber, as well as B vitamins. Added bonus! Experts suggest that prickly pear fruit is best when made into wine, candy, jelly or juice. Need I say any more?

But this incredible little fruit, also known as tuna fruit, has even more going for it! Apparently, it's used in Africa as a mosquito repellent, something which I will be putting to the test when visiting my granny next, as you can't sit on her balcony without been eaten alive by tiger mosquitos. Yes, they are as scary as they sound!

Modern-day studies done in the 80's and 90's validate some of the old uses of the fruit for medicinal purposes by certain cultures and we may see prickly pear extracts used to help lower blood sugar and treat diabetes in the near future.

The Mayo Clinic states on its website "some research also suggests that prickly pear cactus extract may lessen the unpleasant effects of a hangover, possibly due to its anti-inflammatory effects." And that "it might be too early to call prickly pear cactus a superfood, but it can be part of a healthy diet. It's high in fiber, antioxidants and carotenoids."

Prickly pears may look intimidating, but once you learn how to handle them properly, they have a host of uses, are delicious to eat, and are of high nutritional value. Some say the flavor reminds them of watermelon. All the ones I've tasted must have been over ripened, as I remember them as being sweet as hunny, but grainy too.

WebMD gives the following nutritional values on their website.

Nutrients per Serving - One prickly pear contains:

• Calories: 42
• Protein: 1 gram
• Fat: 0.5 grams
• Carbohydrates: 10 grams
• Fiber: 4 grams
• Sugar: 0 grams
• Cholesterol: 0 milligrams
• Sodium: 5 milligrams

And they also list prickly pears as being a good source of: Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Vitamin K, Beta-carotene, Potassium, Magnesium, Calcium, and Phosphorus.

It's perhaps due to it's vitamin E content, that you can find methods and recipies online for using the pads to condition and stimulate hair growth as well as advice for minor skin conditions, used similarly to aloe vera leaves.

Although not classified as a superfood yet, if you have a prickly pear growing in your garden, you should consider yourself as very lucky, they are perhaps not as pretty as pear trees, but definatly have the upper hand when it comes to nutritional value and you should definatly explore all it's different uses.