WILD YAM: Overview, Uses, Side Effects, Precautions, Interactions, Dosing and Reviews (2024)

FAQs

What are the side effects of taking wild yams? ›

When taken by mouth: Wild yam is possibly safe when used for up to 12 weeks. It's usually well tolerated, but taking large amounts might cause vomiting, upset stomach, and headache. When applied to the skin: Wild yam is possibly safe when applied to the skin.

Although herbalists continue to use wild yam to treat menstrual cramps, nausea and morning sickness, inflammation, osteoporosis, menopausal symptoms, and other health conditions, there's no evidence to show it works for these uses. Several studies have found that it has no effect at all.

Potential medicinal uses for wild yam include the treatment of menopause symptoms, rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes, and muscular cramps. Wild yam is a plant that people have used for centuries in alternative medicine.

Other drugs may interact with wild yam, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal products. Tell each of your health care providers about all medicines you use now and any medicine you start or stop using.

Topical preparations of wild yam extract are relatively free from adverse effects. Based on a single study in rats, oral D. villosa should be avoided in people with compromised renal function.

After 3 months of treatment, no significant side-effects were reported with either active treatment or placebo, and there were no changes in weight, systolic or diastolic blood pressure, or levels of total serum cholesterol, triglyceride, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, FSH, glucose, estradiol, or serum or ...

The disadvantage of wild yam tuber is the occurrence of toxic cyanogenic compounds. Bradbury et al. [18] revealed cyanogenic compounds composed of hydrogen cyanide (HCN), acetone cyanohydrin, and cyanogenic glycoside.

Wild yam is also used for treating a disorder of the intestines called diverticulosis, gallbladder pain, rheumatoid arthritis, and for increasing energy.

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.

Can wild yam help with hair growth? ›

Yams also help keep the scalp healthy by promoting blood circulation. Yams contain iron which help red blood cells carry oxygen to the scalp and help with consistent blood circulation. Low levels of iron are linked to loss of hair in men and women, so regular use of Yams can yield hair growth.

Wild Yam (dioscorea villosa) has been used in different forms and in many cultures for centuries to reduce inflammation and skin irritations.

Children, women who are pregnant or breastfeeding, and people with protein S deficiency — a genetic disorder that increases your risk of blood clots — are also encouraged to steer clear of wild yam root because of insufficient safety information (22, 23 ).

Also known as: Dioscorea composita, barbasco, China root, yuma, colic root, devil's bones, rheumatism root. Potential uses: Wild yam is a phytoestrogen. It's claimed that taking wild yam orally can relieve vagin*l dryness and that wild yam cream can relieve hot flashes. Usual dose: There is no typical dose.

Most DHEA supplements are produced in laboratories from diosgenin, a plant sterol extracted from Mexican wild yams (Dioscorea villosa). Some extracts from wild yams are marketed as "natural DHEA." Advertisers claim that these "natural" extracts are converted into DHEA by the body. But this is not true.

Yams are not only an excellent source of fiber but also high in potassium and manganese, which are important for supporting bone health, growth, metabolism, and heart function ( 3 , 4 ). These tubers also provide decent amounts of other micronutrients, such as copper and vitamin C.