Yucca glauca belongs to the Asparagaceae family and is native to central North America. Yucca has been used by Native Americans in folk medicine. Yucca extract was used to soothe joint pain and bleeding, or against psoriasis, dandruff, hair loss, and skin soreness. Yucca glauca is also called soapweed and its roots were soaked in water to make a sudsy soap that was used for hair washing. In addition, Native Americans used yucca roots as a poultice to treat inflammation and to stop bleeding.

 

The major bioactive compounds of yucca include saponins and phenolic compounds such as resveratrol and yuccaols. Resveratrol, a stilbene belonging to phenolic compounds, has been reported to benefit skin conditions such as acne. Resveratrol-incorporated gel showed positive results in a clinical study with 20 subjects. Other phenolic compounds, yuccaols, have also shown anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory activities.