Recordium Regenerati

Out in the deserts of New Mexico and Arizona I was on the hunt for a particular yucca plant, namely the Banana Yucca (yucca baccata) as the fruits are highly prized for being sweet and made into amazing jams. What I found instead, in my foolishness, was the much more common Soaptree Yucca which is also known as the Soapberry Yucca.

Soaptree yucca is a species of Agavaceae, and is well known for having an abundant amount of the toxin saponin. Now, this toxin is not in the least deadly unless consumed in large amounts, but has a chemical/bitter taste that would knock a man backwards. I know this from personal experience…as I foolishly believed I could eat the fruits of this plant the same as any yucca.

The plant starts as a palm-like bush, growing a stalk that ranges from 3 to 7 feet long upwards to about 20 feet depending on the plant’s age. Off-white flowers form on this stalk, and these in particular can be potentially eaten without too much issue as long as they are well cooked: saponin is destroyed by heat. These flowers soon turn into green seed pods in which the yucca moth will lay its eggs, as the soaptree yucca is valuable in the moths’ lifecycle.

Some claim you can roast the seed pods as survival food but I highly recommend simply avoiding the plant entirely. The root and stalks can be made into soap for clothes, but leaves the familiar chemical saponin smell. The taste of saponin can easily be matched to that of drain cleaner or laundry detergent. Please do not consume either in order to find out this taste for yourself. I am not liable for the next ‘TikTok trend’.

To Native Americans, the yucca is highly valued and praised for symbolizing transformation, purification and protection. I would recommend using this plant as part of any spiritual ritual requiring personal growth or change or in a ritual requiring one to cleanse their spirit. Having a yucca is recommended in your garden, though I would suggest one of the more edible cousins as soaptree yucca can easily become invasive due to the seed pod distribution it uses.