Where and how is prickly pear seed oil sourced?
While the prickly pear is native to parts of the United States, Mexico, and South America, and also flourishes in Africa, Australia, and the Mediterranean, the best prickly pear seed oil for skin care is sourced from Morocco. To procure the precious oil, the seeds are typically extracted by hand and then run through complex machinery specifically designed for this purpose.
How has prickly pear been used historically?
Used for healing and culinary purposes for centuries, the prickly pear’s versatility is truly extraordinary: The Aztecs used it to treat burns, the Chinese used it to dress abscesses, and Native Americans ate the fruit and made syrup out of it to treat whooping cough and asthma. In traditional Mexican medicine, it was also used to treat diabetes and high cholesterol. Mexicans have even used it for painting churches and homes, as well as marking property lines. More recently, prickly pear seed oil has become popular for use in skin care.
Why is prickly pear seed oil so costly?
Although the prickly pear fruits contain about 150-300 seeds each on average, the seeds themselves are tiny and only contain about 5% oil. It takes a whopping 1 ton of prickly pear fruits to produce just 1 liter of oil. Although the oil is costly, prickly pear is an incredibly sustainable crop.