Update 7/4/20. Nopalea Juice – also called Prickly Pear Cactus – is said to be a “superfruit concentrate” that “helps put out the fire of inflammation.” Cellular inflammation has gotten a lot of attention lately because research has noted that it plays a role in many diseases. But, does Nopalea work or is it a scam? More specifically, does Nopalea reduce cellular inflammation and reduce the risk of disease? In this TriVita Nopalea Juice review, you'll learn what Nopalea is as well as the research on this supplement and one of its main compounds- betalains. Is Nopalea cactus juice the real deal or a scam? Let's see what we can discover.
Who Makes Nopalea Juice?
Nopalea cactus juice is made by TriVita (TriVita.com), which sells many health supplements such:
The TriVita company has been in business since 1999. The company is located at 16100 Greenway Hayden Loop #950 Scottsdale, AZ 85260 and their phone # is (480) 337-4000.
According to the Better Business Bureau, they give Trivita a rating of A+ as of 7/4/19. The company is a BBB accredited business. See the BBB file for updates and more information.
Nopalea Ingredients
There are a LOT of ingredients in TriVita Nopalea juice. Just a few include grape seed extract, agave nectar, raspberry and strawberry extracts, and many other things that I won't touch on here. Rather, I want the focus of
this Nopalea review to be on its “main ingredient” – the ingredient discussed most on TriVita Nopalea TV commercials and websites.
That ingredient is the Nopal cactus fruit. They call it “Opuntia concentrate” on the Nopalea bottle but it also goes by the name Prickly Pear Cactus and Nopal cactus. Its scientific name is Opuntia ficus-indica. It is this ingredient on which I will focus in this review.
What Does Nopalea Mean?
Nopalea is not just the name of this TriVita supplement. It's a real word. Nopalea means cactus. In taxonomy, it refers to the genus of the Nopal cactus plant which has deep red flowers.
How Is Nopalea Supposed to Work?
If you watch the Nopalea juice TV commercial, they say that Nopalea is derived from the Nopal cactus and that this plant has compounds (they call them betalains) that reduce inflammation in the body.
By reducing chronic inflammation, Nopalea juice is supposed to reduce the risk of disease and – maybe – improve health problems that people have right now.
Nopalea TV Commerical video
Nopalea Juice Research
On the website nopalea.com there are 12 research studies listed that testify to the benefits of the Nopal cactus (Prickly Pear Cactus) extract at helping chronic inflammation, boosting the immune system, and protecting the brain. One interesting point is none of the studies contained the word “Nopalea.” In other words, it doesn't look like any of the studies were conducted using the Nopalea wellness drink itself.
While Nopalea.com only lists the studies, I want to directly link to them so you can see the research for yourself. They all sound very impressive and technical so I'll also give brief commentary, where needed, to put the research in perspective.
The studies are grouped together as follows:
Anti-toxin Activity Studies
- Cactus (Opuntia ficus-indica) protects against oxidative damage induced by the mycotoxin zearalenone in Balb/C mice. This is a mouse study.
- Opuntia ficus indica extract protects against chlorpyrifos-induced damage on mice liver. This is a mouse study.
- Opuntia ficus indica (L.) Mill. fruit juice protects liver from carbon tetrachloride-induced injury. This is a rat study.
Anti-Inflammatory Studies
- An anti-inflammatory principle from cactus.”. This is a mouse study.
- Antioxidant betalains from cactus pear (Opuntia ficus-indica) inhibit endothelial ICAM-1 expression. This is a test tube study.
What About Hangovers?
In one human study researchers noted that extracts of the Nopal cactus seemed to reduce alcohol-induced hangover symptoms. The researchers speculated that the Nopal cactus extract worked because of its anti-inflammatory effects. This study of hangovers appears to be the main study cited to support the anti-inflammation benefits of the Nopal cactus – and hence Nopalea juice.
