There are many different plants in the desert that can be eaten and/or used for medical purposes in case of emergency.
Familiarizing yourself with edible plants by using a desert plant identification guide will help make sure you don't eat the wrong plants. (
Mormon tea tree growing in Utah, right)
Historically, Americans have long used desert plants in food and medicine.
For example, the Pima nation uses various mixtures of desert Mulberry apples to make painkillers, ear pain therapy, eye wash and cleansing agents to extract pus from boils sore.
Edible parts of desert plants usually include seed pods, flowers, or cactus paddles.
The cactus can be used as a water source.
Pry open the top of the cactus with a stone and drink the water inside.
Many desert plants have medicinal value.
For example, the pulp on the cactus pad of prickly pear (pictured above)
It can be used as an ointment for treating wounds.
The oil produced by Jojoba seeds is a very good natural skin care medium that can be used to make many homemade products.
There is a small amount of pseudo hemp in Mormon tea (
Tea above)
This means it can treat congestion and respiratory diseases.
Source of food (seed pods)
Prickly balls including fruits and mats (
Fruit above)
Can be eaten;
Mesquite's seed pods can be ground into flour, and prickly pear cactus paddles can be cooked or roasted.
Both plants have the characteristic of stabilizing blood sugar.
Agave in the form of syrup is usually used as an alternative sweetener;
The flowers are sweet and can be cooked.
Susan Berg, a resource article written in northern Wisconsin, has more than 10 years of experience as a writer and editor.
Her work has been published in print and online media, including Dayton Daily News and The Journal of Biology.
Berg holds a master's degree in journalism from Indiana University.