Nopal by Nature's Sunshine

POSSIBLY EFFECTIVE

• Diabetes. Oral prickly pear cactus might help reduce postprandial blood glucose in patients with diabetes. Details: Some preliminary clinical research shows that prickly pear cactus decreases blood glucose levels in patients with type 2 diabetes. Single doses can decrease blood glucose levels by 17% to 48% in some patients (14807,65322,65326). For example, one small clinical study in adults with diabetes shows that adding prickly pear cactus to breakfast meals decreases postprandial glucose when compared with the equicaloric breakfast meals without prickly pear cactus (14807). However, it is not known if long-term use consistently lowers blood glucose levels and decreases glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) levels.

INSUFFICIENT RELIABLE EVIDENCE to RATE

• Age-related cognitive decline. It is unclear if oral prickly pear cactus prevents age-related cognitive decline in older adults. Details: A small clinical study in healthy adults 55 years and older living in Korea shows that taking ethanolic prickly pear pad extract 960 mg (containing about 0.5 mg dihydrokaempferol) daily for 12 weeks does not affect performance on cognitive tests when compared with placebo. However, in a subgroup of patients 70 years or younger, there was a small improvement on certain cognitive tests when compared with placebo (105903).
• Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). It is unclear if oral prickly pear cactus is beneficial in patients with BPH. Details: Preliminary clinical research shows that some patients with BPH who take powdered prickly pear cactus flowers 500 mg three times daily for 2-8 months have subjective improvements in symptoms such as urgency and feelings of fullness in the bladder (12175).
• Familial hypercholesterolemia. It is unclear if oral prickly pear cactus is beneficial in patients with BPH. Details: One very small clinical study in patients with familial hypercholesterolemia shows that consuming prickly pear cactus pulp 250 grams daily for 4 weeks, in combination with dietary intervention, reduces total cholesterol by 30 mg/dL and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol by 34 mg/dL when compared to baseline. However, taking prickly pear cactus does not improve high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol or triglyceride levels in these patients (65274). The validity of this finding is limited by the lack of a comparator group.
• Dyspepsia. Oral prickly pear cactus has only been evaluated in combination with other ingredients; its effect when used alone is unclear. Details: A small study in healthy adults shows that taking a specific combination product containing prickly pear cactus and olive extract (Mucosave, Bionap S.R.L.) 400 mg daily for 8 weeks seems to improve dyspepsia and other gastrointestinal symptoms when compared with placebo (105904). It is unclear if the benefit is from prickly pear cactus, olive, or the combination. It is also unclear if this benefit would occur in patients with clinically diagnosed dyspepsia.
• Hangover. It is unclear if oral prickly pear cactus is beneficial in patients with hangover. Details: A small clinical study in healthy adults shows that taking 1600 IU of a specific prickly pear cactus fruit extract (Tex-OE, Extracts Plus Inc.) as a single dose 5 hours prior to binge alcohol consumption does not reduce overall hangover symptoms when compared with placebo. However, it may help to reduce specific symptoms such as nausea, anorexia, and dry mouth when compared with placebo. Furthermore, there was a 62% lower odds of severe hangover in the prickly pear cactus group when compared with placebo (12085).
• Hypercholesterolemia. It is unclear if oral prickly pear cactus lowers cholesterol levels. Details: A small clinical study in patients with primary isolated hypercholesterolemia or combined hyperlipidemia shows that, when used in combination with a Step 1 diet, taking prickly pear cactus pulp 250 grams daily can reduce total cholesterol by 12%, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol by 15%, and triglycerides by 12%; however, levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol do not seem to be affected (65263). It is unclear how these results compare to the control group.
• Metabolic syndrome. It is unclear if oral prickly pear cactus is beneficial in patients with metabolic syndrome. Details: One small clinical study in females with metabolic syndrome shows that taking a specific dehydrated prickly pear cactus pad product (NeOpuntia, Bio Serae) 4.8 grams in 3 divided doses daily for 6 weeks does not affect blood lipid levels when compared with placebo (65293). Another small study in adults with 1-2 risk factors for metabolic syndrome shows that consuming durum wheat pasta 500 mg, containing prickly pear cactus pad extract 3%, weekly for 1 month modestly reduces waist circumference, blood glucose, and triglycerides, but not other lipid parameters or weight, when compared with baseline (105902). The validity of these findings is limited by the lack of a comparator group.
• Obesity. It is unclear if oral prickly pear cactus is beneficial for weight loss. Details: A meta-analysis of 4 clinical trials shows that taking prickly pear cactus orally for 8 weeks to 2 years does not improve weight loss when compared with placebo. However, the results of this analysis are limited by the low methodological quality and small sample sizes of many of the included studies (92146). Studies in the meta-analysis used prickly pear cactus pads 3-15 grams daily for up to 2 years or prickly pear cactus fruit skin extract 400 mg daily for 16 weeks. Specific prickly pear cactus pad products included NeOpuntia (Bio Serae) 4.8 grams daily and Litramine (InQpharm North America LLC) 3 grams daily (92146). More evidence is needed to rate prickly pear cactus for these uses.