Immune System Boost Studies
Betalains a betacyanin pigment purified from fruits of Opuntia ficus-indica induces apoptosis in human chronic myeloid leukemia Cell line-K562. Apotosis means “cell death” and K562 cells are a type of cancer cell. This is a test tube study where researchers basically found that extracts of the Nopal cactus destroyed cancer cells in a test tube — not in a human.
When I say “test tube study” I am making a general statement about a study that took place outside of a living organism like animals or humans. Technically they are called “in-vitro studies.” There are some advantages of these types of investigations but they are not as “real life” as those that take place in animals or—especially— in humans. We are much more complicated than what goes on in a test tube.
- Antioxidant betalains from cactus pear (Opuntia ficus-indica) inhibit endothelial ICAM-1 expression. This is basically a test tube study.
- Modulation of intracellular calcium concentrations and T cell activation by prickly pear polyphenols. This is a test tube study.
Brain Protection Studies
- Inhibition of nitric oxide synthase expression in activated microglia and peroxynitrite scavenging activity by Opuntia ficus indica var. saboten. This is basically a test tube study.
- Effect of Opuntia ficus indica on symptoms of the alcohol hangover. This is the same study of alcohol hangovers mentioned above.
Interventions for protecting against or treating alcohol hangover: systematic review of randomized controlled trials. This study is basically a review of several previous studies that tried to determine if there was any good way to reduce the symptoms of an alcohol hangover. Researchers concluded that there was no good proof that the Nopal cactus (Prickly Pear Cactus) or anything else helps hangovers caused by drinking too much.
Neuroprotective effects of antioxidative flavonoids, quercetin, (+)-dihydroquercetin and quercetin 3-methyl ether, isolated from Opuntia ficus-indica var. saboten. This is essentially a test tube study of rat brain cells. Extracts of the Nopal cactus reduced free radical damage to isolated rat brain cells.
Summary of Research
I come to the following conclusions:
- None of them used the Nopalea supplement itself
- Most of the studies were test-tube studies and a few mouse/rat studies
- The only human study listed has to do with hangovers
TriVita Nopalea Research
Now let's dig a little deeper into the research on Nopalea juice itself. I searched the National Library of Medicine for “TriVita Nopalea” to see if any studies had been done using this supplement. None could be located.
But what about research on Prickly Pear Cactus (Opuntia ficus indica) —the type of cactus used in the TriVita Nopalea supplement?
TriVita websites and TV commercials say that Nopalea juice is a natural anti-inflammatory agent. In the study of Nopal cactus and hangovers, researchers speculated that it reduced hangovers because it reduced inflammation in the brain. They probably arrived at this conclusion because they noted that Nopal cactus reduced levels of CRP —a compound that indicates inflammation in the body.
Since CRP levels are also elevated in other inflammatory diseases, like arthritis, might extracts of the Nopal cactus also help these other conditions? TriVita hints that it will but they provide no direct proof.
Some research suggests opuntia ficus indica has antioxidant properties. One small human study (only 18 people) noted that consuming the pulp of the nopal cactus was a better antioxidant than vitamin C. The pulp of the cactus fruit has many compounds that likely act together to bring about a better antioxidant effect. Vitamin C, on the other hand, is just vitamin C.
This study used 500 grams (17.8 oz) of Nopal cactus pulp (and compared it to 150 mg of vitamin C). In theory, lesser amounts of Nopal cactus fruit might work too. I say this because I do not know how much Nopal cactus fruit or pulp is in a serving of TriVita Nopalea.
Other research studies suggest Nopal cactus may help diabetes. Some studies noted it might reduce blood sugar levels. The issue here is research often uses another species of Nopal cactus called Opuntia streptacantha and not the type of cactus used in TriVita Nopalea (which uses Opuntia ficus indica). Unfortunately, an investigation posted in 2019 notes a lack of quality human blood sugar research.
If TriVita Nopalea juice does help lower blood sugar, fantastic! Just remember that there is MUCH MORE evidence that exercise —even 20 minutes a day —can lower not only blood sugar but “A1C” levels too.
