Wild Yam Root Information

The wild yam root is a fascinating plant with a rich history in North America. Used by some earlier cultures as a coffee substitute, the rhizomes and roots of the wild yam plant are used today by the pharmaceutical industry to manufacture a synthetic form of the female hormone progesterone.

Description

• The wild yam root plant has alternating leaves with fuzzy or hairy undersides. The leaves are oval-shaped and between 5 and 10 cm long. The leaves come to a sharp point at their top. The leaves' veins are palmate, which means they extend out like the lines in the palm of your hands. Wild yam root plants are herbaceous and reproduce via insect and wind pollination. Wild yam root produces small, six-petal flowers during the summer months. This plant should not be confused with the sweet potato yam.

Geography

• The wild yam root plant is native to North America and grows in the wild across most of the continental East Coast and central regions of the United States. It can also be found in Puerto Rico and is a native plant species in China. Wild yam root prefers a moist environment and grows in the open spaces of thickets, forests, trailing over nearby shrubs and along the road sides.

Species

• The scientific name for the wild yam root plant is Dioscorea villosa. Dioscorea is the yam family of plants consisting of more than 600 species. Dioscorea is named after a Greek naturalist. The word "villosa" means "hairy" in Latin. Also commonly called colic root, rheumatism root and devil's-bones, the wild yam plant has several varieties including Dioscorea villosa var. hirticaulis and Dioscorea villosa var. glabrifolia.

History

• Native Americans used the wild yam's roots for pain relief from labor contractions during childbirth. Native Hawaiians used wild yam root plants as food. A drink was prepared and used to treat general malaise, over-heating and excessive perspiration. Herbalists used wild yam to treat menstrual cramps and difficulties with childbirth during the 18th and 19th centuries. During the 1950s scientists identified diosgenin, a plant form of estrogen that can be synthesized to produce progesterone, as the wild yam's active ingredient. Diosgenin was used to manufacture the first birth control pill during the 1960s.

Medicinal Uses

• Although herbalists still use wild yam root today to treat premenstrual syndrome and symptoms associated with menopause, there is no scientific evidence that indicates wild yam root is an effective treatment. Actually, studies suggest that the body is not able to naturally convert diosgenin into progesterone; it has to be synthesized in a laboratory. Wild yam root is available commercially in power and liquid extract forms. Topical creams made from wild yam root extracts are also available.