Plant Details

Accepted name:: Opuntia ficus-indica (L.) Mill. [Cactaceae]
More about this plant:: Plants of the World Online
Source:: World Checklist of Vascular Plants

Non-scientific name:	Class of name:	Medicinal source:
balas turki	Other	Handbook of Arabian Med. Pl. (Ghazanfar, 1994)
barbary fig	Other	Indian Med. Pl. Database (TDU, 2020) U.S. FDA Substance Registration System (2016)
barbary-fig	Other	GRIN Report: World Economic Pl. (Wiersema & León, 1999) GRIN-Global Taxonomy (USDA, 2024)
barshoom	Other	Trad. Use of Ethnomed. Pl. of Saudi Arabia (Aati et al., 2019)
boereturksvy	Other	GRIN Report: World Economic Pl. (Wiersema & León, 1999) GRIN-Global Taxonomy (USDA, 2024)
chumba	Other	GRIN Report: World Economic Pl. (Wiersema & León, 1999) GRIN-Global Taxonomy (USDA, 2024)
chumbera	Other	GRIN Report: World Economic Pl. (Wiersema & León, 1999) GRIN-Global Taxonomy (USDA, 2024) Med. Pl. Argentine Flora (Barboza et al., 2009)
eastern prickly pear	Other	Commonly Traded CITES-Listed Spp. in Primer (AHPA, 2013)
feigenkaktus	Other	GRIN Report: World Economic Pl. (Wiersema & León, 1999) GRIN-Global Taxonomy (USDA, 2024)
figo-da-espanha	Other	GRIN Report: World Economic Pl. (Wiersema & León, 1999) GRIN-Global Taxonomy (USDA, 2024)
figo-da-índia	Other	GRIN Report: World Economic Pl. (Wiersema & León, 1999) GRIN-Global Taxonomy (USDA, 2024)
figueira-da-barbária	Other	GRIN Report: World Economic Pl. (Wiersema & León, 1999) GRIN-Global Taxonomy (USDA, 2024)
figuier d'inde	Other	Dr. Duke's Databases: Ethnobotanical Subset (Duke, 2016) GRIN Report: World Economic Pl. (Wiersema & León, 1999) GRIN-Global Taxonomy (USDA, 2024) Med. Pl. in Djerba Island, Tunisia (Ben salah et al., 2019)
figuier de barbarie	Other	GRIN Report: World Economic Pl. (Wiersema & León, 1999) GRIN-Global Taxonomy (USDA, 2024) Med. Pl. in Djerba Island, Tunisia (Ben salah et al., 2019)
fikonkaktus	Other	GRIN Report: World Economic Pl. (Wiersema & León, 1999) GRIN-Global Taxonomy (USDA, 2024)
grootdoringturksvy	Other	GRIN Report: World Economic Pl. (Wiersema & León, 1999) GRIN-Global Taxonomy (USDA, 2024)
higuera	Other	GRIN Report: World Economic Pl. (Wiersema & León, 1999) GRIN-Global Taxonomy (USDA, 2024)
higuera chumbera	Other	Med. Pl. Argentine Flora (Barboza et al., 2009)
hsien jen chang	Other	Dr. Duke's Databases: Ethnobotanical Subset (Duke, 2016)
ikiamanch	Other	Med. Pl. of the Achuar, Ecuador (Giovannini, 2015)
indian fig	Other	Herbs of Commerce (McGuffin et al., 2000) Indian Med. Pl. Database (TDU, 2020) U.S. FDA Substance Registration System (2016)
indian-fig	Other	GRIN Report: World Economic Pl. (Wiersema & León, 1999) GRIN-Global Taxonomy (USDA, 2024) U.S. FDA Substance Registration System (2016)
indian-fig prickly-pear	Other	GRIN Report: World Economic Pl. (Wiersema & León, 1999) GRIN-Global Taxonomy (USDA, 2024)
jamaracá	Other	GRIN Report: World Economic Pl. (Wiersema & León, 1999) GRIN-Global Taxonomy (USDA, 2024)
jurumbeba	Other	GRIN Report: World Economic Pl. (Wiersema & León, 1999) GRIN-Global Taxonomy (USDA, 2024)
