Prickly Pear

NPS Photo

New prickly pear pads

Many species of prickly pear have edible fruit.

The seeds can be used in soups or ground into flour.

The young pads can be dethorned, cleaned, and sliced, and eaten raw or cooked.

The inside of the pad can be used as a poultice for rheumatism, wounds, and burns, bruises, bleeding, rheumatic inflammations, mumps or toothaches, insect and scorpion stings.

The pads, cooked and eaten, help regulate blood sugar. A beverage made of peeled mashed joints and water was used for childbirth. It may be good for diabetes, cancer, urinary, or kidney problems.

The sticky sap can be used to make chewing gum, candles, and as a stiffener for cotton. Mix it with lime, sand, and water to make whitewash. Spread it on water to kill mosquito larvae.

An extract of the flowers can reduce inflammation and speed healing.

The pulp is used to clarify water for drinking. Slice some pads into thin strips, and mix one part of these to four parts water, and let it sit for a couple of hours.