Texans of European descent do not generally like cactus. At least not up close. People from up north may think it looks picturesque, but once you have fallen into a patch of prickly pear, for example, cactus really loses its charm.

Usually the only fans of cactus (besides artists and environmentalists) are ranchers in desert areas, where in really bad droughts they sometimes have to burn the needles off prickly pear cactus with flamethrowers so the cattle can eat them. That makes prickly pear valuable to them, I guess.

That practice led Texas A&M University ag researchers to develop a spineless prickly pear, but it still has those little tiny stickers that get into your skin and drive you crazy. (Ask me how I know.)

Of course, some cacti make really pretty flowers—when they bloom, which is not often. And there are people to go to the trouble to pick the prickly pear fruit (which is not prickly itself) and make jelly out of it, if you can imagine.

Not only that, but in Mexico people peel the spiny outer skin off prickly pear pads (the paddle-like “leaves”) and eat them as a vegetable. Around here you can buy them in grocery stores. They are called nopales or nopalitos. Apparently nopal, or prickly pear, plays a big part in the cuisine of northern Mexico. So I guess it must be tasty.

But imagine my surprise when it turns out that the fruit of the prickly pear or Nopal cactus (Opuntia ficus indica) is full of some kind of rare antioxidants called betalains that can detoxify the body and relieve pain by helping the body reduce inflammation. I mean, who knew?

So now there’s this drink called Nopalea (No-pah lay’uh), made from Nopal cactus fruit. It turns out that the native peoples of northern Mexico have known about the health benefits of Nopal cactus for centuries,  but I guess no Anglos paid any attention to them.

But then doctors discovered that inflammation is a major cause of pain and other problems, and somebody scientifically proved that those betalain antioxidants reduce inflammation. So now prickly pear (Nopal) cactus is a big deal.

And now all those good effects the ancient peoples of Mexico discovered are available in 32-oz bottles of Nopalea, which is made by a 12-year-old company called Trivita. (You can try this stuff for free if you call 1-800-203-7063 and pay $9.95 for shipping.)

They say Nopalea helps your body neutralize its inner toxins and reduce its inflammation, which—along with health problems related to it—is a major source of pain for many people. Inflammation can cause problems with muscles, joints, respiratory system, arteries, digestive tract, and other cells in the body. When you drink Nopalea daily it apparently helps your body reduce inflammation, clean out toxins, and just…feel better.

So hurray for prickly pear! Who knew? Oh, yeah, millions of people over the centuries. And why weren’t we Anglos listening to them? Like we know so much.

Just goes to show….we are not all as smart as we think we are. And modern is not always best. Just like my grandmother used to say.