I've just been given a yucca plant. I know yucca extract is used for animals with arthritis. Friends swear it has worked miracles on their arthritic horse. Does anyone know how you use make/use it? Also are there different types of yucca?
been doing some googling and read that yucca can also be used as a soil wetter. As my sandy soil can be very water repellent, has anyone got a recipe for this and have they had any success?
Flatland, I have seen people use it as a salve. The primary usage that I have seen is cordage, soap, and sometimes I have seen it as an ingredient in food. I don't know how people prepared the salve or soap. As for different species, I found a list of several types at : https://plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=yucca and food preparation/discussion at: https://www.ehow.com/list_7341190_yucca-root-side-effects.html I'm personally not worried about the hemolysis, but I'm not a doctor! I've just never heard of anyone experiencing any problems from ingesting it. I haven't seen anything about a soil conditioner.
The leaves yield strong fibers ( in fact you can produce a needle with attached thread when your careful). The flowers can be made into a tea, incorporated into a salve or dried and ground and used that way. The flower stalk can be peeled and chewed or eaten or added to a salve. The roots can be dried, powdered and brewed as a tea. Since there are several different varieties, each with some different properties as well as similar properties it would be wise to do research before using any particular plant as medicine.