Prickly pear: use, properties, and tradition

Castore Durante writes about this fig variety, stating that its virtues are not well-known, only noting that “those who eat these figs produce urine as red as blood.” Additionally, he mentions that heated paddles, split in half and applied locally, “benefit chest bruises and restore bent ribs to their place, caused by falls or other impacts.” Lastly, he claims they alleviate joint pains.

Opuntia ficus-indica (L.) Mill., belonging to the Cactaceae family, is a perennial succulent plant with a tree-like structure, reaching 1-2 meters in height, and occasionally growing up to 4-5 meters. Native to Mexico, it thrives in the warm regions of Europe, preferring dry and arid climates and soils. It features swollen, fleshy, flat branches called cladodes, commonly known as paddles, which vary in size, up to 50 cm in width and length.

The sessile flowers are large and reddish-orange.

The fruit is a fleshy, ovoid berry, red-yellowish in color, with sweet pulp covered in spines, containing numerous seeds, up to 100 per fruit.

In Italy, most plantations are in Sicily, primarily for fruit production.

Used Parts: Fruit, Cladodes (paddles), Flowers.

Main Constituents: Polysaccharides (mucilage, pectin, galactose, and arabinose polymers); minerals (manganese, iron, and zinc); sugars (mainly glucose and fructose); vitamins (A and C); organic acids (malic and tartaric acid); amino acids and tannins. The fruits contain carotenoid pigments (betanin, indicaxanthin, and betaxanthin), and the flowers also contain flavonoids. Cladodes contain pectin and mucilage. The seeds contain 62% linoleic acid and 20% oleic acid.

Infusions of the flowers are attributed with diuretic, anti-lithiasis, and anti-inflammatory properties, beneficial for both gastric and joint issues. Recent reports suggest dried flowers’ use in treating prostate hypertrophy. Cladodes are under extensive research for their hypoglycemic virtues, attributed to glucose absorption from food; they also protect the gastric mucosa, lower cholesterol, and act as antioxidants. The fruit is also used against diarrhea as it induces constipation.

All above-ground parts of the plant are edible. Flowers are used in salads, fruits are consumed fresh (careful with small seeds that may trouble those with irritable bowel and diverticulosis) or transformed into jams, syrups, and alcoholic beverages. Young, non-lignified, hairless cladodes are used for refreshing juices, to flavor omelets, or simply fried or grilled, with a taste reminiscent of green beans and asparagus. Young cladodes also serve as fodder for livestock. Edible oil can be obtained from the fruit seeds. In Mexico, the fruit is used for preserves and alcoholic beverages.

Prickly pear is used in agriculture to produce organo-mineral fertilizer. An agricultural technique of old Sicilian farmers involved placing manure and many prickly pear paddles in the planting hole when planting a new tree.

According to Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) principles, the prickly pear has a dual and distinct action on the Earth element. It tonifies the spleen-pancreas, making it suitable for hyperglycemia and lipid metabolism issues, and it also disperses stomach burning, making it suitable for gastritis, gingivitis, and duodenal ulcers.

The lymph obtained from squeezing the fleshy leaves of the prickly pear is an effective biliary and renal drainer. It is recommended for cases of kidney sand (gravel), facilitating its expulsion, and for cases of “Randall’s kidney plaques” visible on renal echotomography. Its mildly antispasmodic action on the ureter promotes the less painful expulsion of kidney stones. Its action is enhanced by birch sap and Fagus sylvatica (Beech) buds. In cases of gallbladder sludge and inflammation of the gallbladder wall, its action is potentiated by Acer campestre (Maple) and Fraxinus excelsior (Ash). (F. Piterà)

Traditional uses: In cases of whooping cough, a syrup was made from the pulp of the paddle. After removing the paddle from the plant, removing spines, and thorough washing, it was placed on a plate. Numerous holes were then made in the paddle with a fork, allowing a dense yellowish liquid to flow, which, collected in a glass and sweetened with sugar, was administered to children by the spoonful. (P.M. Guarrera)

GIULIA  CALDARELLI