missi	Other	GRIN Report: World Economic Pl. (Wiersema & León, 1999)
mission cactus	Other	GRIN-Global Taxonomy (USDA, 2024)
mission prickly-pear	Other	GRIN-Global Taxonomy (USDA, 2024)
naagajemudu	Other	Indian Med. Pl. Database (TDU, 2020)
naagaphani	Other	Indian Med. Pl. Dictionary (Khare, 2007)
naga jamudu	Other	Indian Med. Pl. Database (TDU, 2020)
nagadali	Other	Indian Med. Pl. Database (TDU, 2020)
nagaphani	Other	Indian Med. Pl. Database (TDU, 2020)
nagatalie kullie	Other	Indian Med. Pl. Database (TDU, 2020)
nagfani	Other	Indian Med. Pl. Database (TDU, 2020)
nagphani	Other	Indian Med. Pl. Database (TDU, 2020)
nopal	Other	Dr. Duke's Databases: Ethnobotanical Subset (Duke, 2016) Herbs of Commerce (McGuffin et al., 2000) Med. Pl. Argentine Flora (Barboza et al., 2009) Med. Pl. by Health Professionals, Mexico (Alonso-Castro et al., 2017) Tlayeyecolpahtli. Med. Experim., Mexico (Fernández Martínez et al., 2021)
nopal de castilla	Other	GRIN-Global Taxonomy (USDA, 2024)
nopal pelón	Other	GRIN-Global Taxonomy (USDA, 2024)
opuntia ficus-indica whole	Other	Global Substance Registration System (GSRS) (FDA/NCATS, 2024)
opuntia vulgaris	Other	U.S. FDA Substance Registration System (2016) U.S. Homeopathic Pharmacop. (HPUS, 2009)
orelha-de-onça	Other	GRIN-Global Taxonomy (USDA, 2024)
palma	Other	Hypothesis to Local Pharmacop., Brazil (Lozano et al., 2014)
palma-de-gado	Other	GRIN-Global Taxonomy (USDA, 2024)
palma-de-gato	Other	Med. Pl. of NE Brazil (Fátima Agra et al., 2008)
palma-gigante	Other	GRIN-Global Taxonomy (USDA, 2024)
palmatória	Other	Med. Pl. of NE Brazil (Fátima Agra et al., 2008)
papoutsosykiá	Other	Med. Pl. Use: Monasteries on Cyprus (Lardos & Heinrich, 2013)
penca	Other	Dr. Duke's Databases: Ethnobotanical Subset (Duke, 2016) Ethnobot. of Med. Pl. in La Paz, Bolivia (Macía et al., 2005) Med. Pl. Argentine Flora (Barboza et al., 2009)
prickly pear	Other	Commonly Traded CITES-Listed Spp. in Primer (AHPA, 2013) Ethnomedica (RBG, Kew, 2020) Herbs of Commerce (McGuffin et al., 2000) Indian Med. Pl. Dictionary (Khare, 2007) Med. Pl. of the World (Wyk & Wink, 2004) U.S. FDA Substance Registration System (2016) WHODrug Herbal Substances (WHO-UMC, 2019) WHODrug Herbal Substances (WHO-UMC, 2024) WHODrug Herbal Substances (WHO-UMC, 2025)
prickly-pear	Other	Fresh Med. Pl. in Singapore (Siew et al., 2014) GRIN-Global Taxonomy (USDA, 2024) Healing Potential of Med. Pl., Palestine (Ali-Shtayeh et al., 2000) National List of Med. Pl. in Palestine (Ali-Shtayeh et al., 2014)
pricklypear	Other	Dr. Duke's Databases: Ethnobotanical Subset (Duke, 2016)
raquette	Other	Dr. Duke's Databases: Ethnobotanical Subset (Duke, 2016)
sappathi-kalli	Other	Indian Med. Pl. Database (TDU, 2020)
smooth mountain prickly-pear	Other	GRIN-Global Taxonomy (USDA, 2024)
smooth prickly-pear	Other	GRIN-Global Taxonomy (USDA, 2024)
sonbadakseoninjang	Other	Survey of Med. Pl., Jeju Island, Korea (Song et al., 2013)
spineless cactus	Other	GRIN-Global Taxonomy (USDA, 2024) U.S. FDA Substance Registration System (2016)
sweet prickly-pear	Other	GRIN-Global Taxonomy (USDA, 2024)
