Dioscorea villosa

Prime Health Channel. (2014). Wild Yam. Retrieved from: http://www.primehealthchannel.com/wild-yam.html

Botanical Name: Dioscorea villosa
Common name: Wild Yam (Hoffmann, 2003, p. 543)
Family: Dioscorea (Bone, 2003, p. 464)
Parts used: Root and rhizome (Braun & Cohen, 2010, p. 1024)

History/Folklore: Once the herb was used as a source of diosgenin used to produce artifical progesterone in the manufacturing of contraceptive hormones (Hoffmann, 2003, p. 543; Braun & Cohen, 2010, p. 1024). It is to be noted that the conversion of diogensin needed to produce progesterone cannot occur in the human body and therefore Wild Yam is not a source of progesterone (Braun & Cohen, 2010, p. 1024).

 

Constituents: Diosgensin, dioscin, dioscorin, vitamin C, beta-carotene, Vitamins B₁ and B₃, iron, magnesium, potassium, selenium, zinc and polyphenols (Braun & Cohen, 2010, p. 1024).

 

Actions

• Antispasmodic (Hoffmann, 2003, p. 543)
• Anti-inflammatory (Hoffmann, 2003, p. 543; Bone, 2003, p. 464)
• Antirheumatic (Hoffmann, 2003, p. 543)
• Hepatic (Hoffmann, 2003, p. 543)
• Cholagogue (Hoffmann, 2003, p. 543; Braun & Cohen, 2010, p. 1024)
• Diaphoretic (Hoffmann, 2003, p. 543)

 

Indications

• Intestinal colic (Hoffmann, 2003, p. 543)
• Bilous colic (Hoffmann, 2003, p. 543)
• Diverticulitis (Hoffmann, 2003, p. 543)
• Dysmenorrhea (Hoffmann, 2003, p. 543)
• Neuralgic dysmenorrheal (Hoffmann, 2003, p. 543)
• Ovarian neuralgia (Hoffmann, 2003, p. 543)
• Ovarian and uterus pain (Hoffmann, 2003, p. 543)
• Acute phase of rheumatoid arthritis (Hoffmann, 2003, p. 543; Bone, 2003, p. 464)
• Pains of pregnancy and associated nausea and vomiting (Hoffmann, 2003, p. 543)
• Alleviation of menopausal symptoms (Bone, 2003, p. 464)

 

Dosage & Preparation:

• Decoction of dried root (2-3g/tds)
• 1:5 Tincture (2-10mL/tds) (Braun & Cohen, 2010, p. 1025)
• 3-6mL liquid extract (1:2)/day or 20-40mL/week (Bone, 2003, p. 464)

 

Cautions: Due to saponin content, may cause irritation of gastric mucosa (Bone, 2003, p. 464)

 

Combinations:

• For intestinal colic: combines with Acorus calamus, Matricaria chamomilla and Zinziber officinale.
• For rheumatoid arthritis: combines with Actaea racemosa (Hoffmann, 1990, p. 241)