The Prickly Pear: New Discoveries about this Old Desert Denizen

Monday, 02 November 2009 00:00

The trend of "going green," and taking natural plant remedies is growing ever popular, yet one particular fruit, native to the Sonoran southwest has slipped under the radar.

The prickly pear fruit, although not new among many native cultures, is gaining a reputation with many health professionals and is being advocated by a very compassionate woman, Natalie McGee.

As a social worker, entrepreneur, philanthropist, author, nutritionist and scientist, McGee is above all a caring, down to earth person who believes whole-heartedly in the message behind her products.

McGee, owns 50 acres of rich desert land and harvests prickly pear fruit to turn into organic juice.

She started her business, the Arizona Cactus Ranch, outside of Tucson, Ariz., about 20 years ago and within the first week of making her sugar free prickly pear products she realized that she had found something very special.

She believes the fruit nectar that she creates can reduce and stabilize high blood sugars and cholesterol levels and she is on a mission to share her knowledge with everyone that she can.

This is a story about McGee and the many aspects of her unconventional life, which happens to revolve around this unique desert fruit.

Section one: Click here to find out about my personal account of meeting McGee for the first time at her home, which happens to be a certified organic, communal farm and how she harvests the "tuna" of the desert.

Section two: Click here to find out how Natalie McGee went from social worker to prickly pear advocate and learn about how she processes her product line and how its radically different from other companies that also process the fruit.

Section three: Click here to find out how McGee is helping native cultures with diabetes in the United states and Australia and how she is developing new products and new business methods for people in need.

Section four: Click here to read some scientific research that has been completed worldwide and at the University of Arizona to understand how prickly pear fruit affects your health and what chemical components in the nectar produce these beneficial results.

Written by Emily Jones You are reading The Prickly Pear: New Discoveries about this Old Desert Denizen articles