See the benefits of exercise for diabetes for more insights.
Nopalea And Weight Loss
Some have asked me if Opuntia ficus indica can help weight loss. Since the cactus pulp has fiber, it's possible, just as all-fiber foods can aid weight loss. That said, no human weight loss studies could be located. Like all foods, this cactus may have its place in a healthy diet but until somebody proves it enhances weight loss, be skeptical claims about Opuntia ficus indica (or Nopalea juice) was some magical weight loss secret.
See the XLS Medical review for more information on this topic.
What Are Betalains?
Betalains (bay-ta-linz) refers to a family of colorful phytonutrient plant chemicals. In plants, these pigments/nutrients help provide colors ranging from yellow to purple/violet. Betalines are present in various fruits and vegetables, such as beets and beet juice supplements.
There are 2 main types of betalains:
- Betacyanins: a deep red pigment
- Betaxanthins: a yellow/orange pigment
Where you find betalains, you also usually find other healthy plant compounds called anthocyanins.
Betalains Health Properties
Various studies – mostly involving lab animals and isolated cells – tell us betalains have a variety of health benefits such as:
Betalains and Cancer
Because the betalains of Prickly Pear Cactus seem to act as antioxidants, some may wonder if they might help prevent cancer or if they might be a natural alternative to chemotherapy. I don't recommend this for a couple of reasons:
1. I see no betalain supplement research concerning cancer treatment in humans.
2. Any antioxidant effects of betalains might —in theory —interfere with traditional cancer treatment.
Think about it. Antioxidants neutralize free radicals and free radical damage is exactly how chemo and radiation therapy kills cancer cells. If you have cancer, PLEASE talk to your oncologist about this before experimenting with any antioxidant supplements.
Nopalea Juice and NSAIDs?
Various TriVita websites hint that Nopalea juice can be a safer alternative to aspirin and other NSAIDs because of the natural anti-inflammatory effects of the Nopal cactus. But, as far as I can tell, this antiinflammatory effect has only been demonstrated in humans once —in the study of hangovers.
On 2/3/12 on the TV show “The Doctors” model, Cheryl Tiegs lists Nopalea cactus juice as one of her anti-aging secrets. Cheryl says she drinks Nopalea to help reduce inflammation. Cheryl Tiegs, definitely looks great but I wonder if she knows where the anti-inflammation research actually comes from?
Here is The Doctors TV segment:
On 3/29/12 Nopalea TV commercials featuring Ceryl Tieges started appearing.
Who is Doctor Becky Maes?
Dr. Becky Maes was featured on the Nopalea TV commercial I saw on 1/18/12. Back then, her Facebook page, stated she is an “an MD, Gastroenterologist, Entrepreneur, Author, Mother, and Nutritional Expert.” She is indeed a board-certified physician.
At one point, her Linkedin page stated she was affiliated with TriVita as a nutrition coach and One Star Director. Currently, her LinkedIn page states she is the medical director at ForeverGreen International Inc.
The Nopalea Wellness Challenge
You may have heard of The Nopalea Wellness Challenge. This is how it works. You drink 3-6 oz of Nopalea juice per day for 30 days and track your progress —how you feel ect. —on a form that TriVita gives you. The wellness challenge is free, but you do need to pay $9.95 for shipping and handling.
Each bottle of Nopalea has 32 oz so if you drank only 3 oz per day, 1 bottle of Nopalea would only last you only about 10 days.
But, during the Nopalea TV infomercial, some of the testimonials noted that it might take 3 months before any differences were noticed. If this is typical for most people, it means that you would need 3 bottles of Noplalea per month or about 9 bottles of Nopalea per 3 months.
How Much Does Nopalea Juice Cost?
Nopalea is not sold in stores. So I called TriVita and asked them how much Nopalea juice cost and this is what they told me.
