Edible & Medicinal Wild Desert Plants

History

Native Americans have long used desert plants for both food and medicine. For example, the Pima Nation used various concoctions of Desert Thornapple to make analgesics, earache remedies, eye washes and poultices to draw out pus from boils and sores.

Features

Edible parts of a desert plant typically include its seedpods, flowers or cactus paddles.

Water Sources

The pincushion cactus can be used as a water source. Just pry off the top of the cactus with a rock and then drink the water within.

Medicinal Uses

Many desert plants have medicinal uses. For example, the pulp from the pad of a prickly pear cactus can be used as a salve to heal wounds.

Jojoba seeds produce oil that is a great natural skin care medium and can be used to create many homemade products. The leaves of the Mormon tea plant contain a small dose of pseudoephedrine, which means it can treat congestion and respiratory conditions.

Food Sources

Mesquite (seed pods) prickly pear cactus (the fruit and cactus pads) are both edible; the mesquite's seed pods can be ground into flour and prickly pear cactus paddles are good either boiled or grilled. Both plants have properties that help stabilize blood sugar. Agave in syrup form is often used as an alternative sweetener; the flowers are sweet and can be cooked and eaten.