Conservation status
Cordeauxia edulis has been overexploited since the 1930s, when it represented half of the woody vegetation of its native area. Due to many adverse conditions including repeated droughts, wars, and its high palatability for livestock, yeheb populations have decreased dramatically since that time. Yeheb was put in the "endangered category" of the IUCN Red list of endangered species in 1978, and has been reclassified as "vulnerable" in 1998. Its status now requires reassessment (IUCN, 2016). Yeheb specialists recommend to start its cultivation in arid areas to prevent the extinction of the species, but also to alleviate risks of food shortages in the drier areas of Africa (Ismail, 2016; Yusuf et al., 2013; Mizrahi et al., 2001; Miège et al., 1978; Bally, 1966; NRC, 1979). Regeneration and protection of natural stands and cultivation in afforestation programmes outside its native range have been recommended (Brink, 2006). A study in 2016, based on 10 villages in the Somali Regional State of Ethiopia (Eastern Ethiopia) where the only naturally occurring yeheb is to be found, reported that the plant population is diminishing and natural regeneration is negligible (Ismail, 2016). This "Yeheb project" intends to replant yeheb in 6 sites of Somaliland (Ismail, 2016).
Insecticide
Freshly picked roasted or boiled seeds are used to kill insects (Orwa et al., 2009). Leaf extracts from yeheb can be used to modify feeding behaviour and ovipositing of the diamondback moth (Plutella xylostella), a parasite of broccoli crops. So it could be used for integrated pest management and to alleviate damage caused by this moth (Egigu et al., 2010).