There are several options:
- 5 Pack. Buy 4 get 1 free. Cost: $139.99 + 14.95 S/H = $154.94
- 3 Pack. Buy 2 get 1 free. Cost: $ 79.98 + 14.95 S/H = $94.93
- 2 Pack. Buy 1 get 1 free. Cost: $39.95 +$14.95 S/H = $54.90
- 10 Pack. Buy 8 and get 2 free. Cost. $279.98 + $29.90 S/H = $309.88
So, if you really wanted to do the Nopalea Wellness Challenge and were willing to give it 3 months, it would cost you about $300 to do it.
Most of these options have an auto-ship program where TriVita will send you a new batch of Nopalea juice every 30 days. You can “customize” the auto-ship so that they send it to you at intervals that work best for you, so be sure to do this if you order Nopalea to avoid stockpiling it.
Trivita Nopalea may be on Amazon for those who want to compare prices.
Trivita vs. The Competition
There are also several other brands of Nopalea juice on Amazon such as:
Because researchers usually don't compare one brand to another, it's difficult to say if either is better than another. A hunch is quality made brands may work similarly to each other although it will take clinical studies to know for sure.
Nopalea Side Effects
Nopalea juice is likely safe in most healthy people. It's been around a long time. Here are some basic things to keep in mind before using. This list is not complete:
- Start with less than recommended for the first week to see how you respond
- Stop taking Nopalea juice at least 2 weeks before having surgery
- Ask your pharmacist and doctor first if you take any prescription drugs, like blood thinners or diabetes medicine
- Speak to your doctor if you are receiving cancer therapy like chemo or radiation
- To be safe, avoid take if pregnant or breastfeeding until more research is available
Some evidence hints Nopalea extract may lower blood sugar. In theory, this could mean it may interact with diabetes medicine but the degree to which it might do this needs more study.
One woman appears to have suffered obstruction of her airway after replacing her prednisone for Nopalea. This does not mean the cactus juice caused this condition. It's more likely this problem was because she stopped taking her medicine and because of her pre-existing sarcoidosis which can also obstruct breathing.
Nopalea and the FTC
In July 2014 the Federal Trade Commission reported the several Nopalea juice companies, including TriVita had agreed to refund consumers 3.5 million dollars stemming from claims that Nopalea juice could treat various diseases. Here is the FTC letter for those who want to read it. A May 2015 FTC Press Release offers further details on refunds being given to Nopalea customers.
To be fair, just because the FDA or FTC takes action does not mean something is a scam. Rather it may mean the company overstates what its products/supplements can do. In the US, supplement companies are not allowed to say their products treat/cure disease. This is true, even if there is evidence something works.
Does Nopalea Work?
I honestly don't know if Nopalea juice works or not. If you are really curious about it – and on a budget – try to get the free bottle of Nopalea from a distributor and see if that works before paying for the more expensive options. If you want to go the extra mile, you get your blood work done first – including CRP levels – by your doctor. Then, after a month or so, get your blood work done again —including CRP —to see if anything has changed.
What do you think?
i have a question, not a comment. I’m already hypoglcemic, will this make me worse…..
sharon, nopolea does have some sugar but I’m not sure if it will cause a hopoglycemic response. has anybody had a problem with this?
in case you didn’t know both fiber and protein can help reduce that from happening no matter what you eat
Nopolea
has greatly improved the osteoarthritis in my knees,
wrist, and especially my neck from a horrible cervical
fusion operation, plus two meniscus surgeries.
I can’t really go without it, with the pain coming back.
Has really helped the debilitating pain in cervical spine!!
suffered for years.
Just wondered if you knew that if you do a search of : “Opuntia streptacantha juice” it brings you the listing for this TviVita Nopalea site as a source.
Considering the amount they are charging for plain old prickly pear juice I place this up there with the old Patent Medicine Products of the turn of the century.
