Medicinal Shrubs and Woody Vines: Yucca

Sixteen varieties of Yucca have documented use in Herbal Medicine: Yucca aloifolia - Spanish Bayonet, Yucca angustissima, Yucca baccata - Spanish Bayonet, Yucca brevifolia - Joshua Tree, Yucca constricta - Buckley's Yucca, Yucca elata - Soap Tree, Yucca filamentosa - Spoonleaf Yucca, Yucca filifera, Yucca glauca - Soapweed, Yucca gloriosa - Spanish Dagger, Yucca harrimaniae - Spanish Bayonet, Yucca recurvifolia, Yucca rupicola - Twisted-Leaf Yucca , Yucca schidigera - Mojave Yucca, Yucca smalliana - Adam's Needle, Yucca whipplei - Our Lord's Candle

Four varieties are native to my region: Yucca aloifolia (Aloe Yucca, Spanish Bayonet), Yucca filamentosa (Adam's Needle, Bear-Grass), Yucca flaccida (Weakleaf Yucca) and Yucca gloriosa.


The Lumbee used Yucca:

Lumbee herbal healers would tell their patients to rub the root of Bear Grass (Yucca filamentosa) onto their bodies to treat skin irritation. Two small pieces or more were used for this medicine. The beaten root was used with or without tallow for a salve to treat sores. A tea was suggested to treat diabetes. The Catawba, a sister tribe to the Lumbee, would rub this plant on their skin and body to treat general skin disease.


Plants for A Future states:

Medicinal use of Spanish Bayonet: The fruit is purgative. The boiled and mashed root, mixed with oil, has been used as a salve in the treatment of various complaints.

Medicinal use of Spoonleaf Yucca: A poultice made from the roots is used in the treatment of sores, skin diseases and sprains.

Medicinal use of Spanish Dagger: The fruit is purgative. The root is detergent.


Resources of The Southern Fields and Forests tells us:

BEAR-GRASS; ADAM'S NEEDLE, {Yucca filamentosa, L.) Diffused; I have collected it in Sumter District, S.C.

A tincture of the roots is much employed in rheumatism. I am told by correspondents in Statesburg, S. C, that in large doses it produces giddiness. This statement should excite further attention to the plant. The -' Cherokee doctors " use it in the form of a poultice of the roots, or a salve, as a local application in allaying inflammation.


Peterson Field Guides Eastern and Central Medicinal Plants states:

Yucca filamentosa: American Indians used root in salves or poultices for sores, skin diseases, and sprains. Pounded roots were put in water to stupify corralled fish so they would float to the surface for easy harvest. Could be used as a starting material for steroids. Warning: Root compounds toxic to lower life forms.

Yucca glauca: American Indians poulticed roots on inflammations, used it to stop bleeding, in steam baths for sprains and broken limbs; as a hair wash for dandruff and baldness. In experiments with mice, water extracts have shown antitumor activity against B16 melanoma. One human clinical study suggests that saponin extracts of roots were effective in treatment of arthritis (findings disputed). Warning: Root compounds toxic to lower life forms.

This article is an excerpt from

Medicinal Shrubs and Woody Vines of The American Southeast An Herbalist's Guide
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And some varieties have really tasty roots that are like potatoes and I have eaten them at a party once and they were yummy.  But then when my father tried to cook them they were horrible, because we didn't know what we were doing haha.

Riona Abhainn wrote:And some varieties have really tasty roots that are like potatoes and I have eaten them at a party once and they were yummy.  But then when my father tried to cook them they were horrible, because we didn't know what we were doing haha.

Here is an entry on yucca from my book, the Spring Foraging Cookbook:

Yucca
Yucca is one of the most useful plants for making cordage, baskets, etc. And, it is also edible. That
said, it is not my favorite. The flowers and flower buds are the parts most often eaten. The fruits or
seed pods are said to be edible when small and tender, and even the flowering stalk when still pinkish
and tender. My issue with yucca is that it tastes soapy. It isn’t bad, it just isn’t very good. I view
yucca more as a survival food. Occasionally, I will toss a few flowers into a salad just for nutritional
value and because they are a pretty, white color. But, the texture is waxy. The buds are better cooked
using the steam/saute method. One thing that is important to point out is that the “yuca root” used in
South American cooking and occasionally seen in American grocery stores is a different plant – notice
the slightly different spelling. This delicious member of the cassava family is cooked like potato and is
one of my absolute favorite fried vegetables. Some good, grilled meat with chimichuri and fried yuca
is not to be missed! I can’t say the same about our Yucca, but if I ever find a really good recipe for this
plant, I will update this book and post it on my website.

Ooooooh thank you for the correction, that is really interesting.

The root of the yucca tasting 'soapy' might be at least in part, due to its actual soapiness - it can be used as a soap, and is reknowned for its benefits to hair, as a shampoo.