Why do cacti grow spines, and why can they block radiation?

Cacti are loved by everyone because they can block radiation, but people are troubled because their spines make them easy to get pricked. So why do cacti grow spines? Why can cacti block radiation?

Why do cacti grow spines

The spines of a cactus are actually evolved from leaves, because cacti all grow in arid zones or desert regions, where the sunlight is very intense and it is very dry. If a cactus had large leaves, under the sunlight the water would quickly evaporate, ultimately causing the cactus to wither and die.

Therefore, in an environment with very little water, cacti evolved needle-shaped leaves. In addition, the needles can serve a self-defense function, preventing other animals from eating them.

The thick, fleshy “leaves” of a cactus are actually stems! The spines of a cactus are equivalent to the plant's leaf organs. In order to adapt to the harsh desert environment, it originally had leaves, but because the environment was too harsh, the leaves became individual spines, to reduce transpiration and preserve its own water.

Why can cacti block radiation

One claim is that cacti can survive in desert areas with severe ultraviolet radiation and therefore possess the trait of absorbing ultraviolet radiation. However, against the radiation released by electronic products such as computers and mobile phones, they are powerless.

When a person faces a computer screen, the radiation waves travel in a straight line and do not turn. Even if a cactus really could block radiation, placing it beside the computer would not help block it for you. From a biological perspective, all green plants have a certain ability to absorb radiation. But there is no basis for cacti blocking radiation; it is more of a psychological effect on everyone's part.

As long as you sit in front of a computer, radiation is unavoidable. To reduce the harm radiation does to the human body, relying only on a pot of cactus is not enough.

However, it can indeed be confirmed that a cactus is a natural oxygen bar. Most plants carry out photosynthesis during the day, absorbing carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen; at night they carry out respiration, absorbing oxygen and releasing carbon dioxide. But some plants are the opposite. For example, a cactus releases carbon dioxide during the day, and at night absorbs carbon dioxide and releases oxygen. In this way, keeping a cactus indoors at night can supplement oxygen and benefit sleep. Do not underestimate the cactus ball; it is also an expert at adsorbing dust. Placing a cactus ball indoors, especially a hydroponic cactus ball (because a hydroponic cactus ball is cleaner and more environmentally friendly), can play a role in purifying the air.

The difference between cacti and cactus balls

The family and genus of cacti and cactus balls

Cactus: The cactus is a plant of the family Cactaceae and the genus Opuntia. It is also known as cactus pad, Guanyin palm, overlord, fire palm, and so on, and is a plant of the family Cactaceae.

Cactus ball: commonly known as grass ball, also known as Changsheng ball, it is a plant of the dicotyledonous family Cactaceae (Cactaceae), genus Notocactus, a perennial succulent herbaceous plant of the genus Notocactus.

Geographical distribution of cacti and cactus balls

Cactus: There are 70-110 genera and more than 2000 species in the world. They often grow in dry environments such as deserts and are called “hero flowers of the desert.” They are a type of succulent plant. They are mainly distributed in South America, Africa, southern China and Southeast Asia and other tropical and subtropical arid regions.

Cactus ball: Its hometown is South America. It originated in hot, dry desert zones with little rain, and has developed the traits of liking dryness and tolerating drought. The cactus ball is afraid of cold and likes to grow in well-drained sandy soil. Summer is the growing season for cactus balls and also their peak flowering season.

The functions and uses of cacti and cactus balls

Cactus:

1. High medicinal value. Medicinal method: use the whole plant as medicine (except the spines). It can be collected in all four seasons. Use fresh or slice and dry in the sun. Functions and indications: clearing heat and detoxifying, relaxing muscles and activating collaterals, dissipating blood stasis and reducing swelling, relieving intestinal toxins, cooling blood and relieving pain, moistening the intestines and stopping bleeding, strengthening the stomach and relieving pain, and relieving cough. Used for gastric and duodenal ulcers, hemorrhoids, acute dysentery, and cough; externally used for mumps, mastitis, carbuncles, boils and swellings, external hemorrhoids, snake bites, and burns and scalds. Price: 3 to 46374 yuan per plant, varying.

2. Edible value. The edible cactus is one of the known vegetables with the highest content of vitamin B2 and soluble fiber.

3. Beauty. Cut open a cactus with a knife and apply its juice to the face, then wash it off with water after 15 minutes. It has whitening and moisturizing effects.

4. Indoor greening. The cactus is called a nighttime “oxygen bar.” Cacti mostly respire at night when it is cooler and more humid. During respiration, they take in carbon dioxide and release oxygen. At the same time, they are also experts at adsorbing dust.

5. Other functions: The cactus contains alkaloids. After consumption, they can act on the central nervous system and cause people to have various hallucinations. It was an important plant for the local people of Peru from the 1st to 7th centuries AD to communicate with the spirit world.

Cactus ball:

1. Ornamental value: In the horticultural world, the spherical varieties among cactus plants are customarily called cactus balls. They are a type with high ornamental value in stems, leaves and flowers. Traditionally, cactus balls are planted in deserts, and hydroponic cactus balls cultivated through plant hydroponic mutagenesis technology allow you not only to admire their tender white root system but also to see the lovely little fish swimming among the roots. It is truly pleasing to the eye, and it is an artistic masterpiece among hydroponic flowers.

2. Health benefits: The cactus is cold in nature and bitter in taste. It contains triterpenes, malic acid, succinic acid, potassium carbonate and other components, and has the effects of promoting the flow of qi and blood, nourishing and strengthening the stomach, and clearing heat and detoxifying. It can treat chilblains, tenosynovitis, mumps, scalds, insect bites, stomach diseases, acute bacillary dysentery, acute mastitis, diabetic foot, and so on.

3. Natural oxygen bar: Most plants carry out photosynthesis during the day, absorbing carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen; at night they carry out respiration, absorbing oxygen and releasing carbon dioxide. But some plants are the opposite. For example, a cactus releases carbon dioxide during the day, and at night absorbs carbon dioxide and releases oxygen. In this way, keeping a cactus indoors at night can supplement oxygen and benefit sleep. Do not underestimate the cactus ball; it is also an expert at adsorbing dust! Placing a cactus ball indoors, especially a hydroponic cactus ball (because a hydroponic cactus ball is cleaner and more environmentally friendly), can play a role in purifying the air.

4. Edible value: The edible cactus ball is a succulent plant of the family Cactaceae, growing in subtropical regions. It first originated in France in Europe, once spread into Vietnam at the end of the 18th century, and later was introduced via Mong Cai into the coastal areas of the Beibu Gulf in China's Jing ethnic three islands and the Shiwan Dashan region. After more than a hundred years of evolution, it has now formed a green health food with unique local color——the edible cactus ball. In Enping, Guangdong, the locals commonly call it le guo.

5. Medical value: Functions and indications: treats lung-heat cough, blood-streaked phlegm, carbuncles and swellings, and scalds and burns.