Sonoran Bloom Nopalea Fights Inflammation

In recent years, Inflammation has become one of the hottest research areas in modern medicine. New studies are being published at a rapid rate, with the focus on chronic inflammation and its links to disease. These links have now been established between inflammation and coronary artery and heart disease, Alzheimers, type II diabetes, cancer, and a host of other ailments. Bottom line, chronic inflammation in the body may be the frightening common denominator in a host of life threatening diseases.

Inflammation itself is a natural response the body uses to fight viruses, parasites, and bad bacteria. It's very much part of the natural healing process when one is cut for example. The problem arises when the inflammation in the body runs rampant and becomes chronic. An anallogy might be like a fire in a fireplace. When contained, the fire is good. If embers start jumping out of the fireplace and onto the carpet and furniture - that is not good. When these fires go unchecked within the body - that is not good. Doctors studying heart disease were among the first to recognize the role that inflammation plays in this deadly epidemic.

It's no doubt that doctors treating and researching autoimmune disorders like multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis have significant experience with chronic inflammation. Autoimmune diseases are a case when the body attacks its own good cells and tissues with an inflammatory volley. The healthy cells in locations like the nerves, joints, and other tissues are hit with a firestorm of inflammation. Once damage is done, it is often permanent.

The million dollar question is, "How does a person keep the inflammatory response in check to begin with?".

The drug companies are scrambling to find pharmaceutical solutions to this newly identified threat. A host of perscription drugs already on the market have been used in numerous studies already. Is there a natural anti-inflammatory worthy of investigation? Amazingly enough, there's a lowly cactus from the Sonoran Desert that is being studied worldwide on its abilities to fight inflammation and promote cellular health.

Enter the Nopal Cactus (Opuntia ficus) or commonly known as the Prickly Pear Cactus. Researchers from around the world are focusing immense time and effort on this super-fruit. The fruit (figg) of the Nopal has been used for 2,000 years by the natives of the Sonoran Desert for its medicinal value as well as its general ability to promote wellness in the body. Research has now shown that the cactus fruit contains a rare and very potent concentration of antioxidants known as betalains.

Betalains are the pigments that give the Nopal cactus fruit its vibrant red and pink colors. These natural antioxidants are only found in a few of the world’s plants. The fruit of the Nopal Cactus isn’t just a member of this small group of special plants, it actually leads the group by containing one of the highest amounts of betalains in all of nature.

Scientific research shows that betalains help to:

* Reduces the risk of blood clots—betalains protect the thin lining of your blood vessels; this helps reduce the inflammation that makes your blood sticky and leads to clots.1
* Reduces bad cholesterol—betalains strongly reduce oxidized LDL cholesterol.2
* Protects cells from toxins—betalains protect many types of cells, especially brain cells, from toxins known to trigger tumors.3
* Protects your liver—betalains provide significant protection from toxins that directly affect your liver.4

When you take these betalains into your system, they begin to restore your vitality on a cellular level. By helping the body reduce the toxins surrounding your cells and enabling essential nutrients to reach each cell, the betalains in the Nopal fruit can reduce the chronic inflammation in your body that leads to disease.