tuberous prickly-pear	Other	GRIN-Global Taxonomy (USDA, 2024)
tuna	Other	Dr. Duke's Databases: Ethnobotanical Subset (Duke, 2016) Ethnobot. of Med. Pl. in La Paz, Bolivia (Macía et al., 2005) GRIN-Global Taxonomy (USDA, 2024) Herbs of Commerce (McGuffin et al., 2000) Med. Pl. Argentine Flora (Barboza et al., 2009) Med. Pl. in N Peruvian Andes (Corroto et al., 2019) Med. Pl. of the Achuar, Ecuador (Giovannini, 2015)
tuna cactus	Other	GRIN-Global Taxonomy (USDA, 2024) Native American Ethnobot.(Moerman, 1998) U.S. FDA Substance Registration System (2016)
tuna de castilla	Other	GRIN-Global Taxonomy (USDA, 2024)
tuna mansa	Other	GRIN-Global Taxonomy (USDA, 2024)
zaqam	Other	Pl. for Musculoskeletal Disorders, N. Pakistan (Malik et al., 2018)
παπουτσοσυκιά	Other	Modern Pl. Use in Monasteries on Cyprus, 2006-2012 (Lardos, 2016)
تين‬ شوكي‬	Other	National List of Med. Pl. in Palestine (Ali-Shtayeh et al., 2014)
‫صبر	Other	National List of Med. Pl. in Palestine (Ali-Shtayeh et al., 2014)
仙人杖	Other	Polyglot Asian Med.: Chinese Subset (Stanley-Baker, 2022)
仙掌子	Other	Polyglot Asian Med.: Chinese Subset (Stanley-Baker, 2022)
梨果仙人掌	Other	Polyglot Asian Med.: Chinese Subset (Stanley-Baker, 2022)
玉芙蓉	Other	Polyglot Asian Med.: Chinese Subset (Stanley-Baker, 2022)
神仙掌花	Other	Polyglot Asian Med.: Chinese Subset (Stanley-Baker, 2022)

Part(s) of plant used:	Drug form:	Medicinal source:
cladodes		Med. Pl. of the Achuar, Ecuador (Giovannini, 2015)
Fruit		Pl. for Musculoskeletal Disorders, N. Pakistan (Malik et al., 2018)
Leaf, Flower, Stem		WHODrug Herbal Substances (WHO-UMC, 2019)
fruit, shoot segment		Med. Pl. Use: Monasteries on Cyprus (Lardos & Heinrich, 2013)
fruit, fleshy branches		Modern Pl. Use in Monasteries on Cyprus, 2006-2012 (Lardos, 2016)
fruits, leaves		Tlayeyecolpahtli. Med. Experim., Mexico (Fernández Martínez et al., 2021)
Succulent		Trad. Use of Ethnomed. Pl. of Saudi Arabia (Aati et al., 2019)
leaves, fruits		Med. Pl. in Djerba Island, Tunisia (Ben salah et al., 2019)
cladodes		Med. Pl. by Health Professionals, Mexico (Alonso-Castro et al., 2017)
leaf pulp		Med. Pl. in N Peruvian Andes (Corroto et al., 2019)
flower, wood		Indian Med. Pl. Dictionary (Khare, 2007)
stem apex		Ethnobot. of Med. Pl. in La Paz, Bolivia (Macía et al., 2005)
stems		Fresh Med. Pl. in Singapore (Siew et al., 2014)
leaf, stem, flower		WHODrug Herbal Substances (WHO-UMC, 2024)
stem		Survey of Med. Pl., Jeju Island, Korea (Song et al., 2013)
flower, fruit, leaf, stem		WHODrug Herbal Substances (WHO-UMC, 2025)
fruit, leaf		Herbs of Commerce (McGuffin et al., 2000)
fruit, flower		Med. Pl. of the World (Wyk & Wink, 2004)
cladode		Med. Pl. of NE Brazil (Fátima Agra et al., 2008)
Flowers, Fruit, Stem		Med. Pl. Argentine Flora (Barboza et al., 2009)

Kew's taxonomic resources include 37 scientific synonym(s) for this plant:

Cactus ficus-indica L. Sp. Pl.: 468 (1753).
Opuntia compressa J.F.Macbr. Contr. Gray Herb. 65: 41 (1922), nom. superfl.
Opuntia ficus-indica var. saboten Makino J. Jap. Bot. 7: 6 (1931).
