Arizona Natural Resource Yucca Root

Description

Yucca is a tree native to the southwest and Sonoran Desert and the root has been used in medicines for centuries by Native Americans. Yucca Root (Yucca schidigera) has been used for stomach, joint and blood disorders as teas, capsules and ointments because of its powerful saponins. Some people apply yucca directly to the skin for sores, skin diseases, bleeding, sprains, joint pain, baldness, and dandruff. Yucca contains an active compound called steroidal saponin which has been shown to reduce stiffness, pain and swelling. The saponins in yucca roots could also prove to be beneficial to colon health because studies have shown them to bind with harmful bile acids in the colon. In a study done at the University of Toronto, mice fed saponins were shown to have fewer developing tumors in their colons than those who were not fed the compound.