Wednesday
Jun032009
Wed, June 3, 2009 | Lisa Barger Nopalea
“Have you had a chance to try Trivita’s new Nopalea drink yet?”
What’s that old expression? “It it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck … ” Nopalea definitely quacks.
Pronounced NO-pay-lee-uh, this new drink from Trivita promises to reduce inflammation, promote cellular health and stave off aging. And if you’re willing to haul it door-to-door in your neighborhood, affiliates like Tina Gonda promise you can “build long-term wealth” and “succeed even in the toughest economic times” with it, too.
But what about all this “clinical research” they promise? Well, we couldn’t find any of that. Perhaps it’ll be released after the product is officially launched.
What we can tell you, though, is a little about Nopalea’s main ingredient—the nopal cactus fruit. Known botanically as Opuntia cochenillifera, this plant is also known by a number of common names and synonyms. In fact, the name of the product, Sonoran Bloom Nopalea, comes from the lesser-used name Nopalea cochenillifera.
Essentially, this is a very common prickly pear. It probably originated in Mexico but is grown throughout warmer regions of the U.S. and Mexico as an ornamental. It is also the only plant onto which the prickly pear moth can lay its eggs.
But What About The RESEARCH, Lisa?
We can’t find any of the amazing clinical studies that have supposedly been done on this product however the cactus from which it’s made has been the focus of several dozen. Prickly pears are generally high in antioxidants and a 2009 study of 9 species found them effective against prostate and cancer cells in in vitro tests.
Prickly pear was also singled out in a 2008 report on metabolic syndrome. The authors of this paper pointed out that prickly pear has long been a folk remedy for diabetes and high blood cholesterol. Science may be a little slow to prove this use but at least one very small study, done in 2003, produced promising results.
So what’s the bottom line? Well, we simply don’t have enough information on Sonoran Bloom Nopalea to say if we would recommend it or not. We’re not big fans of the MLM aspect of its marketing and some of the claims we’ve seen on distributor’s web sites are troubling. We also can’t find any of the studies that have supposedly been done on the actual drink. However, some of the research on the cactus itself are very interesting.
References:
USDA. (2009). Opuntia cochenillifera (L.) Mill.
Gonda, T. (2009). Retrieved from www.sonoranbloom.com on June 3, 2009.
Chavez-Santoscoy R., et al. (2009). Phenolic Composition, Antioxidant Capacity and In Vitro Cancer Cell Cytotoxicity of Nine Prickly Pear (Opuntia spp.) Juices. Plant Foods for Human Nutrition.
Banos, G., et al. (2008). Medicinal agents in the metabolic syndrome. Cardiovascular & Hematological Agents in Medicinal Chemistry.
Wolfram, R., et al. (2003). Daily prickly pear consumption improves platelet function. Prostaglandins, leukotrienes, and essential fatty acids.
What’s that old expression? “It it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck … ” Nopalea definitely quacks.
Pronounced NO-pay-lee-uh, this new drink from Trivita promises to reduce inflammation, promote cellular health and stave off aging. And if you’re willing to haul it door-to-door in your neighborhood, affiliates like Tina Gonda promise you can “build long-term wealth” and “succeed even in the toughest economic times” with it, too.
But what about all this “clinical research” they promise? Well, we couldn’t find any of that. Perhaps it’ll be released after the product is officially launched.
What we can tell you, though, is a little about Nopalea’s main ingredient—the nopal cactus fruit. Known botanically as Opuntia cochenillifera, this plant is also known by a number of common names and synonyms. In fact, the name of the product, Sonoran Bloom Nopalea, comes from the lesser-used name Nopalea cochenillifera.
Essentially, this is a very common prickly pear. It probably originated in Mexico but is grown throughout warmer regions of the U.S. and Mexico as an ornamental. It is also the only plant onto which the prickly pear moth can lay its eggs.
But What About The RESEARCH, Lisa?
We can’t find any of the amazing clinical studies that have supposedly been done on this product however the cactus from which it’s made has been the focus of several dozen. Prickly pears are generally high in antioxidants and a 2009 study of 9 species found them effective against prostate and cancer cells in in vitro tests.
Prickly pear was also singled out in a 2008 report on metabolic syndrome. The authors of this paper pointed out that prickly pear has long been a folk remedy for diabetes and high blood cholesterol. Science may be a little slow to prove this use but at least one very small study, done in 2003, produced promising results.
So what’s the bottom line? Well, we simply don’t have enough information on Sonoran Bloom Nopalea to say if we would recommend it or not. We’re not big fans of the MLM aspect of its marketing and some of the claims we’ve seen on distributor’s web sites are troubling. We also can’t find any of the studies that have supposedly been done on the actual drink. However, some of the research on the cactus itself are very interesting.
References:
USDA. (2009). Opuntia cochenillifera (L.) Mill.
