Barbary fig benefits: fruit, pads and cautions

Updated on 21 September 2026Published on 29 May 2018

The Barbary fig, better known in many places as the prickly pear, is a paddle-shaped cactus with sweet, spine-flecked fruit. This page covers what the fruit, pads and flowers actually contain, what herbalism has long made of them, how to brew and prepare them at home, and the cautions worth knowing before you start — including how to handle the glochids.

Barbary fig at a glance
Item	Detail
Botanical name	Opuntia ficus-indica
Family	Cactaceae
Other names	Prickly pear, tuna, Indian fig, Mickey Mouse cactus
Parts used	Fruit, young pads (nopales), flowers and flowered tips
Forms of use	Fresh fruit, juice, jam and jelly, infusion, wine macerate, poultice, cooked pads
Harvest season	Flowers in late spring to early summer; fruit from late summer to mid-autumn
Taste	Fruit sweet and mild, melon-like with a faint fig note; pads green, tart and slightly mucilaginous, close to green beans

What it is credited with

Flowers and flowered tips: traditionally regarded as astringent and soothing, and used in Mediterranean folk herbalism for loose bowels and for irritation of the digestive tract.
Wine macerate of the flowers: country herbalism gave it a reputation as a simple tonic, taken in very small glasses.
Warm infusion: traditionally drunk when you feel chilled or shivery, in the same spirit as any warming herbal cup.
Young pads: once de-spined and crushed, they have a long-standing reputation as an emollient poultice, laid on grazes and bruises.
Fresh fruit: valued in naturopathy as a fibre-rich, hydrating late-season fruit and a pleasant source of vitamin C.
Cooked pads (nopales): in Mexican home cooking they are eaten as a vegetable and credited with being light and easy to digest.

How to use it

Infusion of flowered tips

Use a small handful of dried flowered tips for a large teapot of freshly boiled water.
Cover and steep about 10 minutes, then strain well.
Up to two teacups a day, drunk warm — traditionally when you feel cold or chilled.
Taste is faint and slightly grassy; a little honey or a slice of lemon lifts it.

Wine macerate

Put a generous handful of dried flowers into a bottle of dry white wine.
Cap, keep in a cool dark cupboard, shake every couple of days, and leave about two weeks.
Strain into a clean bottle. One or two very small liqueur glasses a day, as a tonic, for no more than a couple of weeks at a time.
Not for anyone avoiding alcohol, and never for children.

Poultice of pads or flowered tips

Wear thick gloves. Scrape or slice away every spine and glochid from a young pad first.
Crush the flesh (or the flowered tips) to a pulp, spread on a clean cloth and lay on the skin.
Leave 15 to 20 minutes, then rinse. Use on unbroken or lightly grazed skin only.

In the kitchen

Fresh fruit: halve and scoop with a spoon. The seeds are edible but hard — swallow or spit, as you prefer.
Juice: blend the peeled flesh, sieve out the seeds, chill and serve with lime.
Jam and jelly: the fruit is low in pectin, so pair it with quince for a jam that sets.
Sweet dishes: prickly pear and vanilla tart, or a sabayon whisked with the juice.
Savoury: scallops baked on a bed of sliced prickly pear; or pads cut into strips and cooked like green beans, as they are across Mexico.

Which part, which preparation, what for
Part	Preparation	Traditionally used for
Flowered tips	Infusion, 10 minutes, up to two cups a day	Reputation as an astringent, warming cup
Flowers	Macerated two weeks in white wine	Traditional tonic, in very small glasses
Young pads	De-spined, crushed, applied as a poultice	Emollient use on grazes and bruises
Ripe fruit	Raw, juiced, jam or jelly	Fibre, vitamin C, a hydrating autumn fruit
Mature pads	Peeled, sliced and cooked as a vegetable	Light, easily digested side dish

Growing it yourself

Full sun and a warm, sheltered spot are non-negotiable.
Poor soil suits it, even stony or salty ground, as long as it is deep and free-draining.
In a sand-based potting mix it will live happily in a container for years, though it rarely fruits there.
Watch for scale insects and mealybugs; remove them by hand as soon as you see them.
It can reach 2 to 5 m (6½ to 16 ft) in the ground, and spreads freely in mild climates — check local rules before planting, as it is invasive in some regions.

Related Opuntia species

Opuntia robusta — grown in Mexico for its fruit.
Opuntia cochenillifera and Opuntia tuna — host plants for cochineal insects, the source of carmine red pigment for over 2,000 years.
Opuntia vulgaris — tall in the wild, but manageable in an indoor pot.
Around 200 species are known; despite the name, none is related to the orchard fig tree.

Cautions

Glochids first: the barbed bristles on the fruit and pads break off at a touch and are very hard to remove from skin or mouth. Never bite into an unbrushed fruit. Wear gloves for all harvesting and pruning.
Pregnancy and breastfeeding: the fruit as a food is one thing; the flower infusion and especially the wine macerate are not for pregnant or breastfeeding women.
Children: keep to the fruit, well brushed and peeled. No wine macerate, and no medicinal infusions without advice from a qualified practitioner.
On medication: if you take any regular prescription — in particular anything for blood sugar, blood pressure, or any diuretic — check with your doctor or pharmacist before using the plant medicinally.
Fibre and digestion: large amounts of fruit and seeds can sit heavily. Introduce it gradually and keep portions sensible.
Allergy: stop at once if you notice itching, rash or swelling, whether from eating it or from a poultice. Patch-test a poultice on a small area first.
Alcohol: the macerate is a wine preparation. Avoid it entirely if you are avoiding alcohol, have liver problems, or take medicines that interact with it.
Limit the course: keep medicinal use short — a week or two — rather than continuous, and see a healthcare professional if symptoms persist.
Harmless surprise: the red fruit can colour urine and stools for a day. Alarming, but not a problem.

Frequently Asked Questions

The one thing to remember: brush or sand the fruit before you touch it with bare hands, then eat it simply with a spoon — that is the easiest and most rewarding use of the whole plant.

Which part of the Barbary fig do you actually use?

Three parts, for three different purposes. The ripe fruit is food, eaten raw or made into juice, jam and jelly. The flowered tips are dried for an infusion or macerated in white wine. The young pads are de-spined and either cooked as a vegetable or crushed into an emollient poultice.

How do I get rid of the tiny prickles?

Roll the fruit in dry sand, or brush it firmly under running water in the sink. Those bristles are called glochids, they are barbed, and they detach at the lightest touch. Always wear thick gloves when picking or pruning.

When is the fruit ready to pick?

Flowers open from late spring to early summer, and the fruit ripens from late summer through to mid-autumn. Split the tip of a stick into a tripod, wedge the fruit in and twist — it comes away without your fingers ever touching it.

What does it taste like?

The fruit is sweet and mild, somewhere between melon and fig, with hard edible seeds throughout. The pads are quite different: green, tart and a little mucilaginous, which is why Mexican cooks slice them into strips and treat them much like green beans.

Can anyone drink the flower infusion?

No. Skip it if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, and do not give it to children without advice from a qualified practitioner. If you take regular medication, check with your doctor or pharmacist first, and keep any course short rather than continuous.

By Blandine Merlin

Images: depositphotos: gonzalocallefotografia; Pixabay: Ulrike Leone

This information is provided for general interest and reflects the traditional use of plants. It is not a substitute for medical advice. If you are on medication, pregnant, or in any doubt, ask a healthcare professional.