Have any medicines come from cactuses?

Question

Have any medicines come from cactuses?

Answer 1

prickly pear cactus, san pedro cactus, peyote...http://rds.yahoo.com/_ylt=A0geu5VZT3lInZ...

Answer 2

PRICKLY PEAR

Parts of the prickly pear cactus have been used in various ways throughout the world. The Aztecs extracted the milky juice from the plant and mixed it with honey and egg yolk to provide an ointment to treat burns. The Chinese dressed abscesses with the fleshy pad of the plant. The Indians used the fruit for food and also made syrup from it to treat whooping cough and asthma.  In Italy, the flowers have served as a diuretic. A tea made from the blossoms has treated colitis. In Israel, researchers found that the dried flowers may be used to battle an enlarged prostate.  In California, during the 1700s and 1800s, prickly pear cactus plants stood guard near the Spanish missions and on the large Spanish ranchos. In addition to the cooked stems and sweet fruits savored by diners, the cactus pads provided a source of sticky binding material for adobe bricks during construction. More recently, the Mexicans have used the plant to treat diabetes and obesity, as well as elevated blood cholesterol levels. They prepare the medicine by slicing cactus pads into strips and boiling them like string green beans.

Lower blood sugar

In Mexican traditional medicine, prickly pear cactus (nopal) is used for the treatment of diabetes and high cholesterol. Today nopal is a commonly called upon herbal agent for the treatment of Type 2 Diabetes by Mexican Americans as well as American Indians. The blood sugar-lowering action of nopal has been documented in a number of studies. Extracts of prickly pear cactus have hypoglycemic effects when fed to animals with experimentally induced diabetes, as well as to healthy animals with elevated blood glucose levels. Researchers in Mexico found that patients with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus who were given broiled nopal stems experienced a significant drop in blood glucose levels, while their insulin showed improved effectiveness. Furthermore, the regular use of sap from prickly pear cactus has been shown to improve the general symptoms of a diabetic patient.

Lower lipid levels

The use of prickly pear cactus may also lower blood lipid levels. In a recent study, the daily consumption of 250 grams of broiled prickly pear cactus lowered total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol levels (but not HDL cholesterol or triglyceride levels) in 15 young patients with familial hypercholesterolemia. Although there are many species of Opuntia, few varieties have been positively shown to be effective in normalizing blood sugar or blood lipid levels.  The stems of prickly pear cactus contain substantial levels of pectin and other soluble fibers. It's the fiber content that is believed to be responsible for the ability of the cactus to lower blood sugar and blood lipid levels. Broiling the cactus stems apparently increases its ability to lower blood glucose levels. About 400-500 grams (one half pound) of broiled cactus stems is the typical dose needed for the effect. The high content of pectin also provides the consumer with a sense of abdominal fullness. This property may play a role in the use of prickly pear cactus for weight reduction.  Prickly pear cactus appears to be safe when consumed as food. When used medicinally to lower blood sugar levels, it has proven itself to be trustworthy and effective for individuals with diabetes while not triggering hypoglycemia. There is insufficient data to validate its effectiveness for other uses or to support its use during pregnancy or breast-feeding.

Winston F. Craig, Ph.D., R.D., is professor of nutrition at Andrews University, Berrien Springs, Michigan.

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0...

The only modern medical use of cactus I could find is the use of prickly pear cactus to control diabetes via diet. Native Americans had several medicinal uses for cactus. The fleshy pads of prickly pear cactus (Opuntia species) were cleaned of their spines, split in half, warmed and used to treat rheumatism, asthma, earaches, and hemorrhoids. Pads could also be used as a poultice for insect bite, snakebites, burns, rashes, sunburn and minor abrasions. The juice

of the prickly pear was used for minor rashes, sunburn, and windburn. The Hopi used roots of cholla cactus (Opuntia species) to treat diarrhea, and Navajos used cholla to treat arthritis. Saguaro cactus (Carnegia gigantea) was used to

make milk flow after childbirth, and the cactus ribs were used as splints for broken bones.

David Hershey, Faculty, Botany, NA

http://www.madsci.org/posts/archives/200...

