仙人掌------------人间之圣品
仙人掌 Opuntia dillenii
科属 仙人掌科、仙人掌属
形态特征 多年生常绿草本，呈灌木状，高2—3m，茎圆柱状，茎节长椭圆形，扁平、肉质，顶端多分枝；刺座疏散，针刺短，黄褐色。花2—3朵着生茎节顶端的刺座上，花被短漏斗形，黄色。花期6-7月，浆果暗红色。
园林用途 仙人掌耐寒、耐旱，栽培容易，可盆栽观赏。也常作嫁接仙人指、蟹爪兰、鼠尾掌、令箭荷花等的砧木。我国广东、云南一带可露地栽植，布置花篱、花墙等。
据了解，我国古代名医李时珍所著的《本草纲目》中曾论述仙人掌的食疗作用。经当代医学研究证明，仙人掌含有人体必需的18种氨基酸和多种微量元素，并含有可增强人体免疫力的抱壁莲等珍贵成分，不仅对人体有清热解毒，健胃补脾，清咽润肺，养颜护肤和行气活血等诸多作用，还对肝癌，糖尿病，支气管炎等病症有明显治疗作用。
仙人掌的化学成分和营养价值
（一） 化学成分
食用仙人掌的化学成分比较复杂，它含有蛋白质、糖、脂肪等各类物质，含有多种氨基酸、维生素、有机酸及各种微量元素，除此之外，它还含有三萜、黄酮类等生理活性很强的物质以及玉芙蓉、角蒂仙、抱壁莲等药用成分，其化学成分可谓丰富多彩。近年来不少人对仙人掌的化学成分做了分析，也有过一些报道。现将其整理如下。
仙人掌的掌片（即茎）是作为食用的主要部分，它的粗蛋白和总氮量与黄瓜、甘蓝等蔬菜持平，每100克干样中（下同）含粗蛋白17.56克；含有亮氨酸、缬氨酸、谷氨酸等18种重要氨基酸，氨基酸总量1. 056dq ；可溶性糖2.54克；中性洗涤纤维4.66克。掌片中含有多种维生素，每100克鲜样中（下同）含维生素C9.34毫克，?—胡萝卜素0.13毫克，还含有丰富的有机酸、如苹果酸、柠檬酸、琥珀酸、酒石酸等，有机酸总量0.493毫克；无机元素种类很多，其中，钾317.1毫克，钙310毫克，镁110毫克，铁4.0毫克，锌0.71毫克，锰0.177毫克，铜0.136毫克，钴0.1毫克，镍0.1毫克，钼0.004毫克，磷17毫克，硅0.07毫克，硒0.001毫克，钠离子和重金属含量很低，灰分中含有24%的碳酸钾。此外，仙人掌茎中还含有生理活性很强的黄酮类物质（如含有芦丁0.244%，槲皮素0.017%）和三萜化合物，还含有医用价值较高的玉芙蓉、角蒂仙和抱壁莲。
仙人掌花的化学成分与茎基本相同，除了含有各种氨基酸，可溶性糖、有机酸、维生素和各种无机元素之外，它还含有丰富的生理活性物质如异鼠李素和槲皮素的葡萄糖甙、异槲皮甙和三萜化合物，这些物质对金黄色葡萄球菌、枯草杆菌有明显的抑制作用。此外，仙人掌的花中还含有较多的花青素和?—胡萝卜素，红色果实中含有大量的紫红色——仙桃红，实验证明，仙桃红对人体无毒，是一种较好的天然植物色素，可广泛用于食品加工工业。仙人掌种子含有几种脂肪酸，但因种皮坚硬，加工困难，尚未引起人们的注意。
（二）营养价值
20世纪40年代以来，对仙人掌的利用进入人工商业性开发阶段。科技人员通过引种、选育、杂交等措施对其进行遗传改良，逐渐培育出了现在的食用品种——无刺或少刺的菜用品种和果味美的果用品种，不仅每年有大量产品出口。
Opuntia dillenii- World panacea
Opuntia dillenii (Cactaceaem, opuntia) (Ker-Gawl.) Haw.
Morphological characteristics:
It belongs to a perennial evergreen fruticulose herb with cylindric stem and oblong stem segments, usually 2-3 m high. Its flat and succulent stem has many branchlets on the top; it has scatter throne placentas with short and yellow ocher thrones. 2-3 yellow flowers with short-funnel-shaped perianths generate on the throne placenta on stem segment top. Its floral meristem is six to seven months (歧义句子，也可以理解为”June to Junly”), and its berry showed black-red.
Horticultural usages:
It has cold- and drought- resistance being easy to potted plant for appreciation, and it is often used as the rootstock for grafting Schlumbergera bridgesil, Zygocactus truncactus, Aporocatus flagelliformis, and Nopalxochia ackermannii, etc. It also can be open cultured for the arrangement of flower hedges and walls in Chinese Guangdong and Yunan Provinces.