When I lived in California I used to eat prickly pear fruit all the time and it was for free, right off the cactus. We scorched of the cactus stickers and either ate them there or brought them home and refrigerated them. MY grandfather made a sort of cool-aide drink from it for us that was pretty good. To charge $5 for a 3 oz bottle of mostly water is just a form of robbery by trickery.
Thank you for the detailed information. You have saved me many $$$ , I’m a pushover when it comes to high pressure sales, so I try to avoid them, Thanks again!!
No problem. I do this for work and believe me there is much more to tell. Be very careful when ordering over the phone. Don’t get talked into things you don’t want or need. Nothing is ever free.
When you call Nopalea to buy or get information, it isn’t at Nopalea. They contract it out to call centers as do most all businesses in this field. They are salesmen and are paid on commission so keep that in mind. They are trained in the product and have a script.
deep throat, thanks for sharing that. Ive been coming to that conclusion also as i investigate products.
I think it’s great that people are looking to super foods to supplement their diets. We are all willing “guinea pigs” in the hands of main stream medicine anyway. Nobody knows our bodies better than ourselves, and our bodies were created to heal themselves.
My husband and I are entertainers in the nursing homes, assisted living, independent living, alzheimer’s units, and rehab centers. It is AWFUL seeing the overmedicated condition that these people (especially the ones in the nursing homes) are constantly in. What quality of life? It’s only getting worse as time goes by.
I say, “bravo!” to anyone that takes responsibility for their health by 1) becoming educated on nutrition and realize that daily choices (what we are consuming) are the root of health conditions 2) take ownership and TAKE ACTION TO MAKE CHANGES THAT WE KNOW WE NEED TO TAKE. (Tip: most of the time a simple tweak in attitude and how we perceive things does the most good) 3) use common sense and be in tune with our bodies 4) Be less dependent on “the machine,” and use the vast resources we have at our fingertips to study and research…BUT the most important thing is to DO something in order to create change.
There is no “magic bullet.” Striving for a balance in all aspects of our lives; physical, mental, spiritual, emotional, and on a daily basis (I feel) is the key to creating and maintaining a passionate, thriving and vibrant life.
Janice thanks for entertaining seniors. it can be a lonely place in nursing homes. thanks.
We ordered 5 bottles and the first time my husband and I tried at 5 ounces that night we both felt sleepy, I was joking that they must added sleeping medication. The next morning I took 3 ounces and felt a little sleepy but not as strong and that same night I took another 3 ounces and I felt really sleepy again and kinda loose my balance like I’m a little drunk.
I wonder is this kind a juice works for everybody or It has to be on a such a person. We both not on any medication Im not diabetics just had my son 4 months ago, but we both taking glutathione supplement everyday, I take only one 100g per day in the morning but not at the same time when I drank this juice, so am I getting side effects, does anyone has any idea?
Ross, you are the first person to ever mention that TriVita Nopalea juice made them tired/sleepy. Looking forward to what others have to say about this.
I’m been thinking of either ordering nopalea or desert bloom nopal, but not sure which one with benefit best. In the end it ends up being about the same since u only need to take about an ounce of desert bloom nopal versus 3 form nopalea.
I have diabetes type 1 and desert bloom right now seems to appeal to me since it does not have any sugar, or any natural occurring sugars as nopalea. My diabetes is starting to affect my life from poor vision to fatigue and i’m hoping one of these could help out.
Jesus, if it helps you I hope you will let me know.
Nopalea tastes quite sweet. As Joe points out, it contains many fruits, not just the nopal. Nevertheless they appear to be antioxidant fruits.
I’ve just started taking it to deal with inflammation so I hope it has a positive effect.
Denise, I do hope it helps. please keep me up to date with what happens.
Thank you for the information, Joe! Very helpful!
Ann thanks Im glad to help 🙂
There is a product sold by Desert Bloom that purports to be Nopal juice extract and to be 30x stronger than the Nopalea Juice from TriVita. They claim the main ingredient in the TriVita product is water. Has anyone taken a look at this to see if there is any truth in their claim. This is for sale at amazon for about $120 for a 32 ounce bottle, by the way and YOU add the water before you use it.
