Other uses of Agave

Created by popular request. Share what you know about man's past and present use of cacti.
Post Reply
User avatar
DesertSun
Posts: 322
Joined: Sun Feb 11, 2018 5:33 pm
Location: Zone 9b

Other uses of Agave

Post by DesertSun »

The leaves from both Agave americana and the sisal agave (Agave sisalana) are used to make woven mats and also to make paper. The sharp thorns at the tip of the leaves of Agave Americana also serve as needles and nails.
An extract of the leaves or the roots is used to make soap. The plant contains saponins, which can form a lather in water that’s sometimes effective for cleaning. The leaves or roots are cut into small pieces and then simmered in water to extract the saponins.Agave is also a food source. The flower stalks and the base leaves of agave americana can be roasted and consumed. A sweet juice which is tapped from the flower stalks, can be drunk or used to make an alcoholic beverage such as pulque.
In Central America, the juice from the agave plant has, for a long time, been used as a treatment for wounds. The Aztecs and Mayans used agave juice and egg whites to make a poultice that was then laid on wounds to speed healing.Agave americana has antiseptic, wound-healing and anti-inflammatory properties, which explains its uses externally as a medicinal herb to treat burns, bruises, minor cuts, injuries and skin irritation caused by insect bites.
This medicinal herb is the source for hecogenin, a compound used in the production of many steroidal drugs.
The juice made from the agave plant contains estrogen-like isoflavonoid, alkaloids, coumarin and vitamins B1, B2, C, D and K, and provitamin A.

Source:https://www.herbal-supplement-resource. ... icana.html

Agave leaves contain large quantities of fiber. Commercial ropes are made from a relative of the Agave (A. americana) and one of the most commonly used terms for the fibers and for the ropes is “sisal.” Strange as it may sound, the name is from a coastal town in Central America where the plant does not grow at all. Attempts were made in Israel to grow the plant commercially, but were unsuccessful, because of the high cost of manual labor. Many Agave plants serve an ornamental purpose in Israeli towns and villages. Because of its special morphology and manner of propagation (flowers, bats, and seedlings), we shall return to the Agave later.


Leaf morphology may disturb passers-by because of the ferocious spines at the leaf tip and edges. To avoid unnecessary problems, I recommend removing these spines with a knife before obtaining fibers (follow the photographs). The many fibers, seen well in the leaf cross-section (Fig. 1.2.8), are subtended by water-storing tissue. After removing the spines, fibers may be pulled from the leaf edges. Some leaves are 1-2 m long and these long fibers make light work of string-making. Agave fibers are strong, and exceptionally fine, strong cords may be made from them. After separating the fibers from the leaf, the non-fibrous water-rich tissue should be removed from the fibers with a knife. The clean fibers dry quickly and are ready for use. Thick ropes may also be prepared, but they are similar to commercial ropes and this is not our intention. On the surface of the leaf is skin tissue (epidermis – clearly visible as gray above the green tissue in Fig. 1.2.9, where the leaf-spines have been removed), of which large strips may be peeled. This tissue protects well against drying out, and cut leaves may be kept in the home as stock for later use for many months, if the epidermis is not damaged.

Fig. 1.2.9: The Agave fibers are a leaf venation system, transporting fluids all along the leaf. They are subtended by fluid-rich tissue.
Fig. 1.2.10: Strong thin strings may be piled from Agave fibers.
Source:
http://flora.org.il/en/books/plant-stor ... plants_a2/
"The best fertilizer is the gardener's own shadow"
Chinese proverb
User avatar
ElieEstephane
Posts: 2909
Joined: Tue Dec 13, 2016 12:10 am
Location: Lebanon (zone 11a)

Re: Other uses of Agave

Post by ElieEstephane »

Interesting read!
There are more cacti in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy.
One of the few cactus lovers in Lebanon (zone 11a) :mrgreen:
User avatar
DesertSun
Posts: 322
Joined: Sun Feb 11, 2018 5:33 pm
Location: Zone 9b

Re: Other uses of Agave

Post by DesertSun »

ElieEstephane wrote: Sat Feb 24, 2018 10:59 pm Interesting read!
Thank you Elie! I am very attracted to this subforum, learning all the other amazing things that cacti offer to humans.
I am going to get myself some cacti with edible fruit also, will be amazing to have some in my collection. :D
"The best fertilizer is the gardener's own shadow"
Chinese proverb
Vingames1
Posts: 200
Joined: Tue Jan 17, 2017 3:49 am
Location: Hawthorne,Ca. USA

Re: Other uses of Agave

Post by Vingames1 »

Tequila!
Post Reply