Habitat Common in gardens in warm tropical regions.
Action fruit—used as a purgative.
Flowers contain aloifoline. Seeds contain indole melanins. The leaves contain tigogenin (76%), sarsasapogenin, gitogenin, hecogenin, smilagenin, neotigogenin and samogenin.
Aloifoline is specifically active against Lewis lung-tumour as well as other transplanted mouse neoplasms.
Several spirostanol saponin glycosides from rhizomes and inflorescence have been isolated.
Yucca filamentosa Linn.
Family Liliaceae; Agavaceae.
Habitat Indigenous to southern United States; introduced into
Indian gardens.
English Adam’s Needle.
Action Rhizomes and leaves—used for the treatment of glandular and liver and gallbladder disorders; in bilious headaches accompanied by yellow tongue; in despondency and irritability. Root—tincture is used in the treatment of rheumatism;
a poultice or salve is used in
inflammations.
The leaves contain steroidal sapogenins sarsasapogenin, gitogenin, tigogenin, diosgenin, kammogenin, yuccagenin, hecogenin, manogenin, mexogenin, chiorogenin and smilagenin. The rhizomes contain mainly sarsasapogenin.
Tincture of the herb is used in Homoeopathic medicine for bilious symptoms with headache.
Yucca gloriosa Linn.
Synonym Y recurvfolia Salisb. Family Liliaceae; Agavaceae.
Habitat Native to Central America; introduced into India as a garden plant.
English Spanish Dagger-Plant,
Adam’s Needle.
Action Fruit—anti-inflammatory,
blood purifier, cholagogue. Used in rheumatism, oedema, bronchitis, asthma and chest diseases; also for ulcers, sores, dysentery and haemorrhagic septicaemia.
Yuccas are an important source of steroidal sap ogenins, precursors of sex-hormones and steroids. Related species, Yucca bacata, Y glauca, and Y brevifolica, are used for hormonal disturbances, menstrual disorders, varicose veins, arthritis and rheumatism.
