Nopalea Juice, squeezed from the Prickly Pear Cactus, has become world-renowned as an effective way to stomp out inflammation, joint pain, and everything from acne to eczema to a hangover.

This is nothing new. For hundreds, if not thousands of years, Central and South American natives of the Sonoran desert have sought out the prickly pear cactus and used it as a food and medicine. The blossoms are edible, along with the pads of the cactus themselves. The pads are cooked and eaten like any other vegetable.

For instance, you can boil it, bake it, and stick it on the grill. You can eat it like you would eat any other vegetable as a side or main dish. You can serve it inside tacos or as an accompaniment to eggs. You can also use it as a meat, using it as any other filling that would require meat.

Harking back to the time of the Aztecs, people have been fond of this edible plant that grows rampant with no care and in the harshest desert conditions. Nowadays the plant is seeing renewed popularity as people learn about the benefits of drinking its juices. In its native form, the prickly pear cactus juice can be slimy and green and really is more of an acquired taste.

However, Trivita has used the juice to make a delicious - and yet still healthy - drink. With the addition of agave nectar as an all-natural sweetener, along with concentrates and extracts of more than a dozen fruits, the juice is now dubbed Nopalea Juice.

The popularity of the juice is skyrocketing.

Testimonials from new fans crop up each and every day. People who make the juice a part of their regular routine claim that it can cure headaches, neck pain, swollen joints, acne, eczema, arthritis and a host of other ailments.

It has virtually wiped out painful swelling in limbs and joints, including knees, elbows, and fingers. In addition, lower back pain, which can send some people to bed, can be helped.

As the move toward food that is more healthful and medicine grows stronger, more people are shunning prescription painkillers and looking at all-natural remedies to relieve painful symptoms. This juice is so filled with vitamins and minerals, it is also said to boost energy levels and overall well-being.

In addition, the plant is a natural anti-oxidant and natural anti-inflammatory so it gives benefits to your health both now and in the future.

It has helped people sustain exercise routines that they otherwise had to discard because of pain. People are now both losing weight and getting in shape thanks to the powers of the prickly pear cactus juice.

Drinking the juice has also helped regulate blood sugar levels in some people. Other people who have suffered for years from chronic pain have finally found relief.

It is thought that the Aztecs were the first to use the plant, but it is also believed that Spanish explorers who immediately recognized the cactus' value brought it back to Europe, where its popularity there also spread.