Wu WH, Liu LY, Chung CJ, et al. Estrogenic effect of yam ingestion in healthy postmenopausal women. J Am Coll Nutr 2005;24:235-43. View abstract. Additionally, the outer bark of the yam roots is full of saponin. Saponin is a compound that is thought to help with fighting inflammation and can contribute to healthy gut flora. It can even help your pelvic and abdominal muscles relax. 8. Yams Can Potentially Improve Blood Sugar Levels

Cu: Although Cu is widely distributed in a variety of foods, it is present in cultivated yam powders of about 3.7±0.3 μg/g on average with the reasonably small range of 2.2~5.2 μg Cu/g yam powders.

Cayen, M. N., Ferdinandi, E. S., Greselin, E., and Dvornik, D. Studies on the disposition of diosgenin in rats, dogs, monkeys and man. Atherosclerosis 1979;33(1):71-87. View abstract. Uchida, K., Takase, H., Nomura, Y., Takeda, K., Takeuchi, N., and Ishikawa, Y. Changes in biliary and fecal bile acids in mice after treatments with diosgenin and beta-sitosterol. J Lipid Res 1984;25(3):236-245. View abstract. International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Pathology: "Diosgenin inhibits IL-1β-induced expression of inflammatory mediators in human osteoarthritis chondrocy Consuming wild yam is rare due to its bitter taste. However, it is available in a variety of formulations, including:

Chinese yams. This species of yam is native to China. This species can grow in more temperate climates than other yams. Unlike other types of yams, Chinese yams are non-toxic when eaten raw. The dietary yam (mainly Dioscorea batatas, D. batatas) is widely distributed and cultivated in East Asia, including Korea, China, Japan and Taiwan etc ( 1). Plants of the genus D. batatas have long been used in foods and oriental folk medicine. As the photochemical constituents, yam ( D. batatas) components are composed of such as many polysaccharide, mannose-binding lectin, steroidal saponin, phenanthrene derivatives, and diosgenin etc ( 2). Many studies reported that yam ( Dioscorea alata) has various beneficial activities and nutritional superiority compared with other tropical root crops ( 3). The tubers were found to have high amounts of protein with a good proportion of essential amino acids and appeared as fairly good sources or many dietary minerals ( 4). Yam is composed mainly of starch (75~84% of the dry weight) with small amounts of proteins, lipids and most vitamins and is very rich in minerals ( 5, 6). The average crude protein content of seven yam cultivars was 7.4%, which was higher than those reported for other tropical roots, and the protein from yam also showed a better amino acid balance for human nutrition ( 7– 9). In addition all these beneficial activities of yam, our previous study suggested that yam biocompound diosgenin has the potential to increase osteogenic activity using the experimental model of mouse osteoblasts MC3T3-E1 cells ( 10).

There are over 600 species of wild yams. About 12 species are edible. Some people use wild yam as a source of steroids, but the body can't make steroids such as estrogen and DHEA from eating wild yam. This conversion has to be done in a lab. There might be other chemicals in wild yam that act like estrogen in the body. That said, these products are not regulated by the FDA, and manufacturers are not required to disclose the amount of wild yam root extract that their products include.

Chronic inflammation is linked to an increased risk of various conditions, such as heart disease, diabetes, and obesity ( 20, 21, 22).

Although sweet potatoes and yams are considered healthy and safe foods to consume for most people, it may be wise to follow certain precautions. Instead, diosgenin requires chemical reactions that can only take place in a laboratory setting to convert it into steroids like progesterone, estrogen, and DHEA ( 3). Konnyaku can even be used to make lasagna. The jelly can easily be shaped into thin sheets that can be used as a lasagna layer. Symptoms of menopause. Applying wild yam cream to the skin doesn't seem to help symptoms such as hot flashes and night sweats. It also doesn't seem to affect levels of hormones that play a role in menopause.

They are an extremely robust vegetable. Their long shelf life allows them to be sold year-round. If stored correctly in a cool, dry place, they can keep for up to 2–3 months. Small amounts of wild yam root supplements appear safe to ingest, but larger doses could cause vomiting ( 22).

You can also submerge it in water and store it in the fridge for 1-2 weeks. What are konnyaku’s health benefits? Some traditional medicine practitioners suggest using wild yam as an alternative to estrogen replacement therapy for treating symptoms of menopause. The theory is that wild yam may increase or stabilize estrogen levels in the body to help relieve a person’s symptoms.