According to our understandings, a Chinese ancient famous doctor, Shi-Zhen Li, had described the dietotherapy role of O. dillenii in his work- “A Herbalist’s Manual”. Modern medicine researches proved that O. dillenii contained 18 human EAAs and many kinds of trace elements and some cherish ingredients such as Hylocereus undatus, which can enhence human immuntity as well as many effects such as antipyretic and detoxication, stomach-health caring and and spleen nourishment, throat clearing and lung-nourishment, skin nourishment and caring, and blood-circulation activation, etc, additionally, it has significant curing effect on liver cancer, mellitus, bronchhitis, etc.
Chemical ingredients and nutritional value of O. dillenii
1, Chemical ingredients
Food-used O. dillenii contains fairly complicated chemical ingredients including proteins, sugars, fats, many kinds of amino acids, vitamins, organic acids, and various trace elements, additionally, it also contains some strong bio-active compounds such as triterpenoids and flavonoids, as well as some medical ingredients such as FroiKa, Jiao-di-xian (自己重新核实，因为前两者都是仙人掌的中文俗名，而物种的命名世界上有且仅有一个拉丁学名，故而无法翻译，如果写给外国人看，能否删除这个？), and Hylocereus undatus, etc. In recent years, many people analyzed and reported the chemical ingredients of O. dillenii. They are summarized as follows:
The “hand” (stem) of O. dillenii is the main part used for food, whose contents of crude proteins and total nitrogens are equal to those in cucumber and cabbage being 17.56 g crude proteins per 100 g dried sample (the follows are expressed in the same way); It contains 18 important amino acids including leucine, valine, glutamate, etc with a total of 1.056dq, 2.54 g soluble sugars, 4.66 g neutral botanical fiber, respectively. The stem contains many kinds of vitamins, and 100 g fresh sample (the follows are expressed in the same way) contains 9.34 mg Vitamin C，0.13 mg B (读作“贝塔”，百度不支持这个功能)-carotene, and rich organic acids with a total of 0.493 mg, such as malic acid, citric acid, succinic acid, tartaric acid, etc; It also contains many kinds of inorganic elements: 317.1 mg K, 310 mg Ca, 110 mg Mg, 4.0 mg Fe, 0.71 mg Zn, 0.177 mg Mn, 0.136 mg Cu, 0.1 mg Co, 0.1mg Ni, 0.004 mg Mo, 17 mg P, 0.07 mg Si, 0.001 mg Se, low-content of Na(+上标) and heavy metals, and the ashe contains 24% K2CO3. Additionally, its stem also contains strong bio-active flavonoids (for example, 0.244 % rutin and 0.017% qucertin) and triterpenoids, and highly medical value ingredients such as玉芙蓉, 角蒂仙, and Hylocereus undatus. (没有这两个物种的拉丁学名，因为它们都是仙人掌的俗名).
The chemical ingredients in its flower are basically the same to those in its stem, besides various amino acids, soluble sugars, organic acids, vitamins, and various inorganic elements, the flower also contains rich bio-active substances such as the glucosides, isoquercitrins, triterpenoids of iso-rhamnetin and qucertin, which have significant inhibitory effects on Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus brevis. Additionally, its flower contains many proanthocyanidins and B-carotene, and its red fruit contains rich purple pigment-betalain pigment. Experiments proved that betalain pigment, being non-toxic to human body, is a fairly good natural plant pigment, which can be widely used in food industry. Its seed contains several fatty acids, but people paid little attention to the seed for its crust is too tough to process.
2, Nutritional value
In recent years, some departments such as “Institute of Medicinal Plant Development, Chinese Academy of Medical Science” has analyzed the nutritional ingredients contained in Opuntia dillenii in parallel with consecutive reports of some journals and special literatures. This paper summarized the results mentioned above. The utilization of Opuntia dillenii has entered into commercial development stage since 1940s. Scientific and technical workers genetically improved Opuntia dillenii through plantation, breeding, and hybrid, and they gradually bred out food varieties, non-thorn or less thorn vegetable varieties, and some big-fruited and tasteful fruit varieties. Large amount of Opuntia dillenii is exported in Mexico annually, furthermore, Opuntia dillenii of food varieties becomes one of Mexico’s top five vegetables (the other four vegetables are potato, onion, tomato, and Green Chilli,respectively).
参考知识1
Cactus- The saint article of the human life
Cactus Opuntia dillenii
The section belongs to the cactus section, cactus to belong to
The appearance characteristic many years often living the green grass is originally, presenting the bush form, high 2-3 ms, the caulis cylinder form, the caulis stanza long oval, flat even, the meat quality, the top divides more;Stab an evacuation, the pinprick is short, tan.Spend 2-3 wear to living the caulis stanza top to stab up, short funnel form of perianth, yellow.HUA QI2's 6-7 months, dark red of berry.
