* Please Note: This information is based partly on Traditional Medicine which uses natural materials to support health. This information has not been evaluated or approved by the FDA. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). These products are intended to support general well being and are not intended to treat, diagnose, mitigate, prevent, or cure any condition or disease. If conditions persist, please seek advice from your medical doctor.
Description
Name
Discorea villosa L. (Dioscoreaceae), commonly called yams. Hundreds of different species are included under this heading. The important edible ones include D. alata and D. escfulenta (grown in Southeast Asia), D. routandatra and D. cayenensis (grown in Africa). The varieties grown in Mexico, which are of most commercial importance, are D. composita, D. mexicana and D. floribunda.
Source
The yam is a very important food, but its commercial importance derives from the fact that the molecules contained in the yams can be used by chemists to synthetically produce hormones such as testosterone and estrogens. After yams are harvested, they are chopped into small pieces and allowed to ferment for several days. They are then soaked in acid and the chemicals to be used for making hormones, called sapogenins, are extracted. Many different sapogenins exist, but the two most important ones are called diosgenin and yamogenin. Other plants rich in sapogenins are fenugreek and sisal.
History
Remedies containing saponins are generally thought to be effective expectorants, and have been used for that purpose for hundreds of years, although control clinical trials are largely lacking, as are studies that would prove claims that saponins increase the body's ability to absorb important nutrients. The herb itself was never the focus of much interest until quite recently, when it was suggested that the saponins contained in yams could prevent heart disease and relieve some of the symptoms of menopause.
Traditional Claims
Expectorant.
Commission E Recommendations
The Commission never offered an opinion on this herb.
Proven Effects
Saponins combine with cholesterol in the intestines and prevent it from being absorbed, resulting in lower blood cholesterol concentrations. This effect has been demonstrated in the laboratory and in clinical trials. Whether long-term treatment with yams is anywhere near as effective (or safe) as treatment with some of the prescription "statin" type drugs, such as Zocor™ and Mevacor™, is not known.
Although there is considerable anecdotal evidence suggesting that this herb has a positive effect on menopausal symptoms and osteoporosis, these claims have never been evaluated in a controlled trial.
Accounts in the popular press often repeat the mistaken notion that the active ingredients in birth control pills come from the wild yam. Actually, yams contain substances (diosgenin, a steroidal saponin) that are used by the drug industry as building blocks from which sex hormones can be manufactured. The latest evidence suggests that, like soy, diosgenin may have its own inherent estrogenic effects and act as a true phytoestrogen. In the complete absence of clinical trials, it is impossible to tell.
Dosage
Yams were never evaluated by Commission E and the effective dose, either for treatment of elevated cholesterol, or for use as a phytoestrogen, is not really known. Large doses are likely to cause stomach upset.
References
Marquet F, Abou el Fadil F, Boubia B, Guffroy C, Pansu D, Descroix-Vagne M. Selection of cholesterol absorption inhibitors devoid of secondary intestinal effects. Reprod Nutr Dev 1997;37(6):691-707.
Tian RH, Ohmura E, Matsui M, Noharas T. Abutiloside A, a 26-acylamino-3 beta, 16 alpha-dihydroxy-5 alpha- cholesta-22-one glycoside from Solanum abutiloides. Phytochemistry 199 7;44(4): 723-6
Wilkins AL, Miles CO, De Kock WT, Erasmus GL, Basson AT, Kellerman TS. Photosensitivity in South Africa. IX. Structure elucidation of a beta- glucosidase-treated saponin from Tribulus terrestris, and the identification of saponin chemotypes of South African T. terrestris. Onderstepoort J Vet Res 1996;63(4):327-34.
Yamada T, Hoshino M, Hayakawa T, Ohhara H, Yamada H, Nakazawa T, et al. Dietary diosgenin attenuates subacute intestinal inflammation associated with indomethacin in rats. Am J Physiol 199 7;273(2 Pt 1):G355-64.
Zava DT, Dollbaum CM, Blen M. Estrogen and progestin bioactivity of foods, herbs, and spices. Proc Soc Exp Biol Med 1998;217(3):369-78.
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Directions
Take 1 capsule, 3 times daily, with meals.
Cautions
Concerns
Saponins in large quantities can irritate the stomach, but otherwise, oral preparations, whether of yam, horse chestnut, or fenugreek, appear to be relatively harmless.
Warnings
None.
Drug Testing
None of the components of this herb should have any effect on standard workplace urine drug screening tests.
Additional Information
TerraVita is an exclusive line of premium-quality, natural source products that use only the finest, purest and most potent ingredients found around the world. TerraVita is hallmarked by the highest possible standards of purity, potency, stability and freshness. All of our products are prepared with the highest elements of quality control, from raw materials through the entire manufacturing process, up to and including the moment that the bottles or bags are sealed for freshness and shipped out to you. Our highest possible standards are certified by independent laboratories and backed by our personal guarantee.
TerraVita exists to meet and ensure your family's health and wellness without the harmful effects or chemicals and prescription medications. We strive to make all of our products affordable and reliable and are constantly searching the market to maintain our affordability and to look for new ways to serve you and the ones you love. TerraVita has become a trusted household name for many families and can bring you and yours the very best herbal supplements, blends, teas and spices that are on the market today.
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These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Products are intended to support general well being and are not intended to treat, diagnose, mitigate, prevent, or cure any condition or disease. If conditions persist, please seek advice from your medical doctor. The essence of the current American rule on Traditional Uses is, as stated by FTC, "Claims based on historical or traditional use should be substantiated by confirming scientific evidence, or should be presented in such a way that consumers understand that the sole basis for the claim is a history of use of the product for a particular purpose."