Opuntia vulgaris Mill. Gard. Dict., ed. 8.: n.° 1 (1768).
Cactus chinensis Roxb. Fl. Ind. 2: 476 (1824).
Cactus compressus Salisb. Prodr. Stirp. Chap. Allerton: 348 (1796), nom. superfl.
Cactus ficus Thunb. Fl. Jap.: 198 (1784).
Cactus opuntia L. Sp. Pl.: 468 (1753).
Cactus opuntia Guss. Fl. Sicul. Prodr. 1: 559 (1827), sensu auct.
Cactus opuntia var. ficus-indica (L.) DC. Pl. Hist. Succ.: t. 138B (1804).
Cactus opuntia var. latifolius Risso Hist. Nat. Prod. Eur. Mérid. 2: 172 (1826).
Cactus opuntia var. vulgaris (Mill.) DC. Pl. Hist. Succ.: t. 138A (1804), not validly publ.
Opuntia apurimacensis (F.Ritter) R.Crook & Mottram Bradleya 13: 100 (1995).
Opuntia arcei Cárdenas Cact. Succ. J. (Los Angeles) 28: 113 (1956).
Opuntia castillae Griffiths Rep. (Annual) Missouri Bot. Gard. 19: 261 (1908).
Opuntia chinensis (Roxb.) K.Koch Hort. Dendrol.: 279 (1853).
Opuntia cordobensis Speg. Anales Mus. Nac. Buenos Aires, ser. 3, 4: 513 (1905).
Opuntia ficus-indica var. elongata Schelle Handb. Kakteenkult.: 51 (1907).
Opuntia ficus-indica f. reticulata Backeb. Descr. Cact. Nov. 1: 10 (1956 publ. 1957).
Opuntia fusicaulis Griffiths Rep. (Annual) Missouri Bot. Gard. 19: 271 (1908).
Opuntia incarnadilla Griffiths Rep. (Annual) Missouri Bot. Gard. 22: 27 (1911).
Opuntia joconostle F.A.C.Weber ex Diguet Cact. Utiles Mex.: 120 (1928).
Opuntia leiascheinvariana Martínez-Gonz. & Gallegos Bot. Sci. 93: 519 (2015).
Opuntia leucostata J.Forbes J. Hort. Tour Germany: 160 (1837), nom. nud.
Opuntia leucosticta H.L.Wendl. Enum. Diagn. Cact.: 167 (1837).
Opuntia mexicana Pfeiff. Enum. Diagn. Cact.: 150 (1837).
Opuntia obovata Griffiths Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 46: 202 (1919).
Opuntia opuntia (L.) H.Karst. Ill. Repet. Pharm.-Med. Bot.: 888 (1886), not validly publ.
Opuntia paraguayensis K.Schum. Monatsschr. Kakteenk. 9: 149 (1899).
Opuntia tribuloides Griffiths Monatsschr. Kakteenk. 23: 137 (1913).
Opuntia tuna-blanca Speg. Anales Soc. Ci. Argent. 99: 107 (1925).
Opuntia undosa Griffiths Monatsschr. Kakteenk. 23: 139 (1913), nom. superfl.
Opuntia undulata Griffiths Rep. (Annual) Missouri Bot. Gard. 22: 32 (1911).
Platyopuntia apurimacensis F.Ritter Kakteen Südamerika 4: 1257 (1981).
Platyopuntia cordobensis (Speg.) F.Ritter Kakteen Südamerika 2: 403 (1980).
Platyopuntia ficus-indica (L.) F.Ritter Kakteen Südamerika 2: 403 (1980).
Platyopuntia vulgaris (Mill.) F.Ritter Kakteen Südamerika 1: 35 (1979), nom. superfl.

