NOPAL - An Abundant Nutritional Reservoir! And boy is that an understatement. Nopal cactus fruit defends your body against dangerous toxins that threaten cellular health, lead to inflammation and trigger a whole host of diseases.
So how did this new super fruit get it's start?
History:
Nopal is a large cactus with a woody trunk and large top, many oblong joints, small, yellow barbed spines, bright yellow flowers and red fruit with a juicy, white, sweet flesh and numerous black seeds. It is said to be a native of Mexico, where it is considered the symbol of identity of the Mexican people and is even included on the Mexican flag, depicting a Mexican golden eagle perched upon the Opuntia cactus, devouring a snake.
About twenty thousand years ago, Opuntia (or Nopal) began to develop as a food, and the plant's development was said to enable human settlement and cultural development in many parts of the arid lands, where it was considered the lifeblood of those ancient cultures, particularly in times of drought.
Approximately 5000 to 7000 B. C., prehistoric indigenous groups began the cultivation of a series of native plants, including beans, opuntia, peppers and agave, etc., and in Pre-Columbian times, Nopal was considered an important staple food (for both humans and livestock), a beverage, a medicine, a source of dye and was included in religious and magical rites. During the Spanish Colonial Period, Nopal gained further importance as forage when cattle was introduced to the semiarid areas and there was a consequent depletion of grasslands. Its beneficial uses as a medicine and beverage were also gaining in reputation.
In the De la Cruz-Badiano Codex of 1552, it was noted that Nopal treated several ailments and was used to cure burns and soothe wounds, and Friar Motolinia said, "these Indians, from a land so sterile that they lack water, drink the juice of these leaves of nopal." Nopal received its botanical genus name, Opuntia, from Tournefot, who thought the plant was similar to a thorny plant that grew in the town of Opus, in Greece.
After the Spanish conquest, Nopal spread from Mexico to practically all the Americas (from Canada to Patagonia, in Argentina) and may now be found in tropical and arid regions throughout the world, including the southwestern United States. It grows in Israel, where the Prickly Pear is called tzabar (Hebrew:) and it is the origin of the slang term, Sabra, meaning a native-born Israeli Jew.
Some of the constituents in Nopal include water, fat, mucopolysaccharide soluble fibers, carbohydrate, protein, saponins, glycosides, a flavonoid (quercetin), minerals and large amounts of B1, B6, niacin, riboflavin and pantothenic acid.
So there you go...a bit of history behind the Nopal cactus and it's wonderous super fruit the basis of TriVit's Sonoran Bloom Nopalea.
If you too wish to experience the Nopal Super Fruit and it's wondrous health benefits, you don't have to go out to the desert and find a Nopal cactus, all you need to do is visit this site for more information on TriVit's Sonoran Bloom Nopalea!
These statements have not been evaluated by the Food & Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnosis, treat, cure or prevent any disease.
Happy Holidays!
Kim Buchanan
Helping YOU Reach Optimal Health
& Prestigious Wealth
530.383.3041
References
1 - “Antioxidant betalains from cactus pear (Opuntia ficus-indica) inhibit endothelial ICAM-1 expression.” C Gentile, L Tesoriere, M Allegra, M A Livrea, P D’Alessio Dipartimento Farmacochimico, Tossicologico e Biologico, Università di Palermo, Italy. 2 - Allegra M, Tesoriere L, Livrea MA. Free Radic Res. 2007 Mar;41(3):335-41. 3 - Lee MH, Kim JY, Yoon JH, Lim HJ, Kim TH, Jin C, Kwak WJ, Han CK, Ryu JH. Phytother Res. 2006 Sep;20(9):742-7. 4 - Galati EM, Mondello MR, Lauriano ER, Taviano MF, Galluzzo M, Miceli N. Phytother Res. 2005 Sep;19(9):796-800. 5- Broad Health
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