Wild Yam: All the Health Benefits
October 27, 2021Wild yam (Dioscorea villosa L.), also known as colic root, devil’s bones, American yam, and four leaf yam, is a flowering plant with dark green vines and leaves that is native to North America. The tuberous roots of this plant have been used in traditional herbal medicine for centuries to treat upset stomachs, coughs, and menstrual cramps.
Today, wild yam root is used as a remedy for relieving symptoms associated with menopause and premenstrual syndrome (PMS). It is also a common ingredient used in topical creams used for pain relief.
What Is Wild Yam Used For?
Wild yam root is primarily used as an herbal supplement for women’s hormonal health and other related women’s health issues. We use wild yam as one of the primary ingredients in our Happy Hormones Tonic, an herbal supplement for women that helps to restore hormonal balance and relieve symptoms associated with menopause and PMS. Wild yam root is also used for muscular pain, cramps, arthritis and for regulating blood sugar.
What are the Health Benefits of Wild Yam?
Wild yam root has a number of potential benefits. It is most commonly used for its benefits on women’s health, but wild yam has many other benefits as well.
Wild Yam is Used for Women’s Hormonal Health
Wild yam root is most commonly associated with its beneficial effect on women’s hormonal health. It has been used for this purpose traditionally in folk medicine, and there has been some scientific research that supports this traditional use.
Wild yam root is used in alternative medicine as an alternative to estrogen replacement therapy for alleviating symptoms of conditions associated with hormonal imbalances, such as PMS, low sex drive, infertility, and weakened bones.
Wild yam root contains a natural plant steroid compound called diosgenin that can be manipulated by scientists to produce steroids, such as progesterone, estrogen, and cortisone, for medical uses. Some research suggests that wild yam root has benefits similar to these steroids produced naturally in your body, providing a natural alternative to progesterone creams or estrogen therapy. However, more research is required before anything conclusive can be stated about these potential properties.
Wild Yam May Improve Fertility
Because of wild yam's hormone-like effects, it may have be able to improve fertility. There are many things that could contribute to infertility issues, though hormonal imbalances are a significant factor. Wild yam may help soothe oviductal and fallopian tube spasms that can prevent conception, and may help to optimize estrogen levels.
Wild Yam is Used for Menopause
Wild yam root is often used for alleviating menopause symptoms, such as night sweats and hot flashes. This is thought to be a result of the chemical compound disogenin found in wild yam.
Wild Yam is Used for Reducing Inflammation
Inflammation is an important healing function of the body. It helps your body fight foreign invaders and also has a role in repairing damage. Without inflammation, pathogens like bacteria could take over your body and kill you. Although acute, short-term inflammation is beneficial, it can become a major problem when it becomes chronic and inappropriately attacks your body's own tissues.
Chronic inflammation can be caused by a number of factors—exposure to toxins, pollutants, and chemicals in the air or in food, untreated illness or infection, consuming high amounts of sugar and high-fructose corn syrup, consuming a lot of refined carbs, such as white bread, eating processed and packaged foods that contain trans fats, excessive intake of alcohol and processed meat, leading a sedentary or non-active lifestyle, and many others. There are also some cases of chronic inflammation that don’t have a clear underlying cause. When prolonged, chronic inflammation can negative impact on your tissues and organs.
In fact, scientists now believe that chronic, low-level inflammation plays a major role in almost every chronic, Western disease. Therefore, anything that can help fight chronic inflammation is of potential importance in preventing and even treating these diseases.
Wild yam root contains some anti-inflammatory compounds that can help to reduce overall inflammation in the body. Interestingly, in one 30-day study in mice, researchers found that orally administering 91 mg of wild yam extract per pound of body weight each day significantly reduced markers of inflammation — and when given two of these doses, it helped reduce nerve pain in the mice.
Wild Yam is Used for Skin health
Anti-aging skin creams often use wild yam as an ingredient due to its hormone-mimicking properties. Studies have found that the compound diosgenin may encourage the growth of new skin cells, which could have anti-aging effects. Diosgenin may also have a depigmenting effect, helping clear up sun spots.
Wild Yam is Used for Regulating Blood Sugar
Some people use wild yam root as an herbal supplement for regulating blood sugar. Studies on this use are also promising. Diosgenin extract was found in one animal study to significantly reduce blood sugar levels and help prevent kidney injury induced by diabetes.
What are the Active Compounds in Wild Yam?
The medicinal properties of plants are attributed to the bioactive compounds found within them. The primary active constituent of wild yam root is the steroidal compound diosgenin. Other active constituents of wild yam include the steroidal saponins dioscin and gracilin and soquinuclidine alkaloids such as dioscorine and tannins.
Is Wild Yam Safe?
Wild yam has been used safely as an herbal remedy for several centuries in folk medicine. However, it has not yet been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for safety and efficacy.
Studies on wild yam’s safety are limited, however research indicates that it is generally safe to consume for most people. However, in some people, larger doses of wild yam have caused vomiting.
Due to potential hormone interactions, people with conditions like uterine fibroids or endometriosis should avoid wild yam root products. Children and women who are pregnant or breastfeeding should also avoid wild yam because of its effects on hormones and because of insufficient safety information for these groups.
As with any new herbal supplement, you should consult with your healthcare provider before use to see if it is a good fit for you.
Summary
Wild yam (Dioscorea villosa L.), also known as colic root, devil’s bones, American yam, and four leaf yam, is a flowering plant with dark green vines and leaves that is native to North America. The tuberous roots of this plant have been used in traditional herbal medicine for centuries to treat upset stomachs, coughs, and menstrual cramps.
Today, wild yam root is used as a remedy for relieving symptoms associated with menopause and premenstrual syndrome (PMS). It is also a common ingredient used in topical creams used for pain relief.
Wild yam root contains a plant steroid compound called diosgenin that can be manipulated to produce natural steroids, such as progesterone, estrogen, and cortisone for medical use. Some research suggests that wild yam root has benefits similar to those offered by these steroids in your body. However, more research is required before anything conclusive can be stated about these potential properties.
Wild yam root has numerous benefits. It is primarily used for supporting women’s hormonal health and reducing symptoms related to menopause, but it is also used for improving fertility, reducing inflammation, alleviating pain, treating arthritis, improving skin health and regulating blood sugar levels.
We use wild yam root as one of the primary ingredients in our Happy Hormones Tonic, an herbal supplement for women that helps to restore hormonal balance and relieve symptoms associated with menopause and PMS. The herbs in this formula work synergistically to help balance hormones, regulate the menstrual cycle, provide PMS relief, and regulate and support the health of the endocrine system. Our master herbalist has formulated this product using only wildcrafted, organic, and biodynamically grown herbs, ensuring the highest quality and integrity that we can offer. We also do not use any toxic chemicals, fillers, or preservatives in any of our products.
Hormones play a major role in our health, our mood, and in many areas of our life. Wild yam root is a great herb for women’s hormonal health and may be able to help restore hormonal balance in women.
References:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11428178/
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http://beta.floranorthamerica.org/Dioscorea_villosa
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