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Article http://dx.doi.org/10.26855/ijfsa.2025.12.022

Pitahaya and Huanzontle: Nutritious Treasures

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Edmundo Arias

Department of Applied Technology, Mexican Institute of Appropriate Technologies, IMETA, Mexico 07270, Mexico.

*Corresponding author: Edmundo Arias

Published: February 2,2026

Abstract

Here is presented a comprehensive review of two underutilized but highly potential Mexican botanical resources: Pitahaya (Hylocereus spp.) and Huauzontle (Chenopodium berlandieri subsp. nuttalliae). Some aspects related to the two plants are described, Pitahaya and Huaunzontle, both belonging to the order Caryophyllales. Both are underutilized but have highly potential botanical resources. The importance of these crops is emphasized due to their potential for adaptation to soils with moisture deficits, their ability to acclimate to adverse environments, and their nutritional, productive, and economic values. The main uses of both plants are for food and medicinal purposes. The analysis transcends basic nutritional characterization to explore their economic viability, agronomic resilience, and emerging pharmaceutical and nutraceutical applications. The functional compounds from two plants are moving rapidly into the pharmaceutical supply chain. Both the Pitahaya and the Huauzontle contain potent natural compounds that are actively being researched for their anti-inflammatory and anti-fibrotic potential, offering hope as adjuvants for severe conditions like Pulmonary pathologies, including Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF), which currently has limited treatment options.

Keywords

Acclimatization; marketing; crop; underutilization

References

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How to cite this paper

Pitahaya and Huanzontle: Nutritious Treasures

How to cite this paper: Edmundo Arias. (2025) Pitahaya and Huanzontle: Nutritious Treasures. International Journal of Food Science and Agriculture, 9(4), 483-487.

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.26855/ijfsa.2025.12.022