The parts of this plant used medicinally are the root and the rhizome. Wild Yam has a long history of both medicinal and culinary use. This valuable herb was at one time the sole source of chemicals that were originally used as the raw materials for contraceptive hormone manufacture.
Wild Yam has been known to nourish, in particular, the female reproductive system. Not to be confused with tuberous sweet potato yam, Wild Yam is widely used in the world today to supply nutrients essential for optimal glandular function. It nutritionally benefits the urinary, nervous and respiratory systems, too. In herbal medicine, Wild Yam is a remedy that can be used to relieve intestinal colic, soothe diverticulitis, and ease dysmenorrhea, ovarian & uterine pain, as listed by the British Herbal Pharmacopoeia.
Wild Yam is a unique Mexican herb that contains powerful "estrogen-like" phytochemicals. These constituents help the female body maintain a healthy balance in order to feel better throughout the changes and fluctuations that come naturally with age . Early Americans used wild yam to treat colic; hence, the term colic root. Traditionally, it has been used to treat inflammation, muscle spasms and a range of disorders including asthma. Related species of Dioscorea are used in the Amazon and in central America to treat conditions including fever, urinary tract infections, colds, rheumatism (joint and muscle related conditions), arthritis, hemorrhoids, boils, and dysentery.
In the 18th and 19th centuries, wild yam ( Dioscorea villosa ) was used by herbalists to treat menstrual cramps and problems related to childbirth. The subsequent discovery of a substance contained in wild yams revolutionized the pharmaceutical industry. The tubers, or fleshy, root-like parts, of wild yams (not to be confused with the sweet potato yam) contain diosgenin, a steroid-like substance that is involved in the production of the hormone progesterone. Diosgenin has served a key role in the making of hormones and the development of the birth control pill, two of the major advances in plant drug medicine this century. 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.
Research Study
Dioscorea oposita, a bean-like perennial climber with long tuberous roots, is commonly called "chinese yam" or "wild yam", and grows mainly in East Asia (China, Korea, and Japan). A number of Dioscorea variants also grow over the world. Flowers of Dioscorea are dioecious (opposite of hermaphrodite), and bloom in September and October. Dioscorea oposita root has been used in Asia for millennia as a tonic herb, and are mainly cultivated in China and Korea for medicinal purposes. Elsewhere in the world, a variety of wild yams have been used as food and herbal medicine to treat rheumatism and arthritis, and also as a cardiotonic. Dioscorea root has saponins, choline, protein, starch, mucilage, fat, sugar, amino acids, amylase (enzyme), phytic acid, mannan, allantoin, vitamin C, beta-carotene, chromium, cobalt, dioscin, dioscorin, diosgenin, iron, magnesium, manganese, niacin, riboflavin, selenium, silicon, thiamin, and zinc, among others
Effects
Wild Yam has long been used for its benefits in women's reprocutive health, including premenstrual syndrome and menopausal problems.
Wild Yam is also considered a remedy for rheumatism, gallbladder problems, cramps, nerve pain, painful menstruation, upset stomach, and morning sickness, but its effectiveness for these problems remains to be confirmed.
- Asthma
- Common Cold
- Diabetes Mellitus
- Hemorrhoids
- Infantile Colic
- Menopause
- Menstrual Pain
- Osteoporosis
- Rheumatoid Arthritis
More about Wild Yam Extract
Wild Yam is also beneficial in treating arthritis , rheumatism and muscle spasms . Other uses for Wild Yam include easing digestion , by dilating vessels and stimulating bile flow, and contributing to the reduction of cholesterol and blood pressure levels. Also known as colic root, wild yam is a twining, tuberous vine native to North America. It is one of an estimated 600 species of yam in the genus Dioscorea, many of them wild species that flourish in damp woodlands and thickets. Wild yam is a perennial, twining vine with pale brown, knotty, woody cylindrical rootstocks, or tubers. The rootstocks are crooked, and bear horizontal branches of long creeping runners. The thin reddish-brown stems grow to a length of over 30 feet. The roots initially taste starchy, but soon after taste bitter and acrid.
Traditional Remedy
Menopause and Osteoporosis
While the diosgenin found in wild yam created quite a stir in the 1990s as a cure for menopausal disorders and other symptoms of aging in women, the plant itself has no proven hormonal action, nor have any studies shown it to be effective in treating hormone related disorders. It is true that diosgenin can be converted into steroidal compounds, which are then used in the chemical synthesis of progesterone, but this is in the laboratory-not in the human body. There is essentially no scientific evidence of wild yam's effectiveness in treating menopausal symptoms or osteoporosis. Although many individuals claim relief of symptoms such as vaginal dryness with the use of progesterone creams, some of which contain an extract of Dioscorea villosa , no well-designed studies have evaluated these creams. Moreover, many products that claim to contain natural progesterone actually contain synthetic medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA).
The following are recommended adult doses for wild yam:
- Dried herb to make tea: 1 to 2 tsp dried root to 1 cup water. Pour boiling water over dried root, steep 3 to 5 minutes. Drink three times a day
- Tincture: 40 to 120 drops, three times a day
- Fluid extract: 10 to 40 drops, three to four times per day
References
Accatino L, Pizarro M, Solis N, Koenig C. Effects of diosgenin, a plant derived steroid, on bile secretion and hepatocellular cholestasis induced by estrogens in the rat. Hepatology . 1998;28(1):129-140.
Bone K, Mill S, eds. Principles and Practices of Phytotherapy, Modern Herbal Medicine . London: Churchill Livingstone; 2000.
British Herbal Pharmacopoeia . 4th ed. Great Britain: Biddles Ltd, Guildford and King's Lynn; 1996:187.
Duke JA. Phytochemical Database, USDA-ARS-NGRL, Beltsville Agricultural Research Center, Md. Accessed April 9, 2002 at: www.ars-grin.gov/duke/
Foster S, Tyler VE. Tyler's Honest Herbal . Binghamton, NY: The Haworth Herbal Press; 2000:381-382.
Gruenwald J, Brendler T, Jaenicke C. PDR for Herbal Medicines . 2 nd ed. Montvale, NJ: Medical Economics Company; 2000:817-818.
Komesaroff PA, Black CV, Cable V, Sudhir K. Effects of wild yam extract on menopausal symptoms, lipids and sex hormones in healthy menopausal women. Climacteric . 2001;4(2):144-150.
Robbers JE, Tyler VE. Tyler's Herbs of Choice: The Therapeutic Use of Phytomedicinals . New York, NY: The Haworth Herbal Press;1999:187-188.
Taylor M. Alternatives to conventional hormone replacement therapy. Compr Ther . 1997;23(8):514-532.White L, Mavor S. Kids, Herbs, Health . Loveland, Colo: Interweave Press;
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