Yucca: a potent medicine

I think that everyone in South Texas knows what a yucca, pita, Spanish dagger, or a Spanish bayonet is. These are all common names generally given to the largest species of yucca, which is native to this area. It is known as Yucca treculeana in the books. This species is one of about 40 members of the genus Yucca. It is the Agave family (formerly in the Lily family).
Every spring, usually around March, the pita sends out its large white inflorescence or bloom stalk, which coincides with the period of Lent. Just like the nopalitos, which are appearing at his time, flor de pita is also qualified as a traditional food of the Lenten season. The flower stalks are harvested, and the white petals, which are high in vitamin C, are prepared into delicious dishes.
If the flowers are left on the plant, they quickly develop into little green fruits called datiles or dates, not unlike dates from date palm trees, close cousins of the yucca. When they ripen, the taste of these dates is bitter-sweet.
The pita is a tough plant that can reach heights of over 10 feet with multiple heads. It can endure searing temperatures, hard freezes, and drought. The leaves are very rigid, abrasive like shark skin, and dangerously pointed and sharp. If you have one of these plants in your yard, I suggest that you remove the sharp tips from the leaves with a pair of scissors or shears to prevent injury to someone.
All yuccas contain compounds called saponins, which are also known as phytosterols. Phytosterols are plant chemicals which are used to manufacture steroidal hormones, anti-inflammatory drugs, and soaps. These chemical compounds are present in the root, trunk, and leaves.
Some Native American people in the U.S. and Mexico use the sudsing root of various yucca species to wash clothes with. As a medicine, the root of the plant is also what is generally employed. It is sometimes prepared as a tea or applied externally to relieve pain due to arthritis, bursitis, tendonitis, and rheumatism. Yucca root in tea or capsule form is also used to treat inflammations of the urethra and prostate.
One should not take yucca in very high dosages for extended periods of time as it may inhibit the absorption of the fat-soluble vitamins. You can safely take one to two grams (1/4 teaspoon) a day on a regular basis.
To harvest yucca root from the wild, dig on only one side of the plant and cut out a chunk of the thick root. Do not dig up an entire plant for its roots, because you will destroy it. Once you have a piece of root, clean it, and slice it up to facilitate drying for later use. The dried pieces can be brewed into a tea or ground up into a powder and encapsulated.