GENERAL DESCRIPTION:
Wild yam, a native of North and Central America, has been used to treat gastrointestinal upset, nerve pain, and morning sickness.
ROLE FOR ANTI-AGING:
In 1940 an American scientist found that a
species of Mexican wild yam contained a steroid precursor known as diosgenin, which could be
used in the manufacture of synthetic hormone products such
as birth control pills, testosterone, progesterone creams
and other medicine. Today the herb is used to make “natural hormone” creams and other remedies for
women seeking relief from uterine pain, PMS, menopausal
symptoms and various other gynecological conditions.
Diosgenin can definitely be used in a laboratory
to make sex hormones, but the human body
cannot convert diosgenin into hormones, and diosgenin
apparently can’t produce hormonal effects on its own. Thus,
wild yam’s ability to provide “natural progesterone”
and to regulate hormone production is
controversial, even among herbalists. Experts have theorized
that diosgenin (or another compound in the yam) has other
therapeutic, non-hormone-related effects on the body. Scientists recently tested a wild yam
extract to determine if it increased blood levels of a
compound of dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA): after three weeks
of dioscorea supplementation, researchers found no effect on levels of DHEA. The researchers
did find, however, that dioscorea has significant
antioxidant activity and was associated with
increased levels of the “good” HDL
cholesterol and reduced levels of
triglycerides. Wild yam is also considered to be a strong antispasmodic and has antiinflammatory
properties.
THERAPEUTIC DAILY AMOUNT:
Wild yam products come in capsules, liquids,
extracts and topical creams and gels. An average dose of an extract standardized for 10
percent diosgenin is 200mg.
MAXIMUM SAFE LEVEL: Not established
SIDE EFFECTS/CONTRAINDICATIONS:
A number of experts recommend that Wild Yam should not be used by people with hormone- sensitive conditions, for example certain types of
breast cancer. Although the herb has been used as a
treatment for morning sickness, pregnant or nursing women
should only take Wild yam under a doctor’s guidance.
