The Workout Herb

Prickly Pear extract has been shown to boost energy and speed healing

Locked in the spiny red fruits of the prickly pear cactus (Opuntia ficusindica) may be the best friend your workout ever had. A French research scientist, Gilles Gutierrez, has established that professional athletes can work out longer and harder using his patented prickly pear extract. Even more important, the herb sped their recoveries from strenuous exercise. Prickly pear appears to accelerate the production of the body's natural restorative compounds.

His discovery doesn't come out of left field. Prickly pear has traditionally been used to promote healing—specifically, as a treatment for inflammatory skin diseases, eye inflammation, intestinal tract inflammation (dysentery), urinary tract inflammation, burns, and joint or muscle inflammation. Interestingly, several different cultures have used prickly pear for chronic joint and muscle complaints, including arthritis and fibromyalgia as well as strains, sprains, and breaks.

Now, science has validated these uses. In lab tests using rats, the extract inhibited experimentally induced joint inflammation and chronic joint inflammation, and it significantly increased wound healing.

I've used the extract, sold under the name Prepair, and have recommended it to other athletic baby boomers. It seems that after using it, we had increased energy and recovered more rapidly from our workouts. What's more, our weak spots—bad lower backs, trick knees, and achy necks—seemed less painful.

Prickly pear is nontoxic and has no known safety problems, even when it is taken in large quantities. Be sure to follow the manufacturer's instructions on the packaging for the correct dose information and when to take it.

As an edible food, the pads (called nopales in Spanish) are often used in salads, soups, fried like eggplant, or cooked on the grill. Some people dislike the slimy, okra-like coating that occurs after cooking. If you're one of them, just rinsed it off.

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