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Page 68
tion of tissues and joints. Not everyone will respond significantly to yarrow, but for the 10 to 20 percent of arthritics who do respond to it, it will seem like a gift from heaven.
Contact dermatitis and other allergic reactions may occur in sensitive individuals. Yarrow tea has such a bitter taste that few people take it straight; it's either blended with other herbs, flavored or sweetened as a tea or put in capsules.
Yucca (Yucca baccata and other species)
Native to the American Southwest, yucca has a variety of uses. Its attractive leaves and dramatic white blossoms make it a popular landscaping plant; its stems and foliage produce a coarse fiber that can be made into rope, baskets, mats, shoes, hair brushes, weather stripping and heavy brown paper; its fruit is cooked when green and eaten raw when purple; its roots can be used as a detergent for cleaning hair and washing clothes. In addition to all that, it's medicinal.
Yucca's saponin content makes it a friend to arthritics, for it reduces stress and swelling in the joints. Over 60 percent of patients tested with yucca supplements experienced diminished pain, swelling and stiffness; in addition, their blood pressure and cholesterol levels dropped, and intestinal toxicity improved as well. Yucca has no known side effects.
The standard dosage for yucca supplements is 2

 
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