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The Prickly Pear Cactus plant grows in the desert  It has been here since the time of the Aztecs.  It has long been a staple Mexican food, a pigment for dye,f fodder for animals, fencing for farms, fruit , vegetable, and  medicine.

There a number of researches going on looking at many of the properties of this plant. It has been used for a number of years by the Mexicans to lower blood sugar in type 2 Diabetes.  It is used as an anti-inflammatory
and appears to help in gastric disorders. It cures hangovers. When used in cosmetics there are indicators that it helps reduce body fat. It is said to be one of the top anti-oxidants, out performing all the others.

Currently there are many products on the market that contain either the pads or the fruit.  It can be found in jams,jellies,drinks,capsules,Candy,soaps,elixirs and a variety of other products. They are all becoming very popular items.

If the Prickly Pear Cactus has all the propertiers .claimed then it would be worth looking into. Following the research could be quite interesting.