Gonda, T. (2009). Retrieved from www.sonoranbloom.com on June 3, 2009.
Chavez-Santoscoy R., et al. (2009). Phenolic Composition, Antioxidant Capacity and In Vitro Cancer Cell Cytotoxicity of Nine Prickly Pear (Opuntia spp.) Juices. Plant Foods for Human Nutrition.
Banos, G., et al. (2008). Medicinal agents in the metabolic syndrome. Cardiovascular & Hematological Agents in Medicinal Chemistry.
Wolfram, R., et al. (2003). Daily prickly pear consumption improves platelet function. Prostaglandins, leukotrienes, and essential fatty acids.
This is a "retired" article left in place for archival purposes; it may not reflect current thinking or research on the topic. No new comments are being accepted at this time
Reader Comments (10)
Hi Lisa
Thanks for the post and the science link below is updated from the Sonoran Bloom Nopalea Website. We don't sell Nopalea or any Trivita products door to door and as a matter of fact, you don't ever have to sell to anyone you know, we can partner with Trivita and buy customers. TriVita handles all the product shipping and my passion to share wellness stems from my own personal health crisis. I do have a solid success track record of home business for over 20 years, I chose Trivita as a wellness company and a diversification in business because the products have certainly delivered a wellness experience for me and my family who are the most important people to me. In these tough economic times, people need to certainly focus on their wellness and yes, that has made for great success. I have personally met the CEO, his wonderful family, Dr Minshew and corporate staff. I would take Trivita products even if I was not part of the business. I was contacted asking about Nopalea because they found your site, thank you!
How come everything good is so expensive. Who are the most to benefit from this stuff are seniors and most of us can't afford these things. I would love to get rid of all my knee pains and joint pain. But who has $40 to spend on a drink. Sometimes life isn't fair, is it..
Just happened to come across this while looking for something else. Sylvia...I am an affiliate of Trivita and I am sorry that you feel the pain in your knee that you are experiencing. Its true that Nopalea is not a quarter.
However..you do get what you pay for though right? I have had tremendous health experiences with Nopalea and in fact take other peoples wellness seriously. Thats why I am a part of this wonderful opportunity. Give me a call.......I will send you a bottle free. Seriously. If you happen to be one of the many who experience a health result from it I will show you how you can get your future price reduced significantly or even free by being an affiliate with me. I will show you how.
To get to my number go to youtube.com put in "whoisjohnyoung". at the end of my video you will see the number to reach me and / or the website.
Have a great day Sylvia.
I have been sufering from psoriasis for about 8 years now and have seen 3 different dermatologists with no success. I lost my job due to knee surgery because I couldn't work 12 hr sifts any longer so now I am with no insurance and a limited income of SS. I'd like to try this but am wondering if it will help with my sign condition. Fortunately it is only on my arms and legs, but now that it is getting warmer dont look forward to wearing shorts and short sleeves. Do you think this will help?
Dont know Shirley if it would work for you Shirley. We've got some powerful testimonies that have come in regarding relief from psoriasis. The only way to know if this will work for you is to try it. Give me an email and see if we can get you a bottle or we can discuss whatever your questions.. Highervision@gmail.com :O)
I was skeptical about the Nopalea, but wanted to try it because I had had pain in my shoulder that had gotten progressively worse for over a year (it was to the point where I couldn't lift my arm out to the side....much less touch my right arm to my left shoulder....forget washing my back behind my left shoulder anymore) :-(
I started drinking 4 oz twice a day and didn't notice any difference for over a month....except, my hair stopped falling out!!!
After the second month, I can say that I have NO PAIN in that shoulder!!! (or anywhere in my body, for that matter)
I will continue to drink 2-3 oz a day....forever!!! I was skeptical...but now I'm convinced!!!
Unfortunately, we're going to have to close this article to new comments. Just like in the past, we're seeing people who type in something like "nopalea is a scam" then proceed to write paragraph after paragraph explaining why it's not.
We believe this is an attempt to "game" our readers and that's just not something we're comfortable with. We appreciate your understanding and hope we've done a good job presenting both sides of the Nopalea story.
I live in Mexico most of the year. We can get this in salads, drinks, powered drinks and is thought of to be healthy. No hype just fresh cactus.
Thanks, Bill. I've heard similar stories about other "miracle" foods. I've heard from several people who lived or worked in Brazil who say they had never even heard of acai berry, for example, before those juices hit the multi-level-marketing arena. Same for noni and mangosteen. They're part of the culture but not necessarily touted as cure-alls.
I'm a health nut, and also a wanna be online entrepreneur, so I've been going around looking for a health-related MLM company. But so far, I've found nothing but products that are overpriced (thru MLM) that can be bought at your local Walmart or drugstore. $20 a month autoship and good compensation plan, that's what's affordable for everyone, especially senior citizens. It's out there, somewhere, so I'll keep looking.