Avoiding A Drink Of This If You're Stranded In The Desert Could Save Your Life

It's a terrifying scenario: You're taking an epic road trip through the American countryside, taking in the sights of the cactus-studded Arizona fields of America's Sonoran Desert, when you suddenly find yourself broken down with no phone reception and nothing but sand, rocks, and succulents as far as the eye can see. But no matter how low your water supply gets while you're waiting for help to arrive, don't make the mistake of cracking open a cactus for water. If you do, it might just make your situation dramatically worse, leading to serious health problems that can make your efforts to get help even harder or possibly kill you. And that's if you're stranded in a desert in the Americas. If you happen to find yourself stuck on the island of Madagascar (where Americans should travel with caution) or in the African desert, the cactus-like plants found there will burn your skin or even blind you.

The myth that most cacti contain drinkable water has been inadvertently propagated by Hollywood through films like the 1948 John Wayne western "Three Godfathers," which saw its characters harvesting water from a barrel cactus to survive. And while it's true that there are two species of cacti someone could safely harvest a bit of hydration from in an emergency, the vast majority of cactus species are much too acrid thanks to the alkaloids and acids contained in their flesh. If the prickly spines and terrible taste aren't enough of a warning, you're likely to end up with severe digestive issues, including diarrhea and vomiting that will further dehydrate you, strain your kidneys, or even cause temporary paralysis. 

Anytime you'll be near the desert, it's important to pack extra water and look for shade to conserve sweat in an emergency. But there are safe ways to get hydration from cacti in an absolute crisis. Just be extra careful since consuming the wrong plant can be dangerous. 

Reviewing the John Wayne scene in an Insider react video on Youtube, TV's "Survivorman" Les Stroud advised, "There's only one species of barrel cactus that is somewhat safe for humans to drink from: the fishhook barrel cactus." Anything else will give you diarrhea, he warned. You also won't just be able to crack open a cactus and take a drink because the hydration is actually inside the plant's fibers. Instead, you'll need to squeeze the plant one miserable, tiny droplet at a time, which Stroud warns will taste terrible. To identify a fishhook barrel cactus, look for thick, barrel-shaped or rounded cactus plants with strong ribs running up the sides and a colorful flower or pineapple-shaped fruit on top. Take a closer look at its spines and you'll notice a curved fishhook shape, hence the name. 

The only other safe cactus is the prickly pear cactus with its flat, paddle-like leaves and colorful fruit (called "tuna") in shades of yellow, orange, pink, red, purple, or green. Both the paddles and fruit are edible and are a popular foraging food. While you won't be able to squeeze any water from them, you can get hydration from eating the prickly pear. Simply remove any spines, cut or break into the flesh of the plant, and eat it raw. It's hardly Gatorade, but the moisture in those little plants should tide you over until the search and rescue workers arrive quickly to save your life with this hack.