Wild yam

Wild yam/Nutrient Depletion:

  • GlucoseGlucose: It is unclear to what extent serum glucose is lowered by Dioscorea villosa (wild yam), if at all. Although dioscoretine, a component of the related species Dioscorea dumentorum (Bitter or African yam), has been shown to lower blood glucose in rabbits, this reaction has not been demonstrated for D. villosa, and has not been documented in humans (12). Nonetheless, caution is warranted.
  • LipidsLipids: Diosgenin, the purported active constituent of wild yam, has been found in animals to decrease intestinal cholesterol absorption and reduce total serum cholesterol levels (13; 14; 15; 16; 17; 18; 22; 19; 20; 2; 2; 18). Preliminary human evidence from case studies and animal studies demonstrates reductions in low density lipoprotein (LDL) and triglycerides, and increases in high density lipoprotein (HDL) (despite a lack of change in total serum cholesterol) (3; 21; 22).