| MadSci Network: Botany |
The only modern medical use of cactus I could find is the use of prickly pear cactus to control diabetes via diet. Native Americans had several medicinal uses for cactus. The fleshy pads of prickly pear cactus (Opuntia species) were cleaned of their spines, split in half, warmed and used to treat rheumatism, asthma, earaches, and hemorrhoids. Pads could also be used as a poultice for insect bite, snakebites, burns, rashes, sunburn and minor abrasions. The juice of the prickly pear was used for minor rashes, sunburn, and windburn. The Hopi used roots of cholla cactus (Opuntia species) to treat diarrhea, and Navajos used cholla to treat arthritis. Saguaro cactus (Carnegia gigantea) was used to make milk flow after childbirth, and the cactus ribs were used as splints for broken bones. Check the search engine on the Native American Ethnobotany Database for more medicinal uses of cactus. References MEDICAL IMPLICATIONS OF PRICKLY PEAR CACTUS Cactus Medicinal Uses by Native Americans Native American Ethnobotany Database Cholla cactus Saguaro cactus
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