The underlying cause of most joint pain is inflammation. The inflammation could stem from everything ranging from arthritis to a bout of influenza.

Most people treat joint pain by treating the symptom, masking the pain itself with painkillers. A better idea is to treat the cause.

Because swelling and inflammation are at the heart of joint pain, it just makes sense that the ability to reduce the inflammation also helps to relieve the pain.

The prickly pear cactus is gaining renown as an all-natural way to fight inflammation. It is also a natural oxidant. This wonderful plant has been used for centuries as both a food and medicine. It is believed that the Aztecs used it, as well.

Nopalea Juice, made from the prickly pear cactus, is growing in popularity as people realize the large part that inflammation plays in all sorts of illnesses and diseases. A decade ago, an article in Time Magazine, actually a cover story, showed how scientists are making a connection between chronic inflammation and other serious diseases. The thought is that if the inflammation can be curbed, the other conditions will not develop.

Researchers are working hard to see if this theory pans out, but any way you look at it, easing inflammation means stopping joint pain and swelling.

The movement toward all-natural remedies, such as the prickly pear cactus and juice made from it, just makes sense. After all, some of the best remedies are the all-natural ones that have been around for ages.

The discovery of a simple, all-natural way to ease joint pain is a major breakthrough in the medical industry. Nopalea Juice is becoming increasingly popular because of this. It is said that the juice helps everything from acne to diabetes to possibly preventing cancer. If this is true, this is astounding.

The benefits of the prickly pear cactus are not just a myth or rumor. The esteemed Dr. Mehmet Oz has talked about the plant and its medicinal benefits on at least two episodes of his television show. On one show, he named the prickly pear cactus as one of the seven natural wonders of the world. On another of his episodes, he joked with Jimmy Fallon, the comedian, about remedies to ease the aggravating symptoms of hangover. He told Fallon that the prickly pear cactus could do this and told the comedian he would send some of the plant over to him.

Nopalea Juice is an easy, effective, and delicious way to ingest part of the prickly pear cactus. The plant can be eaten as a vegetable, but that usually involves tracking it down at specialty grocers and then making sure the spines are removed. Then the plant can be cooked and eaten in any way that one might eat and cook any other vegetable. But the plant sometimes is used as a meat substitute, as well; such as the times, you might find it inside tacos or instead of sausage when it is served with eggs.