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LIKELY SAFE ...when prickly pear cactus fruit and pads are used orally as a food (5969).

POSSIBLY SAFE ...when prickly pear cactus fruit and pads are used orally and appropriately in supplemental amounts, short-term. Prickly pear cactus fruit pulp 250 grams twice daily has been used with apparent safety for up to 2 weeks (12086) and prickly pear cactus pads 3-15 grams daily have been used with apparent safety for up to 2 years (92146). Extracts of prickly pear fruit skin 400 mg daily or prickly pear pads 960 mg daily have been used with apparent safety for 12-16 weeks (92146,105903).

PREGNANCY AND LACTATION:
Insufficient reliable information available; avoid using.

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ANTIDIABETES DRUGS Interaction Rating = Moderate Be cautious with this combination. Severity = Moderate •  Occurrence = Probable •  Level of Evidence = D Combining prickly pear cactus with antidiabetes drugs might increase the risk of hypoglycemia.  Details Case reports show that combining prickly pear cactus with antidiabetes drugs such as chlorpropamide, glyburide, glipizide, and metformin can increase the risk of hypoglycemia in patients with type 2 diabetes (5968,14806,17226,65319,92146). Advise patients to monitor glucose levels closely. Dose adjustments may be necessary.

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General ...Orally, prickly pear cactus is generally well tolerated.
Most Common Adverse Effects:
Orally: Abdominal fullness, dyspepsia, mild diarrhea, nausea.

Dermatologic ...Orally, prickly pear cactus has been linked to rare cases of urticaria and pruritus. In a clinical study of 41 patients taking prickly pear cactus pad ethanolic extract, three patients experienced pruritus and one patient experienced urticaria (105903).

Gastrointestinal ...Orally, prickly pear cactus may cause mild diarrhea, dyspepsia, nausea, increased stool volume and frequency, and abdominal fullness (7028,65266,105903). Cases of low colonic obstruction and rectal phytobezoars resulting in rectal perforation have been reported for patients who ingested prickly pear cactus fruit seeds (65260,65266). However, these events are extremely rare and attributed to the ingestion of a large number of fruits. Because dried prickly pear cactus swells into a mass much larger than its original size, it may potentially cause dangerous blockages of the esophagus or intestines. Similar products have been associated with serious or even fatal blockages, but cases of such blockages from prickly pear cactus are lacking in the scientific literature.

Neurologic/CNS ...Orally, prickly pear cactus has been linked to rare cases of headache, insomnia, and dizziness (65266,105903). In a clinical study of 41 patients taking prickly pear cactus pad ethanolic extract, two patients experienced headache, one patient experienced dizziness, and one patient experienced insomnia (105903).

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