Cactus Farm

West Camp Nopal

West Camp Nopal is a small cactus (opuntia ficus-indica) farm located in Muleshoe, Texas. Initiated in 2021, it continues to expand. Research about farm design, plant care, harvest and market are an ongoing exploration adventure.

The Farm

Nopal the Plant of Many Names

Cactus exists around the world and has many different names and species. Some areas know it as “sacred plant”, “green gold”, “miracle future fruit”, and even “monster tree”. West Camp Nopal grows Opuntia Ficus-Indica species, better known as the Nopal plant.

The Nopal plant can be described in 5 different anatomical features: pads, fruit, spines, roots, seeds.

Lack of Public Awareness

Public awareness of the uses and benefits from the nopal is limited. The cactus intimidating appearance of being an unapproachable plant and slimy interior, have created an image of an undesirable plant. This site hopes to create a better image and bridge the gap of public awareness by providing information about the uses and benefits.

Reference links and embedded links are provided to assist readers in their exploration journey, West Camp Nopal, LLC does not own said research or videos.

The ability to thrive in harsh terrain, low water consumption, low maintenance and versatility of use shows a great health, economic and environmental potential. There are many scientific studies confirming the multiple benefits of the Nopal.

Health

Promising results for chronic disease

Studies of the nopal have showed promising results for chronic diseases such as cholesterol, diabetes and obesity. Both the pads and fruit can be consumed to get health benefits. Extracts from the plant can be also used for treatment of burns, skin disorders and wound healing. [1]

Discover Health
Personal Care

Antioxidant and antibacterial properties

Prickly pear seed oil has antioxidant and antibacterial properties. Antioxidants help prevent skin damage from sun, aging and other factors; while antibacterial help clean the skin. Research and discoveries in this area are new but quickly growing [2].

See Personal Care
Environment

Regenerate degraded soils

The nopal is an excellent source for carbon (CO2) sequestration, helps regenerate degraded soils and can act as cleaners. Based on a study by the USDA Agricultural Research Service, (2018), the plant is being researched to be used for removing toxins from the soil:  Nature’s New “Soil Cleaner”.

Learn about Environment

References

  1. María del Socorro Santos Díaz, Ana-Paulina Barba de la Rosa, Cécile Héliès-Toussaint, Françoise Guéraud, Anne Nègre-Salvayre, “Opuntia spp.: Characterization and Benefits in Chronic Diseases”, Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity, vol. 2017, Article ID 8634249, 17 pages, 2017. https://doi.org/10.1155/2017/8634249
  2. Koubaa, M., Mhemdi, H., Barba, F.J., Angelotti, A., Bouaziz, F., Chaabouni, S.E. and Vorobiev, E. (2017), Seed oil extraction from red prickly pear using hexane and supercritical CO2: assessment of phenolic compound composition, antioxidant and antibacterial activities. J. Sci. Food Agric., 97: 613-620.  https://doi.org/10.1002/jsfa.7774