Linda, Ive never heard of Desert Bloom but I would only mention that when it comes to supplements “more” is not always “better.” Unless Desert Bloom can show me a published study on Desert Bloom itself, I would not pay that much money for a bottle. I also think Nopalea is overpriced as well.
please may i know if you have distributor of this product (nopolea) in europe-thanks
Isaac, I dont but if you contact the company via their website, Im sure you can either get it from them personally or they will put you in touch with somebody in Europe who can help you.
A year ago I was approached by a client to take Nopolea by a client who has done more MLM’s than I have fingers.
I have a sore knee from a partially torn MCL and thought it might help. Nada. After 4 bottles my knee hurt as much after a walk as it always had. I told my client nice try.
However about a month after my last bottle I had a attack of Gout. I thought this strange as I usually only have an attack when I let go on what I eat and certainly during the last several weeks (while on Nopolea), I had been eating much worse.
After connecting the dots, I ordered some more Nopolea and have been on it now for 9-10 months. Several times during this period I have engaged in poisoning myself with an abundance of really rich foods. In the past this would have resulted in me popping several blue and white capsules to keep my big toes from screening at my idiocy. Not anymore. Nopolea seems to have entirely healed my attacks of gout!!!!!!
Lorn, interesting so for somethings it helped but for other, maybe more traumatic things (MCL) it didn’t. Thanks for sharing that. Keep me posted on what happens as you continue to take Nopalea.
My cautus is organic only grows on a pasture where horses re fed real grain with no binders ect. I have 25 acres of it! chris Hunt
Chris, Also very interested in possibly obtaining your prickly pear cactus. I just started juicing and it’s pretty costly here, plus one really doesn’t know if they are truly organic. Thanks!
Betsy
I have a complex medical history with inflammation as the root problem. My husband ordered Nopalea from the infomercial and I was skeptical because I have tried so many that failed. But, being in severe pain from Rheumatoid Arthritis, Failed Back Syndrome, Lyme disease and worse yet an emergent skin disease called Morgellon’s. I tried Nopalea doing the 3oz twice a day. It took the 2nd bottle before I noticed results. Symptoms improved from then on.
My mobility and pain, including migraines and TMJ, have improved immensely. I am 60 years old, being ill for 15 years and feeling better now than in a long time. I do not know if anyone else would get the result I did but I cannot afford to be without it. Regardless of proven studies I am living a fairly good life. It also detoxes internally and after I saw this I started losing pounds I’d packed on from being immobile many years.
Energy improved because my body isn’t stressed fighting the pain. I have GERD and it caused stomach acid to flare but I realized I wasn’t drinking the recommended water suggested and my doctor told me to take the pm dosage late afternoon rather than late at night as I was doing. I stopped it once because of the GERD (acid reflux) for 2 weeks and the Morgellon’s lesions came back during this time and I started having numbness, pin and needle pain in my joints so I took Carafate (scripted) to coat the stomach and doing better now. I think anything like Mylanta or Pepto might help with the stomach issues if you have this occur.
Gayla, great I am happy that you found something that is working for you. Please keep me updated as you keep taking Nopalea.
Hi ya’ll (yes, I’m in the deep south)…..I tried the Napalea for a while. My husband and I “shared” a bottle but neither of us noticed any significant change. We’ve both had knee surgeries and age (not to mention weight) are making those poor knees struggle to tote us around. I take an arthritis med and we added a supplement and whether psychological or not, that’s what seems to work best for us. I so wanted to juice to work and, yes, Hailey, it is very tasty.
So, I, too, will be looking for updates to see if you like it. And I’m anxious to hear more about Blissful Writer’s cactus omelet. I’ve always wanted to try the plain ole cactus fruit. Never seen it in the store or produce markets. Any ideas?
It’s tasty. I’ll give it that.
