The benefits of cactus and harm: what are the healing properties of the plant and how its use can be dangerous for humans, as well as recipes for delicious dishes with the addition of a flower

Cactus grows on grassy plains, in dry forests and even deserts. Each species has its own unique properties.

Plants serve not only as a decorative decoration of the room, but also bring practical benefits.

Currently, cacti are actively used in everyday life and medicine, not only folk, but also traditional. So what is the use of the plant? This will be discussed below.

What types are used by humans?

Scientists know about 1200 different types of cacti. The most useful for a person are representatives with long needles. They are used in medicine, since they have strong bactericidal properties.

Chemical composition and beneficial properties

Itself the plant contains many vitamins and minerals. Therefore, it is actively used as additives in various medications.

The healing properties of the plant are due to the fact that many types of cactus contain alkaloids in their composition, and they are known to belong to natural antibiotics. They resist not only bacteria, but various fungi and viruses.

Often, preparations with a cactus are used as a hemostatic agent for wounds and fractures. If you consume a cactus, then the body begins to produce insulin. This substance is extremely important for people with diabetes.

Besides, the plant is used for the following problems:

Diseases of the respiratory system.
Problems in the oral cavity, in particular the presence of scurvy, illness - provoked by a lack of vitamin C.
With hair loss.
In the presence of skin problems.

In places where cacti grow, they are used as a source of moisture in dry periods, since the flesh of a plant is 90% water. Often it is compared with the pulp of a watermelon or cucumber.

Another useful property of a flower is the ability to reduce ionization in the air throughout the living room.

From a cactus you can get such useful things as:

deodorants;
soap;
vitamins;
hormones
liqueurs;
wine, etc.

What could be harmful?

But this plant has not only beneficial properties. Sometimes cactus can be harmful, and for some people it is generally contraindicated:

In the forefront is the individual intolerance of the flower. This condition manifests itself in rashes, headache, nausea.
Next on the list is a severe form of cystitis and hemorrhoids.

It is necessary to start using cactus-based products after consulting a doctor. You need to start treatment with small doses, since an overdose is also fraught with consequences.

Recipes for healthy dishes with the addition of plants

Cacti can be eaten, but, of course, not all species are suitable for this.

Types of Cacti to Eat:

Prickly pear;
Pitahaya (Hylocereus);
Selenicerius (Queen of the Night).

Now you can go directly to the dishes.

Salad

This dish is not only tasty, but also nutritious. A special highlight of it lies in pickled cacti. Most often, the fruits of prickly pear or echinocactus are used (for prickly pear and agave, read here, but this article tells about small prickly prickly pear).

Cooking sequence:

Cactus fruits are soaked in cold water for 15 minutes.
After that, the fruits are peeled from the top layer and chopped into cubes. Then they are poured with boiling water and defend for 20 minutes.
Other products are prepared separately: parsley is chopped finely, cucumbers and tomato slices are cut into strips.
All components are mixed and sweet corn is added.
The salad is seasoned with balsamic vinegar and olive oil.

In Mexico, it is customary to add hot pepper to such a salad. In our area they prefer to put onion pickled in vinegar in a dish as a piquant note.

Meat dish

To start, you should prepare such products:

600 g of meat;
600 g of cactus;
Other products to taste, usually put onions, carrots, chili peppers.

Step by step recipe:

All products are diced.
Meat is fried over high heat for 5 minutes.
Then onions and carrots are added, and everything continues to roast.
When everything is well fried, cactus and chili pepper are added.
Salt, pepper, close the lid, reduce heat and simmer further.
After 20 minutes, the fire is turned off, the dish is ready.

Cactus soup

Such a soup, Latin Americans call Valparaiso, in honor of the port city in Chile.

The following ingredients will be required.:

stems of young prickly pear;
lentils of any kind (it can be either yellow or red);
any broth cooked on chicken or meat;
onion;
carrot;
Tomatoes

Step by step recipe:

Lentils are added to pre-cooked broth.
Carrots and onions are fried in a pan until golden.
Diced tomatoes and cactus are added to the roasting.
When the lentils are cooked, the fried vegetables are laid out in the pan.
After 2-3 minutes, the soup can be removed from the heat.

If the lentils are boiled in the soup until soft, then the pieces of the cactus should remain crispy. This is what makes Valparaiso soup special.

Due to its valuable qualities cactus can serve as a universal product in any life situations. It helps to cope with many ailments. Using some varieties of this plant, you can overcome hunger by preparing a delicious dish. Cactus is able to absorb negative energy and radiation from electrical appliances. The flower has long been actively used in the manufacture of cosmetic products.