Uses for Cacti

templegatejohn · Post by **templegatejohn** » Wed Nov 24, 2004 4:10 pm

Hi guys, interesting subject.

One or two to start the ball rolling:

1. Ariocarpus, which are now threatened with extinction in the wild were dug up by goatherds and the juicy flesh was eaten as sweets.

2. The ripe fruits of the prickly pear are used to make jam.

3. On the high plains of Bolivia Neowerdermannia vorwerkii are cooked and eaten in the same way as potatoes.

4. The sweet-sour flesh of Ferocactus wislizeni are candied in a sugar solution and made into sweets.

5. The indians of Northern Mexico used Stenocereus gummosus to catch fish. They crushed the stems and threw them into the water to release the toxic sap. This stupified the fish, they floated to the top and could be scooped out by hand.

KactusKathi · Post by **KactusKathi** » Wed Nov 24, 2004 5:36 pm

The Blue Agave is used to make Tequila.

mavaz · Post by **mavaz** » Thu Nov 25, 2004 12:13 am

OK, a geat idea to have this forum:

1.-Prickley pear juice is still used in mexico for mix with lime for make a natural and durable white paint.
2.-There are a lot of cacti fruit that natives use to eat (pitayas and tunas) and still are consumed.
3.-Some native in America use to make sacrifice using agave?s thorn as needles.
4.-Agaves, Prickley pear, columnar cacti (As Stenocereus), and ocotillo (Fouqueria)has been used for make live fences.
5.-Huichol and Tarahumara people consider peyote (Lophophora) as the link with God in earth.

Beverages:
6.-Sotol from Dasiliryon sp.
7.-Pulque from more than six Agave species
8.-Bacanora from Agave angustifolia
9.-Raicilla from Agave maximiliana
10.-Mezcal from anyother Agave in M?xic

anoa0101 · Post by **anoa0101** » Mon Nov 29, 2004 9:47 am

they keep my cat from running into the yard, and keep other cats from running into my house.

templegatejohn · Post by **templegatejohn** » Wed Jul 06, 2005 8:12 pm

Hi all,

Just found another use for cacti in the Plantfinders Guide to Cacti and Succulents.

The glochids of Opuntia microdasys are one of the ingredients of itching powder.

I have not been able to stop scratching since I read it.

John

Post by **daiv** » Wed Jul 06, 2005 8:39 pm

I can believe that! I have to trim mine back pretty often as they grow like mad. No matter what I get them all over me because they go airborne. And there isn't a whole lot that can be done, but wait for them to work themselves out. They are too hard to find and remove with tweezers.

ebaycactus · Post by **ebaycactus** » Tue Jul 12, 2005 6:57 pm

I'm surprised not a single one of you have mentioned the billions and billions of uses for aloe products.

Post by **daiv** » Wed Jul 13, 2005 4:53 am

ebaycactus wrote:I'm surprised not a single one of you have mentioned the billions and billions of uses for aloe products.

Aloe are not in the Cactus Family.

ebaycactus · Post by **ebaycactus** » Wed Jul 13, 2005 11:48 am

Oh, sorry I didn't know it was plants only from Cactaceae. I'm usually lazy and will use the general term "cactus"(which includes everything from aloes to Euphoria's), instead of actually using the correct definition of cactus.

YumAz · Post by **YumAz** » Fri Oct 27, 2006 11:59 am

Agave americana
The sap is antiseptic, diaphoretic, diuretic and laxative
http://www.pfaf.org/database/plants.php?Agave+americana

Aloe vera internally
The plant is emmenagogue, emollient, laxative, purgative, stimulant, stomachic, tonic, vermifuge and vulnerary
http://www.pfaf.org/database/plants.php?Aloe+vera
quite a few opuntia uses
http://www.pfaf.org/database/latin.php?LAT=O
and Euphorbias
http://www.pfaf.org/database/latin.php?LAT=E

couple more good sites
http://www.rosenthal.hs.columbia.edu/Botanicals.html
http://www.swsbm.com/HOMEPAGE/HomePage.html

JAF5000 · Post by **JAF5000** » Fri Jan 12, 2007 7:16 am

u forgot they are pretty

Lewis_cacti · Post by **Lewis_cacti** » Mon Dec 17, 2007 2:44 am

I found some more on the net:

Selenicereus grandiflorus is used in the preparation of drugs which have a spasmolytic effect on the coronary vessels and promote blood circulation.

Selenicereus megalanthus contains the heart tonic captine.

Hylocereus undatus fruit has been used to combat anaemia.
http://www.newcrops.uq.edu.au/newslett/ncn11163.htm

Echinopsis chiloensis - (Quiska)
Chilean cactus used in the manufacture of rainsticks.

Ferocactus hamatacanthus - (Texas Barrel Cactus)
Juicy, brown fruit is used as lemons and limes.

Lophocereus schottii - (Senita)
Stem processed into drugs to fight cancer and diabetes.

Pachycereus pecten-aboriginum - (Hairbrush Cactus)
Indians used the bur-like fruit of this cactus as a hairbrush.
http://www.cactusmuseum.com/uses.asp

chapster · Post by **chapster** » Mon Feb 25, 2008 8:14 pm

Hi,
I'm new to forum & wonder if anyone has advice on fastest growing cactus (oxymoron?) to grow in Albuquerque, NM for security against a north facing fence.
My daughter just got burglarized & is asking my advice. I think any large bed of short cacti will do for the fence itself but wonder if there is a branching type to grow up & across the top of the gate. Water is so precious here, she prefers not to grow roses.
There is pyrcantha but she'd like cacti if feasible.

Will any cactus grow in a window box if she attached it to the inside part of gate?
Thanks!

ihc6480 · Post by **ihc6480** » Mon Feb 25, 2008 11:57 pm

Well it's sounds like you need something with nasty spines and Opuntia (prickly pear) and Cylindropuntia (cholla) has some of the most vicious spines.
Opuntias and Cylindropuntia can grow fairly fast. They would offer some protection and the opuntias could be grown in a window box. ThSome Cylindropuntias can grow the height your talking about for above the gate but I wouldn't walk under it

Tony · Post by **Tony** » Tue Feb 26, 2008 1:08 am

I agree with Bill, I dont think there is anything better than a really nasty spined cholla.
You just have to be extra careful yourself around them and you definatly wouldnt want one anywhere where a child could come in contact with it.

Uses for Cacti

Uses for Cacti

Security & cactus