Yucca is a perennial shrub plant which native to Central America. This plant is usually used as ornamental plant but the root of the plant can also be consumed. Yucca leave has been used since long ago by people native in America especially Athabaskan people to make rope, thread and basket while yucca root has been used in culinary and medicinal purpose. The name yucca derived from Carribean word for cassava. That why some people is getting confused about the difference of yucca and yuca which is known as cassava (Read : Health Benefits Of Cassava).
Yucca root has other name such as Spanish Bayonet, Guardian Of The Desert, Needle Palm, Soapweed, Lord’s Candle, and The Joshua Tree. The common name “Yucca” includes more than 40 species such as Yucca glauca, Yucca baccata, and other Yucca species, which are used interchangeably with Yucca filamentosa.
Nutrition facts
Yucca root contains high number of carbohydrate and some amounts of bioactive substance.s such as Vitamin A, Bitamin B complex, Vitamin C, calcium, copper, phosphorus, potassium, and manganese. The main active chemical components of yucca root is saponin. Saponin is a natural steroid that found in yucca root usually used to creates foam and making shampoo. Saponin is also well known as outside and inside cleaner. People know that yucca plant can help to sanitize and clean the environment by get rid of the waste and microorganism. Since they know that the root also contains saponin that can clean from the inside, people start to consumed yucca root. Yucca root not only contains nutrient but also it has anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties.
Health benefits of Yucca root
Since yucca root contains number of nutrients, it deliver your body with some health benefits.Most of the benefits of yucca roots are provided by dietary fiber, antioxidant and saponine in Yucca root. These are the top benefits of yucca root that can suprise you. Check the explanation below :
1. Improve digestion function
Fiber is undoubfully an important substance which required by digestion system. Fiber add bulk to bowel and ease the bowel movement through the digestion tract. Yucca root contains high fiber that can aids in improving healthy digestion.
2. Fight inflammation
Antioxidant and saponine which contained in yucca root play important role in fighting the inflammation which occur in the body. Inflammation in the body usually caused by harmful toxin and microorganism while saponine can really help to fight those harmful substance.
3. Relieve stress
Health Benefits of Yucca Roots is one best solution of relieve stress. Feeling stress can be a problem for a person. Consuming yucca root can be helpful to relive stress since it contains magnesium that can calm the nerve.
4. Provide energy
Yucca root contains carbohydrate which known as main source of energy. Yucca root can be alternative to be consumed as staple food as well as potato, sweet potato and cassava.
5. Purify blood
Yucca root contains saponine that well known as natural detrgent. It can flush away the toxin and other waste substance in the body. The amount of saponine in yucca root is considerable in high level so it really help to purify the blood.
6. Relieve headache
Headache used to happen when the nerve on brain get excessive impulse and contractile blood flow. Yucca root contains magnesium and manganese that can help to stabilize the nerve and relieve pain.
7. Repair body cell
Yucca root contains protein that can help to repair body cell. Human body needs some amount of protein that been used to develop new body cell and repair the damage which caused by several factor.
8. Treat joint pain in arthritis
A study which publish in Journal of Inflammation, 2006 reported that researchers found the anti-inflammatory properties including saponine, yuccaol and resveratrol in yucca root may possess the benefits in reducing joint pain and prevent the symptoms of arthritis.
9. Reduce the risk of hyperglycemia
10. Reduce cholesterol
Fiber is not only aids in digestive system but it also effective to bind the cholesterol and move it away from the body. Study approved that people who regularly consuming yucca root has lower cholesterol rate compared to those who don’t take any fiber from food.
11. Cleansing the body
It has been mentioned before that yucca root is a natural cleansing agent, but its not only can clean the blood, its also clean most of body organ from waste and harmful material.
12. Treat baldness
For people who have problem with baldness, yucca root can really help. The extract of yucca root used to be ingredients of natural shampoo and its effective to promote hair growth and cure baldness. Nowadays many manufacture industries use the yucca root as ingredient in their hair treatment product especially in America.
