Some of the names by which the Opuntia is also known are Barbary Fig, Indian Fig, Nopal or, most commonly, the Prickly Pear. Since pre-historic times, desert natives in North and South America have consumed the fruit and pads of this member of the Cactaceae family. Spanish explorers carried this and other cacti species to Europe over two centuries ago and not long after, the Moors introduced the Opuntia to Africa.

A Desert Fruit Consumed by Humans and Animals

People in many parts of the world enjoy eating the prickly pear fruit, and consider it an important nutritional source. The succulent reaches 15 feet in height and typically spreads about 10 feet. It's fruit, referred to as "tunas," are cylindrical-shaped with a red to purplish color. Tunas are a food source for certain desert creatures and humans use it to make jelly, red dye, face cream and to purify water. The pads are food for a wild boar-like Sonoran animal named the Javelina as well as domesticated herd animals in countries such as Malta.

A Plant Endowed With Amazing Survivability

The team of cell biologists and pharmacologists that developed the extract were fascinated with Opuntia and its edible fruit. They were intrigued because the cactus plant grows in some of the hottest, most arid environs on earth. It requires little water, and is hardy in sub-freezing temperatures as low as 15° F, and at altitudes as high as 7,500 feet. The scientific team was convinced that by studying the make-up of a plant form that possesses the ability to survive normally devastating environmental conditions, and has the ability to protect itself from insults to its structural integrity, they could find something very significant to benefit humans, as well. So they launched a full-scale study of the plant.

The Prickly Pear cactus bears amazing fruit

In their extensive scientific examination of the cactus, the researchers uncovered an incredible finding. The unique environmental defense mechanisms of the cactus centered on its ability to rapidly induce the synthesis of protective heat shock proteins (HSPs).* Discovered within the past 25 years, and common to all living organisms, HSPs protect organisms against physical stress.

How HPF Hangover Prevention Formula™ works

In the human body, HSPs play a natural protection and recovery role against physical stresses and the pain and fatigue they can bring. HSPs are the vital proteins that help protect cells and enable them to recover from physical stresses. Approximately 2 hours after exposure, HSPs are available to help the body respond to chemical (alcohol), physical (ionizing radiation, pH, osmolarity), biological (cytokines, infection) or mechanical (articular microtraumas) aggression toward the organism. Unfortunately during the 2-3 hours it takes for HSPs to elevate to a therapeutic level, the stress is wreaking havoc on the body's cellular structures.

Knowing this, the scientific team believed that the key to preventing pain and fatigue caused by physical stress was to find a way to increase the body's natural HSP levels faster, with no physical side effects. They felt that it was not beyond the realm of reason that an extract of a plant, that possessed an amazing level of survivability, could possibly enhance the ability of the human body to accelerate its HSP synthesis. In this manner, such an extract could protect human beings against many types of physical aggressions-including alcohol. To prove this hypothesis, the team of researchers developed the extract formula, trademarked as Tex-OE™-- the key ingredient in HPF Hangover Prevention Formula™. Numerous clinical tests have confirmed that that the scientists' theory was correct! The extract formula they developed has been proven to protect the human body against various types of aggressions by greatly enhancing the ability of the body to accelerate its synthesis of HSPs.