Wild yam's medicinal benefits have long been recognized by herbalists and
pharmaceutical manufacturers alike. In the 18th and 19th
centuries, this herb was used 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, rootlike
parts, of wild yams (not to be confused with the sweet potato yam) contain
diosgenin, a steroid-like substance that can be converted into the female
hormone progesterone. Diosgenin has served a key role in the synthesis 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, and nausea and morning sickness associated with
pregnancy, as well as inflammation, spasm, and other health conditions.
Plant Description
Wild yam (Dioscorea villosa) is native to Canada and the southern
United States. 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 sideways
branches of long creeping runners. The thin reddish-brown stems grow to a length
of 5 to 12 meters. The roots initially taste starchy, but soon after taste
bitter and acrid.
The wild yam plant has clusters of small, drooping green-white to
green-yellow flowers. The heart-shaped leaves are long and broad and
long-stemmed, with prominent veins. The upper surface of the leaves is smooth
while the underside is downy.
Parts Used
The dried rhizome with roots are used in commercial preparations.
Medicinal Uses/Indications
Wild yam is used to treat the following conditions and symptoms.
- Menstrual cramps
- Nausea
- Intestinal colic
- Inflammation
- Spasm
- Rheumatoid arthritis
- Gallbladder colic
This plant also produces sweat and stimulates the flow of bile to the
duodenum, a part of the small intestine.
Available Forms
Wild yam is available as liquid extract and powdered tuber products.
How to Take It
The following are recommended doses for wild yam.
- Dried herb: 1 to 2 tsp. three times a day
- Tincture: 2 to 4 ml three times a day
Precautions
Overdosing can be potentially poisonous because a substance within wild yam
can be toxic.
Possible Interactions
No harmful drug interactions have been reported.
Supporting Research
Aikman L. Nature's Healing Arts: From Folk Medicine to Modern Drugs.
Washington, DC: National Geographic Society; 1977:186-189, 196.
Arvigo R, Balick M. Rainforest Remedies: One Hundred Healing Herbs
of Belize. Twin Lakes, Wis: Lotus Press; 1993: 194-195.
British Herbal Pharmacopoeia. 4th ed. Great Britain: Biddles Ltd,
Guildford and King's Lynn; 1996:187.
Dorland's Illustrated Medical Dictionary. 25th ed. Philadelphia, Pa:
W.B. Saunders; 1974.
Duke JA. The Green Pharmacy. New York, NY: St Martin's Press;
1997:111, 209-210, 352
Duke JA. Phytochemical Database, USDA–ARS–NGRL, Beltsville Agricultural
Research Center, Md. Available at:
www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/duke/farmacy2.pl
Duke J, Vasquez R. Amazonian Ethnobotanical Dictionary. Boca Raton,
Fla: CRC Press; 1994:66-67.
Etkin N, ed. Plants in Indigenous Medicine and Diet: Biobehavioral
Approaches. Bedford Hills, NY: Redgrave Publishing; 1986: 131-150.
Grieve M. A Modern Herbal. Vol. II. New York, NY: Dover; 1971:863.
Gruenwald J, Brendler T, Jaenicke C. PDR for Herbal Medicines.
Montvale, NJ: Medical Economics Company; 1998:809-810.
Mabberley DJ. The Plant-Book: A Portable Dictionary of the Higher
Plants. England: Cambridge University Press; 1987: 185
N/A
Thomson WA, ed. Medicines from the Earth: A Guide to Healing Plants.
Maidenhead, England: McGraw-Hill Book Company; 1978:61.
Vasiukova N, Paseshnichenko V, Davydova M, Chalenko G. Pharmacological
evaluation of Dioscorea dumetorum tuber used in traditional antidiabetic
therapy. J Ethnopharmacol. 1986;15(ISS 2):133-144.
Copyright © 2000 Integrative Medicine
Communications
The publisher does not accept any responsibility for the
accuracy of the information or the consequences arising from the application,
use, or misuse of any of the information contained herein, including any injury
and/or damage to any person or property as a matter of product liability,
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to the contents of this material. No claims or endorsements are made for any
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not intended as a guide to self-medication. The reader is advised to discuss the
information provided here with a doctor, pharmacist, nurse, or other authorized
healthcare practitioner and to check product information (including package
inserts) regarding dosage, precautions, warnings, interactions, and
contraindications before administering any drug, herb, or supplement discussed
herein.
