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Dr. Duke's Phytochemical and Ethnobotanical Databases
U.S. Department of Agriculture
  1. Home
  2. Opuntia ficus-indica

Opuntia ficus-indica (Cactaceae)

Common Names
Indian Fig; Prickly Pear; Nopal; Nopalito
How this plant is used
Food
View the list of ubiquitous chemicals
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List of plant chemicals.
Click on column headings to sort table by that column. *Unless otherwise noted all references are to (Duke, 1992)
Chemical Name Activity Count Plant Part Low Parts Per Million High Parts Per Million Standard Deviation Reference
MALIC-ACID 15 Fruit 180.0 1700.0 -0.84 *
MALIC-ACID 15 Leaf 950.0 -1.18 *
MALIC-ACID 15 Plant *
MALONIC-ACID 1 Fruit *
MALONIC-ACID 1 Leaf *
MESCALINE 10 Shoot *
METHIONINE 15 Bud 1890.0 Laferriere, J.E., 1988, Nutricomp Program, Nutricomp Database; reviewed in J. Ethnobiology 9(1):27-29.
METHIONINE 15 Seed 4830.0 0.13 Laferriere, J.E., 1988, Nutricomp Program, Nutricomp Database; reviewed in J. Ethnobiology 9(1):27-29.
MUCILAGE 3 Stem *
MYRISTIC-ACID 6 Flower *
N-METHYL-TYRAMINE 1 Shoot *
NEOBETANIN 0 Flower *
NEOBETANIN 0 Fruit *
NEOBETANIN 0 Plant J.S. Glasby Dict.Pls Containing 2ndary Metabolite. 1991.
NIACIN 39 Bud 4.6 -1.00 Laferriere, J.E., 1988, Nutricomp Program, Nutricomp Database; reviewed in J. Ethnobiology 9(1):27-29.
NIACIN 39 Fruit 3.0 27.0 -0.45 *
OLEIC-ACID 18 Flower *
OLEIC-ACID 18 Seed 4750.0 16015.0 -0.85 *
OLEIC-ACID 18 Seed Oil 88000.0 -1.22 *
OPUNTIAXANTHIN 0 Fruit *
View the list of ubiquitous chemicals
Download these results as:
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EXCEL
PDF
List of plant activities.
Click on column headings to sort table by that column. *Unless otherwise noted all references are to (Duke, 1992)
Activity Chemical Count Reference
NO-Inhibitor 3 *
Odontolytic 1 Zebovitz, T. C. Ed. 1989. Part VII. Flavor and Fragrance Substances, in Keith L. H. and Walters, D.B., eds. Compendium of Safety Data Sheets for Research and Industrial Chemicals. VCH Publishers, New York. 3560-4253.
Ophthalmic-Antialkali 1 Jeffery B. Harborne and H. Baxter, eds. 1983. Phytochemical Dictionary. A Handbook of Bioactive Compounds from Plants. Taylor & Frost, London. 791 pp.
Ornithine-Decarboxylase-Inhibitor 1 *
Osteogenic 1 Davies, S., and Stewart, A. 1990. Nutritional Medicine. Avon Books, New York. 509pp.
Oviposition-Stimulant 1 Jeffery B. Harborne and H. Baxter, eds. 1983. Phytochemical Dictionary. A Handbook of Bioactive Compounds from Plants. Taylor & Frost, London. 791 pp.
Ovulant 1 *
Oxidant 1 Larson, R.A. 1987. Review Article Number 30. The Antioxidants of Higher Plants. Phytochemistry. 27: 969-978.
P21-Inducer 1 *
PAF-Inhibitor 2 *
Paralytic 1 *
Percutaneostimulant 1 Seki, T., Toeda, C., Kawaguchi, T., Juni, K., Sugibayashi, K., and Morimoto, Y. 1990. Enhanced Transdermal Delivery of Zidovudine in Rats and Human Skin. Chem. Pharm. Bull. 38(11): 3086-3089, 1990.
Perfumery 3 Aloe Research Council - Duke writeup of non-peer reviewd book by Coats and draft by Henry
Peristaltic 1 *
Pesticide 18 *
Phagocytotic 1 Pizzorno, J.E. and Murray, M.T. 1985. A Textbook of Natural Medicine. John Bastyr College Publications, Seattle, Washington (Looseleaf).
Phospholipase-A2-Inhibitor 1 *
Pigment 3 Jeffery B. Harborne and H. Baxter, eds. 1983. Phytochemical Dictionary. A Handbook of Bioactive Compounds from Plants. Taylor & Frost, London. 791 pp.
Pituitary-Stimulant 1 *
Preservative 1 Merck 11th Edition