Simple Health Cures

   The Prickly Pear Cactus has been used by anicient civilizations such as the Aztecs for medicinal purposes. They called it nohpalli and the mexican to date refer to the plant as nopal. The Chinese used the fleshy pad of the plant to dress abscesses.

   Indians use the fruit of the plant as food and even make a strup from it to treat whooping cough and asthma. In Italy the flowers of the plant are used as a diuretic. All over the world the prickly pear cactus has been used down the ages.

   Today the Prickly Pear Cactus or opuntia ficus-indics, is used for medical treatment of diabetes, cholesterol and the immune system. Recently a line of proprietary prickly pear extracts have been launched in America to support healthy blood glucose levels.

   These contain the extract of the pads and fruit of the cactus and are believed to reduce blood glucose levels by 50%. This is indeed exciting news for anyone who has diabetes and is struggling to get their blood sugar levels under control. Take conducted on 36 volunteers with type 2 diabetes have proved that the extracts do help lower the blood sugar levels after meals. However before you begin using the extracts consult your doctor.