This plant is cited in medicinal sources using the following names:

Name as published:	Medicinal source:
Cactus ficus-indica L.	Indian Med. Pl. Database (TDU, 2020)
Op-untia vulgaris Mill.	Polyglot Asian Med.: Chinese Subset (Stanley-Baker, 2022)
Opuntia compressa	Commonly Traded CITES-Listed Spp. in Primer (AHPA, 2013)
Opuntia ficus-indica	Commonly Traded CITES-Listed Spp. in Primer (AHPA, 2013) Dr. Duke's Databases: Ethnobotanical Subset (Duke, 2016) Ethnomedica (RBG, Kew, 2020) Europe's Med. Pl. (Lange, 1998) Med. Pl. in Djerba Island, Tunisia (Ben salah et al., 2019) Med. Pl. of the World (Wyk & Wink, 2004) Substances in Meds., Australia (TGA, 2007) Tlayeyecolpahtli. Med. Experim., Mexico (Fernández Martínez et al., 2021)
Opuntia ficus-indica (L.) Mill	Pl. for Musculoskeletal Disorders, N. Pakistan (Malik et al., 2018)
Opuntia ficus-indica (L.) Mill.	Ethnobot. of Med. Pl. in La Paz, Bolivia (Macía et al., 2005) Fresh Med. Pl. in Singapore (Siew et al., 2014) GRIN Report: World Economic Pl. (Wiersema & León, 1999) GRIN-Global Taxonomy (USDA, 2024) Global Substance Registration System (GSRS) (FDA/NCATS, 2024) Healing Potential of Med. Pl., Palestine (Ali-Shtayeh et al., 2000) Hypothesis to Local Pharmacop., Brazil (Lozano et al., 2014) Indian Med. Pl. Database (TDU, 2020) Med. Pl. Argentine Flora (Barboza et al., 2009) Med. Pl. Latin America (Duke, 2009) Med. Pl. Use: Monasteries on Cyprus (Lardos & Heinrich, 2013) Med. Pl. by Health Professionals, Mexico (Alonso-Castro et al., 2017) Med. Pl. in N Peruvian Andes (Corroto et al., 2019) Med. and Magical Pl. of S Africa (Arnold et al., 2002) Modern Pl. Use in Monasteries on Cyprus, 2006-2012 (Lardos, 2016) National List of Med. Pl. in Palestine (Ali-Shtayeh et al., 2014) Polyglot Asian Med.: Chinese Subset (Stanley-Baker, 2022) SOTWP 2016: PROTA (2015) SOTWP 2016: Useful Pl. & Fungi Project (2015) WHODrug Herbal Substances (WHO-UMC, 2019) WHODrug Herbal Substances (WHO-UMC, 2024) WHODrug Herbal Substances (WHO-UMC, 2025) World Checklist of Useful Pl. Spp. (Diazgranados et al., 2020) World Dictionary of Med. & Pois. Pl. (Quattrocchi, 2012) Zhonghua Bencao: Materia Medica of China (1998)
Opuntia ficus-indica (L.) Miller	Med. Pl. in the Medit.: Project Rubia (Gonzalez-Tejero et al., 2008) SOTWP 2016: Pl. for Malaria, Pl. for Fever (Milliken, 2015)
Opuntia ficus-indica (L.) P. Mill.	Native American Ethnobot.(Moerman, 1998) U.S. FDA Substance Registration System (2016)
Opuntia ficus-indica L.	Med. Pl. in Sardinia & Sicily: Sicilian Subset (Leonti et al., 2009)
Opuntia ficus-indica L. Mill	Med. Pl. of the Achuar, Ecuador (Giovannini, 2015)
Opuntia ficus-indica Mill.	Handbook of Arabian Med. Pl. (Ghazanfar, 1994) Herbs of Commerce (McGuffin et al., 2000) Med. Pl. of NE Brazil (Fátima Agra et al., 2008) Trad. Use of Ethnomed. Pl. of Saudi Arabia (Aati et al., 2019)
Opuntia ficus-indica var. saboten Makino	Survey of Med. Pl., Jeju Island, Korea (Song et al., 2013)
Opuntia vulgaris	SOTWP 2016: Kew Economic Botany Collection (RBG, Kew, 2015)
Opuntia vulgaris Mill.	Consv. of Indonesian Med. Pl. (Cahyaningsih, 2020) Indian Med. Pl. Database (TDU, 2020) Indian Med. Pl. Dictionary (Khare, 2007) Med. Pl. of Brazil (Mors et al., 2000) Med. and Magical Pl. of S Africa (Arnold et al., 2002) SOTWP 2016: PROTA (2015) SOTWP 2016: Useful Pl. of W Trop. Africa (2015) U.S. Homeopathic Pharmacop. (HPUS, 2009) Zhonghua Bencao: Materia Medica of China (1998)

The following online resources may contain further information about this plant. Please click on any link to search that resource. You may search using the accepted name alone OR using the accepted name and all of its synonyms simultaneously.