(ABQ) and Farmington, N.M. (FMN) . Durango/Purgatory is located in the Southwest corner of Colorado, near the intersection of Arizona, Utah, and New Mexico. It's six to seven hours by car from DIA, a 340 mile drive via US-285, and three and a half to four and a half hours and 214 miles from ABQ using NM-44 and US-550.
In addition to its popular use for hangovers, prickly pear remedies have been used traditionally in Mexico for a wide variety of disorders. The heated cactus pads have served as poultices for rheumatism, and the fruit of the plant is consumed as treatment for diarrhea, asthma and gonorrhea.
The Many Uses of the Prickly Pear. The opuntia, or prickly pear cactus, produces luscious fruit that can be made into jelly, wine and m... In tales about the West, the cactus is sometimes portrayed as a water-bearing plant that saves thirsting cowpokes lost in the desert.hey're members of the genus Opuntia, which encompasses well over 200 species. These can be divided into two broad groups: the inedibleâor at least basically unpalatableâcholla cacti (which have slender, rounded stems) and the edible prickly pears (distinguished by flat pads resembling beavers' tails).