Arizona Cactus Ranch is located on forty square miles of desert near Green Valley in Southern Arizona, and is surrounded by Englemann Prickly Pear Cactus. Every August and September fruit buds from the cactus is harvested to produce a slightly sweet tasting juice that's 100% pure, concentrated prickly pear nectar with no sugar or preservatives added.  The prickly pear cactus ranch is not yet organic certified but is working on it.  The ranch has never sprayed their pastures and never intend to.

There has been a great deal of medical interest in Prickly Pear recently. Several studies, using Arizona Cactus Ranch Prickly Pear Nectar, have shown that the pectin (a dietary fiber similar to the kind found in Mesquite) contained in the Prickly Pear pulp dramatically lowers levels of "bad" cholesterol while leaving "good" cholesterol levels unchanged. In addition to this, another study found that the fibrous pectin in the fruit lowers diabetics' need for insulin.

Researchers are using the prickly pear juice, produced by Arizona Cactus Ranch in Southern Arizona, for their studies with diabetes, cancer, hangover prevention and other diseases.

Benefits of Prickly Pear Cactus:

• studies have shown that the prickly pear pulp lowers LDL cholesterol.
• studies show that prickly pear betalains protects blood vessels and endothelium from oxidation by ICAM-1 inhibition.
• long time knowledge that prickly pear is beneficial to diabetics and those with syndrome X or metabolic syndrome as it induces a hyplogycemic effect thereby lowering blood sugar naturally.
• no preservatives, coloring, additives or added sugar
• reduce arthritis and prostate inflammation thereby reducing the pain as well
• hangover prevention by consuming prickly pear juice before a night of drinking. Study showed that participants who drank prickly pear significantly prevent hangover effects as compared to placebo.
• lower triglycerides
  

Prickly Pear has a latin name of Opuntia. To find out more about the infamous prickly pear, you may learn about its history.