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The cactus Opuntia ficus-indica, the prickly pear, is used in traditional medicine, but direct evidence of its analgesic effects is lacking. Here we aimed to evaluate the analgesic activity of the ethanolic and dichloromethane extracts of Opuntia ficus-indica cladodes. Central analgesic potential was evaluated using tail flick latency in tail immersion and hot plate assays in mice. Morphine was used as a positive control at a dose of 3 mg/kg. Various plant extracts at doses of 300, 500, and 1,000 mg/kg i.p. induced significant and dose-dependent protective effects (P < 0.01, P < 0.001, and P < 0.0001) as measured by increased latency time compared to vehicle control. The maximum anti-nociceptive effect was with the ethanolic extract (70.6%) at 60 minutes at a dose of 1,000 mg/kg, which was equivalent to the effect of morphine (69.2%).The ethanolic and dichloromethane extracts of Opuntia ficus-indica cladodes might possess significant analgesic effects, supporting the use of this plant in traditional medicine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]