I just tried it for the first time yesterday. The jury is still out, but I will say that it seemed to help my partner’s issue. She broke a blood vessel in her eye. When this happens, it typically takes 5 days to clear up. Her eye looked normal this morning — just 1 day later. I have no idea if the Nopalea had anything to do with this or not, but it’s the only different thing she did.
We’ll see!
Hailey, let me know if you feel any differences with Nopalea. I’m always curious to learn about the experiences of others. That’s a nice website you have also 🙂
I have seen Cactus Juice ads before and I have always wondered the same question. I’ve even eaten a cactus omelet before. I have not seen much studies on cactus or its juice. But even if there are health benefits from the plant, it may not translate to the juice due to its extraction and lower quantity.
Let me tell you about the FREE bottle. Yes, $9.95 for shipping. Then they start the sales pitch and every time you say “no thank you”, they sweeten the deal. They’ll send you two bottles with FREE shipping but those two bottles will cost you $21 each (if I remember right).
If you turn down THAT offer, it gets better….or maybe I have the offers backwards. They offer 4 bottles for $119 and forget to mention the shipping until you agree (which I didn’t). Maybe that offer comes first and when you don’t want 4, they go down to 2.
Somewhere in the pressure sale, they offer to throw in a bottle for free. What makes me think you have to pay the $9.95 for shipping on that one bottle? And I told the sales person that I could get it for cheaper on ebay and they panicked. The told me it wasn’t the real thing and I told him EXACTLY where to look to see that it WAS the authentic product and that these people were “distributors”….which is an option on the original homepage.
Then all of a sudden the sales person remembered that you COULD become a distributor and sell on line. He had lost all his ammunition on the price game and was then starting to dance around how much faster I could get the product thru their office and all the free “pamphlet” and “information” I’d get from them. And I cared about that because of what?
I did try it. I got sucked right in during the sales pitch but I didn’t find that it made a bit of difference. I think that with any product like this or any supplement, you have to BELIEVE its going to help and then you notice that it does. If you have doubts about the product, you’ll convince yourself it DOESN’T work and, again, you’ve wasted your money.
My bottom line on this one is talk to your doctor. Seems to me that if you “need” something, the doctor can prescribe something (though herbal is better in the minds of some people). But be careful what herbs and scripts you mix together. Some of them will surely provide a death cocktail so talk to your pharmacy and/or doctor.
LaWanda, thanks for saying that because I was not aware that they did a hard sell on the product or tried to sweeten the deal. Im glad you mentioned the option to be a nopalea distributor. I asked about that option when I called them and the person I spoke to didnt seem to know anything about it, which I thought was odd. Makes me wonder who all is manning the phones over there.
Great review, Joe. And very thorough as always. You never leave a stone unturned! I think you raise a good point when you mention the other health-promoting plant chemicals which may work in tandem with Betalains. Too often, individual phytochemicals are isolated and packaged into a supplement with no real consideration for the fact that it may not work the same in isolation.
I’m sure there are some health benefits to nopal (I used to eat the whole thing in Mexico), though what’s relevant in this case is that the company has 1) done no research on their product; and 2) they’ve mentioned studies which may or may not have any practical applicability to people taking the supplement.
It’s critical thinking and, unfortunately, most people aren’t walking around with a degree in nutrition or food chemistry to know these things!
Keep up the great work!
Bill
Thanks Bill, I appreciate the feedback and you keep up the great work on your end of the world as well!!
Betalains were first found in a plant that is known scientifically as “Beta vulgaris.” The word “betalain” is derived from the name of the Beta vulgaris plant. The Beta vulgaris plant has as much or more betalain than Nopal cactus, particularly in its root structure. So, why do the infomercials promote the exotic Nopal cactus? Because “Beta vulgaris” plants are otherwise known as beets. I don’t think anybody would pay $30-$40 for a bottle of beet juice.
All of the above information can be verified by contacting your state’s agricultural extension or your local library.