Opuntia ficus - Linnaeus Miller Fam. Cactaceae indicates
Family Cactaceous.
Description Shrub of 5m. of height, with graft stem of green color; its trunk is formed by pencas flattened. The flowers vary of the yellow to the red one, have fruits of green, red color or purple, calls commonly tunas. It inhabits in climates dry, semidry and tempering. It is cultivated in barren and semi-arid zones, is associate with scrub xerófilo and forests of encino and pine with the basal part lignificada by transformation of the training spatulas of the branch, with the narrowest part in form of heart and the cleared superior part. The surface is populated with denominated protuberances areolas, that take a beam of yellow thorns. The branches denominate cladodios. The leaves are very small, and remain very just a short time in the areolas. The flowers are inserted in the superior edge of cladodio, and take to numerous greasy sépalos and made oval, pointed petals, of intense yellow color. The fruits have the same characteristics that the areolas, with abundant pulp and many seeds. This species comes from South America, but it grows in all the warm places. The flowers collect in spring and the cladodios, throughout the year. The use of this cactaceous plant goes back to the pre-Hispanic time. It is cultivated in several states of Mexico like Morelos, Tlaxcala, Federal District and the one of Mexico. Today the Nopal is one of the most popular remedies against the diabetes. Pencas is prepared liquefied with water for their ingestion or eats crude or in salads. One says that this plant, also is a good remedy against the intestinal gastritis and cólicos, although the recommended part more for these evils, is the root cooked and mixed with guayaba. Other applications, but less frequent, are for the affections of the lungs and like helping in the childbirth.
Used parts: Flowers and cladodios.
Composed chemical Mucílagos, sugar, glutámico acid, acid citrus, málico, acid acid oxalic, vitamin C.
Of interest: The fruit is a good nutrient that can dry up and be conserved. With him excellent jams are prepared. The cladodios are used in some zones like food of the pigs. From the fruits it can be obtained, by means of fermentation, a distillable alcoholic liquid.
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