The park use cactus is resistant to cold and bears the drought, educate easily, can the potted plant appreciate.Also often make to get married to connect the fairy to point, 蟹 claw 兰 , rat tail 掌 , the ream arrows lotus flower wood of 砧 of etc..The our country Guangdong, Yunnan on take can the ground of 露 plant, arranging to spend the hedge, HUA QIANG2 DENG3.
According to the understanding, Lee's Jean of hour of ancient famous doctor of our country 著 of 《 this grass outline 》 medium once discuss the food 疗 function of the cactus.Was prove by contemporary medical science research, the cactus implies the human body essential 18 kinds of amino acidses and various little chemical elements, and imply and can strengthen the human body immunity dint to embrace the wall lotus to wait the precious composition, not only have pure heat to the human body to counteract poison, be good for the stomach to repair the 脾 , pure swallow the smooth lung, keep the 颜 to protect the skin and go the spirit to live the blood etc. many function, return to the cancer of the liver, diabetes, bronchitis etc. the disease contain obvious treatment function.
The chemistry composition and nourishment values of the cactus
( A) Chemistry composition
The chemistry composition of the edible cactus is more complicated, it implies each kind of material of protein, sugar, fat...etc., implying various amino acids, vitamin, organic acids and various little chemical element, in addition, it still implies three 萜s, flavonoid etc. physiology live and very strong material and jade lotus, Cape 蒂 fairieses and embraces the wall lotus etc. the medicine uses the composition, its chemistry composition is it may be said abundant colorful.In recent years not a few person's chemistry composition to the cactuses did the analysis, also having some reports way.Tidy up it now as follows.
The slice of 掌 ( namely caulis) of the cactus is the main part that the conduct and actions eat, its thick egg white and total nitrogen quantities and cucumber, cabbage etc. the vegetable hold even, each contain 17.56 grams of thick egg white in 100 grams of stem kinds;Imply the bright ammonia sour, the ammonia of 缬 is sour, sour etc.18 kinds of important amino acidses of ammonia of the valley, the amino acids total amount 1. 056 dqs;2.54 grams of the dissolubility sugar;The neuter gender washes away dirt the fiber 4.66 grams.It imply various vitamins in the slice of 掌 , each contain the vitamin C9.34 milligram in 100 grams of fresh kinds,?-0.13 milligrams of carotene, still imply abundant organic acid, is sour such as the malic acid, lemon, the amber is sour, tartaric acid etc.,0.493 milligrams of the organic acid total amount;Have no the machine chemical element category a lot of, among them,317.1 milligrams of potassium,310 milligrams of calcium,110 milligrams of magnesium,4.0 milligrams of iron,0.71 milligrams of zinc,0.177 milligrams of manganese,0.136 milligrams of copper,0.1 milligrams of cobalt,0.1 milligrams of 镍 , 钼 0.004 milligram, 磷 17 milligram, 硅 0.07 milligram, selenium 0.001 milligram, the ion of 钠 and the heavy metals contents are very low, implying 24% carbonic acid potassium in cent of ash.In addition, still imply very strong flavonoid material( if imply 0.244% of the 芦 D, skin of 槲 plain 0.017%) and three compounds of 萜s of the physiology activity in the cactus caulis, still imply to cure to use the higher jade lotus, the Cape 蒂 fairy of value and embrace the wall lotus.
The chemistry composition and caulises of the cactus flower are basic same, in addition to implying various amino acids, dissolubility sugar, organic acid, vitamin and various have no machine chemical element outside, it still implies abundant material with live physiology,such as the glucose 甙 , the different 槲 skin 甙 of different rat LI3 SU4 and the 槲 skin vegetable and three compounds of 萜s,, these materials have to the golden color staphylococcus, withered grass rod bacteria to repress the function obviously.In addition, still imply more HUA QING SU4 in the flower of the cactus and?- Carotene, imply a great deal of purple red- fairy in the red fruit pink, experiment certificate, the fairy pink is not poisonous to human body, is a kind of to compare good of natural plant dye, can used for the food processing industry extensively.The cactus seed implies a few fatty acidses, but because of growing the skin strong and tough, process the difficulty, didn't°yet cause the people's attention.
( Two)The nourishment value
Since 40's in 20 centuries, enter the artificial business development stage to the exploitation of the cactus.The personnel of science and technology passes to lead the kind, seed selection, miscellaneous hand over etc. measure as to it's carry on the heredity improvement, gradually grow the edible species of now- did not stab or little the vegetables thing that stab grows to grow with beautiful fruit thing of the fruit flavor, not only having a great deal of product exit annually.