13. Prevent atherosclerosis
Astherosclesrosis is a problem that occur inside the arteries wall due to the thickening and accumulation of cholesterol. The cholesterol that comes to the body accumulated in the inner wall of arteries and it can increase the chance of developing heart disease. Yucca root contains fiber and antioxidant that can lower the cholesterol level and prevent it from entering the arteries wall.
14. Fasten external wound healing
If you get some wound on your skin which cause by cut or insect bites just rub some yucca root extract on skin or consuming it to fasten the healing from inside. Yucca root contains protein and other active substance that can promote new skin cell formation and help your wound to recover fast.
15. Treat ulcer
Yucca root has been proven to has anti-gastritic properties. This benefit is delivered by fiber and other active components such as antioxidant. Consuming yucca root is recomended to people who suffer from gastritis or ulcer.
16. Relieve constipation
Fiber content in yucca root can help the large intestine in defecation process and it ease the bowel movement by soften and adding bulk to stoll. Lack of fiber may cause constipation since the stool will be hard and difficult to move through the large intestine.
17. Prevent diabetes
People who suffer from diabetes must avoid food with high glycemic index and its a good news that yucca root is low in GI or glycemic index. The active nutrient in yucca root also can induce insulin sensitivity and prevent people from developing diabetes especially type 2 diabetes.
18. Maintain healthy skin
By clean the blood from harmful substance, yucca root can help to nourish the skin with many beneficial nutrients. It can improve you skin tone and make it healthier.
19. Prevent the body from oxidative stress
Oxidative stress is a term which show a condition of the body that get some damage which caused by free radical effect. Antioxidant in yucca root can significantly fight the free radicals and stay the body cells away from stress.
20. Prevent cancer
Cancer can be said as degenerative or mutation disease. It happen because the DNA of cell got damage. Many factors can cause cancer such as microorganism, toxic, and free radical effect. The antioxidant content in yucca root can protect the body cells from free radicals effect and saponine will be helpful in clean the toxic which enetr the body.
21. Boost immunity
Vitamin C is one of strong antioxidant that can enhance immune function along with zinc and other nutrients. Yucca roots contains some amounts of vitamin C that can strengthen the immune system and help in fight the disease.
22. Lower the risk of heart disease
By reducing cholesterol and prevent atherosclerosis, yucca root can reduce the risk of heart disease. Yucca root contains potassium that can keep healthy heart function and other mineral which protect the cardiovascular system of human body.
23. Prevent aging
No one wanna looks old, if you also think the same consuming yucca root may help to keep firm and tight skin. The vitamin C and other antioxidant content of yucca root can be effective to get rid of free radicals damage that known as culprit that causing aging in human body.
24. Help to reduce weight
This maybe one of the most wanted benefits of consuming yucca root. Yucca root contain dietary fiber that can make your stomach feel full for longer time and prevent you from hunger often.
25. Promote healthy and shiny hair
Yucca root extract contains many active substance including saponine that can promote healthy and shiny hair.
26. Protect the kidney
By purify the blood and help the body get rid of toxin, saponine content in yucca root also help the kidney function and prevent it from developing kidney gallstone.
27. Improve metabolism
Metabolism is the key of the energy production in the body and it needs several enzyme and hormone to undergo the process. Yucca root contains vitamin B complex that known as the component of some metabolic enzyme in the body.
28. Lower blood pressure
The potassium content of yucca root can help to lower the blood pressure in hypertention patient. Potassium is one of the mineral that play important role in stabilizing the blood pressure.
Health Risk of Yucca Root
The most cases which reported after consuming yucca root are diarrhea, digestive upset and haemolysis. Avoid to consume yucca root excessively because saponine can loosen your stool and promote diarrhea while other nutrients can interfere with blood cell production and cause haemolysis.
Tips to Consume Yucca Root
Before you start to consume or use yicca as medicine it is better to know how to purchase, store and use it. Check these tips below and be wise to consume yucca root in effort to avoid the side effect
Yucca root may be uncommon for some people but it does provides great benefits for your body. If you can find yucca root in local market try to purchase and consume it to get the benefits.