Wild Yam
Parts Usually Used
Dried root (rhizome)
Description of Plant(s) and Culture
Wild yam is a perennial vine; the long, slender, knotted, contorted, woody, tuberous rootstock is crooked and laterally branched and twining stems. Broadly ovate and cordate, the heart-shaped, leaves are from 2-6 inches long and about three-fourths as wide, glabrous on top, and finely fairy underneath on long stems. They are usually alternate, but the lower leaves sometimes grow in twos and fours.
The tiny, greenish-yellow flowers, cinnamon scented, grow on branched stalks from the axils of the leaves, male and female on separate plants, blooms during June and July, the male flowers in drooping panicles, the female in drooping spicate racemes. The fruit is a three-winged (triangular) capsule containing winged seeds. There are nearly 150 varieties of Dioscorea many of them developing edible tubers like potatoes.
An ornamental variety is D. batatas, sometimes known as the Chinese yam, the red velvet yam, or the cinnamon yam. In using D. villosa, do not confuse oriental tonic wild yams.
Where Found
Grows in the United States from Rhode Island to Minnesota, Florida and Texas. Twining in thickets, over fences, over trees and shrubs in the woods, in hedges and over bushes, the thin, woolly, reddish-brown stem grows from 5-18 feet long.
Medicinal Properties
Analgesic, antibilious, antispasmodic, aphrodisiac, diaphoretic, diuretic, expectorant, emetic, hepatic, nutritive tonic
Biochemical Information
Glycoside saponins and diosgenin, which are hormone precursors, especially progesterone and other cortical steroids that effect the female menstrual cycle and help to reduce pain.
Legends, Myths and Stories
Used to make the original contraceptive pills when synthetic hormone production was not a commercial proposition. Mexican wild yam (D. villosa) contains hormonal substances very similar to progesterone. ). Many other yams are used as a starter arterial to produce hydrocortisones for non-prescription eczema creams.
Uses
Historically, wild yam was commonly prescribed by herbalists for bilious colic, cramps, and muscle spasms, as it was considered an antispasmodic. Traditional practitioners recommended it to soothe nerve-related complaints, including neuralgia and neuritis, as well as pain in the urinary tract. Nineteenth-century herbal traditions also utilized the plant for liver and gallbladder complaints, indigestion, gastrointestinal irritations, intestinal gas, spasmodic hiccoughs, and asthma.
Additionally, the plant contains diosgenin, a compound that pharmaceutical researchers later utilized as a precursor in the industrial synthesis of steroid hormones, cortisones, and oral contraceptives. Folk traditions also associated the plant with the management of rheumatism, arthritis, and general inflammatory conditions.
How Sold
Wild yam is available as liquid extract and as a powder. The powdered form may be purchased in capsules or compressed tablets. The fluid extract can be made into tea. Creams containing wild yam are also available.
Warning
Fresh plant may induce vomiting and other undesirable side effects. In using, do not confuse oriental tonic wild yams. Care should be taken when using this herb if there is an excess of mucous or congestion in the body. Avoid large doses of D. villosa in pregnancy unless under medical supervision; may be taken during labor.
Bibliography
The Herb Book , by John Lust, Bantam Books, 666 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY. copyright 1974. , Loma Linda, CA 92354, Original copyright 1939, revised edition 1994 Indian Herbalogy of North America , by Alma R. , Horticultural Hall, 300 Massachusetts Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, 1973 The Herbalist Almanac , by Clarence Meyer, Meyerbooks, publisher, PO Box 427, Glenwood, Illinois 60425, copyright 1988, fifth printing, 1994 The Complete Medicinal Herbal , by Penelope Ody, Dorling Kindersley, Inc, 232 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016, First American Edition, copyright 1993 Eastern/Central Medicinal Plants , by Steven Foster and James A.
, Lotus Press, PO Box 325, Twin Lakes. , 15 Columbus Circle, New York, NY 10023 An Instant Guide to Medicinal Plants , by Pamela Forey and Ruth Lindsay, Crescent Books (January 27, 1992). , Special Sale Catalog, 1996 The Yoga of Herbs: An Ayurvedic Guide to Herbal Medicine , by Dr. David Frawley & Dr. Vasant Lad, Lotus Press, Twin Lakes, Wisconsin, Second edition, 1988. The Rodale Herb Book: How to Use, Grow, and Buy Nature’s Miracle Plants (An Organic gardening and farming book) , edited by William H.
Hylton, Rodale Press, Inc. , 1974