Herbs - Wild Yam

 

Wild Yam, Dried

(also referred to as...)

Colic Root, Rheumatism Root

Latin Name: Dioscorea villosa

Family: Dioscoreaceae

 
Description

There are over 150 varieties of this plant and most of them are edible. Since its medicinal value is lost after one year, wild yam should be collected and prepared fresh every year. Until 1970, diosgenin (a female hormone precursor) derived from the mexican wild yam was the only source of the hormone material used to make the contraceptive pill. Today, it is still occasionally used as the start-up material in the manufacturing of steroidal preparations such as cortisone, sex hormones, "the pill", and anabolic hormones.

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