HOODIA

Hoodia is a bitter-tasting cactus-like plant. The full name is Hoodia Gordonii. Hoodia is a Succulent botanical which resembles a "cactus". For this reason, hoodia is often mistaken called the "african hoodia cactus". If you must know all the technical data it is Genus: Trichocaulon and Family Name: Asclepiadaceae. Full grown Hoodia plants can grow over 6 feet tall.  So, for thousands of years the Bushmen have been eating Hoodia Gordonii to decrease appetite and increase energy. While the Bushmen knew all about the powers of Hoodia, it was not until the mid 60's that the first research was done on Hoodia as an appetite suppressant. Even then, it took another 30 years for South African laboratories to isolate the specific appetite suppressing ingredient in Hoodia. This ingredient was called P57 (or p-57) and licensed to the British pharmaceutical company - Phytopharm.

http://www.hoodia-advice.org/hoodia-gord...

ALOE VERA

This plant is generally known as a member of the lily family and normally appears as a cactus. Aloe Vera contains about 200 species and more and 4 of them are utilized for healing purposes.  Aloe Vera has been used as a medicinal herb from thousands of years. Physicians recognized this herbal plant by different names such as ‘nature’s gift’ and ‘the miracle plant’.  Aloe Vera has been used for health, beauty and skin care purposes from several centuries. This plant has been used by Alexander the Great as a medicinal plant to treat the soldier’s wounds. This herbal plant is also used as a moisturizer for the skin by Cleopatra.  It is recognized by various different names by Ayurveda such as Viryavardhak, Madhur, Rasayan, Vranropan and Shital. The word ‘Aloe Vera’ has been obtained from the Arabic word known as ‘Alloeh’ which refers to ‘Shining bitter substance’. The main advantage of aloe Vera is that one can take this in the form of drinks such as juices and gels and also in the form of tablets and capsules which can be taken internally to repair the body. The extracts of aloe Vera are united with many natural ingredients which assist in nourishing and improving the quality of the skin. Aloe Vera plant also includes various essential ingredients such as enzymes, salicylic acid, amino acids, saponins and lignin, minerals such as copper, potassium, iron, sodium and magnesium and vitamins such as vitamins B12, vitamins C, A and E.

This plant does not include any mystical powers or it is not also considered as mysterious and various advantages of this plant are described by various scientists. Some of the popular benefits include:-

    * It improves the metabolism of the body to offer the greatest energy.

    * It includes no adverse side effects and cures menstrual problems.

    * It also assists in detoxifying the cells and the body and in purifying the blood.

    * It also helps in decreasing pain and swelling and acts as an anti-inflammatory.

    * It also assists in curing the wounds and breaking down the deceased tissues.

    * It also assists in reducing itching and burning.

    * It is very helpful in improving digestion and controlling the functions of the liver and kidneys.

    * It enhances the natural curing of immune system and mechanism of the body.

    * It also promotes the healthy division of the cell.

    * It is also helpful in controlling diabetes and blood pressure.

Aloe Vera is also very helpful in reducing various skin disorders like lip rashes, dry chafed skin, sunburns, fever blisters, minor cuts, acne and allergy rashes. It is also beneficial for constipation, eczema, stomach and colon cancer, ulcers, acidity, joint and muscular pain, kidney malfunctioning, indigestion, asthma, headaches and many other types of diseases.  It also acts as a moisturizer, natural cleanser and toner and is also widely used in the pharmaceutical and cosmetic companies. Aloe has been used in various types of medicines and cosmetic products from many years.

http://www.beautyfeast.com/aloevera/Aloe...

SAN PEDRO CACTUS

The San Pedro cactus is the name given to psychoactive species of the genus Trichocereus (T. pachanoi, T. peruvianus) which comprises about thirty species, mainly found in the Andes. It is a large columnar cactus that grows up to heights of twenty feet and it contains mescaline, as does the well-known peyote cactus. The San Pedro cactus has also been found to have other psychoactive alkaloids. The mescaline seems to be most highly concentrated in the skin, which can be peeled, dried and made into a powder for consumption.          Not surprisingly, considering their general contempt for native life and particularly the use of psychoactive plants, European missionaries were very negative when reporting the use of the San Pedro. Yet a Spanish missionary, cited by Christian Ritsch, grudgingly admitted the cactus' medicinal value in the midst of a tirade reviling it:

    "it is a plant with whose aid the devil is able to strengthen the Indians in their idolatry; those who drink its juice lose their senses and are as if dead; they are almost carried away by the drink and dream a thousand unusual things and believe that they are true. The juice is good against burning of the kidneys and, in small amounts, is also good against high fever, hepatitis, and burning in the bladder."

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