By Liliana Usvat
Blog 167-365
Wild yam is a perennial vine. The roots and rootstock, or rhizomes, are used in herbal remedies.
These plants are twining, tuberous vines that creep along the ground or
occasionally climb trees and other structures. The woody rootstock, or
tubers, is pale brown, knotty, and cylindrical in shape. Stems are
reddish-brown and can grow to over 30 feet in length.
So preserving the forest wine like wild yam are preserved and we can benefits for their existence and medicinal uses.
They have broad,
alternate, heart- or arrow-shaped leaves that are spirally arranged on
long stems. The leaves are deep veined (may give the leaves a puckered
look) with veins beginning at the base (where the stem meets) and
running towards the tip.
Flowers grow in clusters and are small,
greenish-white or greenish-yellow with six petals. The fruit is a
capsule in most species but can be a soft berry in some species. Their
rootstock may be very large and weigh many kilograms.
Other common names: wild Mexican yam, colic root, rheumatism root, Chinese yam, shan yao
Scientific/medical names: Dioscorea villosa, Dioscorea oppositifolia or Dioscorea opposita, Dioscorea batatas
The roots and rootstock, or rhizomes, of both types of yam are used in
herbal remedies. These plants are different from the yams and sweet
potatoes commonly eaten in North America.
History
Wild yam is a plant native to North America, Mexico and Asia.
In the 18th and 19th centuries, wild yam (Dioscorea villosa )
was used by herbalists to treat menstrual cramps and problems related
to childbirth, as well as for stomach upset and coughs.
Medicinal Uses
The part used medicinally is the root. The active compound is believed to be diosgenin.
Wild yam has been used for menstrual cramps and discomfort rheumatoid arthritis, pain from gallstones ailments.
Women in Mexico, for ages, ate the tuber of the Wild Yam
as a birth control method. Scientific research has found that the
tuber of Dioscorea does contain steroids. These same steroids were then synthetically developed and are used in
the manufacturing of birth control pills.
In the 1950s,
scientists discovered that the roots of wild yam (not to be confused
with the sweet potato yam) contain diosgenin, a phyto (derived from
plants) estrogen that can be chemically converted into progesterone, a
hormone. Diosgenin was used to make the first birth control pills in the 1960s.
Although
wild yam continues to be used for treating menstrual cramps, nausea,
and morning sickness associated with pregnancy, inflammation,
osteoporosis, menopausal symptoms, and other health conditions, there is
no evidence that it works. Indeed, several studies have found that it
has no effect at all. That is because the body cannot change diosgenin
into progesterone; it has to be done in a lab. Wild yam, by itself, does
not contain progesterone.
Early
Americans used wild yam to treat colic; another name for the plant is
colic root. Traditionally, it has been used to treat inflammation,
muscle spasms, and a range of disorders, including asthma.
Wild yam is often touted as a natural source of estrogen
Dioscorea villosa are claimed to contain human hormones and promoted as a medicine for a variety of purposes, including cancer prevention and the treatment of Chron's disease and whooping cough.
How to use it
The following are recommended adult doses for wild yam:
- Dried
herb to make tea: 1 - 2 tsp dried root to 1 cup water. Pour boiling
water over dried root, steep 3 - 5 minutes. Drink three times a day
- Tincture: 40 - 120 drops, three times a day
- Fluid extract: 10 - 40 drops, three to four times per day
- Creams: Contain 12% of wild yam extract; use as directed
Note:
Wild yam is often combined with other herbs said to have estrogen-like
effects, such as black cohosh. Creams containing wild yam, as well as
tablets and powders, may contain synthetic hormones. Check the
ingredients carefully.
What is the history behind it?
In East Indian traditional medicine, the
wild yam is used to treat sexual and hormonal problems. Chinese
herbalists have long used the herb for rheumatism, asthma, and digestive
and urinary complaints. Wild yam has also been used in American folk
medicine to treat coughs and to induce sweating and vomiting. Some
sources suggest that Native Americans and early settlers used it for its
ability to relieve intestinal spasms, which is how it got the name
colic root.
In the 1960s, progesterone and other steroid
hormones were chemically manufactured, in part using ingredients from
the Mexican wild yam. This may be the reason for the misconception that
the progesterone “precursors” in wild yam could be converted into
progesterone in the body.
Where to Find:
True
yams are restricted to tropical regions where they are an important
food crop. Look for yams in fields, clearings, and abandoned gardens.
They are found in rain forests, semi-evergreen seasonal forests, and
scrub and thorn forests in the tropics. In warm temperate areas, they
are found in seasonal hardwood or mixed hardwood-coniferous forests, as
well as some mountainous areas.
Edible Parts:
Most yams are toxic if eaten fresh. Boil the rootstock and eat it as a vegetable.
Yam
Yam is the common name for some plant species in the genus
Dioscorea (family Dioscoreaceae) that form edible tubers. These are perennial herbaceous vines cultivated for the consumption of their starchy tubers in Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Caribbean and Oceania. There are many cultivars of yam. Although some varieties of sweet potato (
Ipomoea batatas) are also called
yam in parts of the United States and Canada, it is not part of the family Dioscoreaceae; rather it is in the morning glory family Convolvulaceae.
The true yam is a versatile vegetable. It can be barbecued, roasted, fried, grilled, boiled, baked, smoked and when grated it is processed into a dessert recipe. Yams are the staple crop of the Igbo people of Nigeria, in their language it is known as
ji, and they commemorate it by having yam festivals known as
Iri-ji or
Iwa-Ji depending on the dialect.
Yams are a primary agricultural and culturally important commodity in West Africa,
where over 95 percent of the world's yam crop is harvested. Yams are
still important for survival in these regions. Some varieties of these
tubers can be stored up to six months without refrigeration, which makes
them a valuable resource for the yearly period of food scarcity at the
beginning of the wet season. Yam cultivars are also cropped in other humid tropical countries.
Yam tubers can grow up to 1.5 meters (4.9 feet) in length
an weigh u to 70 kilograms (154 lb) and 3 to 6 inches high.
