What Is Yucca And How does It help The Body?

Ever heard of Yucca lilies? I bet if I take out the lily it wouldn't be as familiar. Yucca, as the name suggests is part of the lily family. The leaves almost look like a thinner version of an aloe vera plant minus the thorns. Leaves are green and stiff, almost looks like a sword and the flowers look like beautiful cream puffs that are in the shades of white and green. The geographic regions that it is native to are the higher elevated parts of North America and some parts of Mexico.

It has been known to be tolerant to very cold weathers. Extracts of this plant has been known to be part of folk medicine because of its health promoting qualities. It has been recorded that this plant has been one of the favorites of the Native Americans to use in maintaining their health through making it part of their diet. Modern studies though have shown a chemical compound know as saponins to be the most active ingredient in the extract.

Saponins

Research has shown that a certain chemical compound in yucca has cholesterol lowering properties. It would seem that saponins in the extract are the precursor to this, what it does is to prevent the absorption of cholesterol in the stomach by binding itself to them. And later on it would also help with the excretion of excess LDL from the body, therefore lowering down the total cholesterol levels in the blood. Due to the way it functions in lowering down cholesterol which is to bind itself to these harmful bile acids, it also has been discovered that fewer tumors may develop in the colon than those who does not have enough of the compound. Although more research has to be done, these initial results are very promising.

Pain Relief

Saponins have also been known to be a precursor to cortisone which is a well known anti inflammatory substance. In that way, it can increase the level of cortisone in the body to aid in better pain relief. Yucca actually has been closely associated with pain relief of joints and arthritis and some research have even suggested that this may be its primary function. It is still the ability of the saponin to keep the digestive tract toxin free which is pointed at as the reason why it can possibly be a strong pain reliever, working in such a way that it prevents toxins from being absorbed and cause harm on the joints and cause further inflammation.

Other Benefits To The Body

With the vitamins and minerals that yucca contain it also aids in the overall balance of the bodies health, it contains B-Vitamins which are good for enhancing the metabolism and improve energy, it has calcium, magnesium, and zinc that can help with bone health and growth. Yucca also contains antioxidants such as phytochemicals which are compounds that help fight free radicals and in turn help prevent certain cancers.

Look for yucca in capsule form at your local or internet vitamin store. Remember to always choose name brands when buying herbs to ensure authenticity and purity of the herbal product you buy for better health.