Succulent plants are among the most beautiful vegetation in the world. Most of these plants can thrive even in the harshest environments where even humans can’t withstand for half a day. If you’re not accustomed to these plants, you might think they’re all poisonous and dangerous.
However, that’s not true. Not all succulents are poisonous and inedible. Some are very delicious and very nourishing. You can eat succulent plants in very many forms, such as juiced, grilled, mashed, or raw form.
In this article, we’ll discuss in detail whether or not the squeezed liquid from succulent plants is safe for human consumption and why. Kindly read on to discover more about edible succulents and how their extracts can be beneficial to humans.
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Is Liquid Mined From Squeezing Succulent Plants Safe For Human Consumption?
People only understand the reality of survival situations when they encounter one. Cases of people getting lost and injured deserts or arid areas aren’t new. When caught up in such a situation, you’ll eventually need water to keep you going.
So, what will you do when all you can see is dry land and rivers with only a few succulent plants? Will you go for that cactus liquid extract instead? If yes, you might be worried about whether it’s safe or not.
Cactus water is safe, but only from specific types of cactus, like the prickly pear and barrel cactus. Some cactuses can store over 100 gallons of water but aren’t suitable for consumption. Besides this cactus, you can consider several other types of edible succulent, which I’ll discuss below.
5 Common Edible Succulent Plants
Succulents are great for salads, sautés, and main servings too. They’re picturesque, fleshy, and offer an array of health benefits when consumed. Some of the common succulent plants include:
Prickly Pear Cactus
This cactus is among the most popular cacti due to its health benefits and wide use, especially among the Mexicans and most southwestern cuisines. It has oval and flat leaves and usually produces consumable fruits known as the Tunas.
Most people consume prickly pear extracts in the distilled and sweet form in cocktails, cactus fries, or a juicer ingredient. To consume this cactus fruit, you first need to peel it and devour its fleshy fruit, though it has many seeds.
You can eat its pads extract too. However, it would best if you were careful its spikes not to harm you.
Aloe
Most of us only know the skincare benefits of aloe. But did you know aloe vera extract has health benefits too? Today, there are also aloe drinks and cocktails, which are very refreshing and nutritious. You should, however, be careful with which aloe you use since some are poisonous.
Drinking aloe Vera extract can ease digestion, it has anti-inflammatory benefits, and enhances hydration. Therefore, aloe is an excellent succulent plant to add to your menu occasionally. You can add it to smoothies, cook, or eat it raw. Poaching it can help remove its slimy and sticky texture.
Excess aloe intake can be fatal to your health. Therefore, it would be best if you took it in moderate amounts.
Dragon Fruit
Did you know that dragon fruits come from cactus? This candy-colored fruit comes from the popular ‘Queen of the Night’ cactus. Its taste isn’t as appealing as its appearance; it’s usually mild, like the kiwi fruit or slightly sweet melon.
However, its health benefits make them worthwhile. Dragon fruit is rich in vitamin C, calcium, iron, fiber, high protein levels, and lower calories.
To eat this fruit, you simply need to peel and extract its white pulp, which you can eat raw or add to your favorite shake or smoothie.
Barrel Cactus
Judging from its big and hard spines, this succulent plant might seem to be dangerous when it’s very edible, tasty, and nutritious. Barrel cactus usually produces sweet yellow fruits that look like a small pineapple.
Native Americans ate this succulent plant’s leaves and flowers in the traditional days, but they aren’t very delightful.
You can eat raw dragon fruits together with their seeds. They have a slightly sour flavor. Taking this fruit provides your body with sufficient vitamins A and C.
Sedums
Also known as stonecrop, sedum is a succulent flowering plant with more than 600 species. Its leaves are an excellent addition to stir-fries and salads due to their tasty, bitter, and mild peppery flavor. It would be best if you took sedums in low amounts since more of it can lead to stomach upsets.
You can mellow out its bitterness through sautéing. The stems, leaves, and tubers of a red flowering sedum are edible. You’ll need to cook a yellow flowering sedum since they have mild poisonousness.
Eating sedum reduces blood pressure, relieves coughs, and can also use it on the skin to relieve hemorrhoids, eczema, cuts, and burns.
Benefits of Taking Liquid Extracted From Cactus
Cactus water is rapidly becoming popular today due to its vast benefits and nutritional content. They contain low sugar and calories level. It’s a great drink for athletes because it has a higher amount of electrolytes that boost hydration.
Besides health benefits, cactus is an effective skin care remedy. One cup of cactus water has approximately 19 grams of calories, 4 g of carbs, 4% of potassium and magnesium, with no traces of proteins and fats.
Some of the benefits of taking cactus water are:
- It contains many anti-inflammatory antioxidants like betanin and betacyanin that are critical to the body, like preventing cellular damage led by radical molecules.
- It’s a great ulcer remedy, precisely the Ulcerative Colitis condition, which causes ulcers and inflammation on large intestines
- It’s an effective skin remedy. It can reduce UV light damage on the skin, speed up the healing of wounds, and diminish scars
- Cactus liquid extract is known to treat diabetes, hangover, constipation, kill cancer cells, and relieve pain.
Is liquid removed from succulent plants safe for consumption? Yes, most succulent plants are edible, but not all.
Therefore, it’s essential to identify those succulent plants safe for consumption within your area before trying them out. For easy access and acquisition of these plants, you can opt to plant them in your home garden. They don’t require high maintenance and care, so having them isn’t a bad idea.
