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Habitat
Wild Yam is a perennial climbing vine
native to Eastern N. America from New England to Minnesota and
Ontario, south to Florida and Texas. Most common in the central and
southern United States Wild Yam is found growing in damp woods and
swamps, thickets, roadside fences and hedges.
Cultivation
Wild Yam is easy from root cuttings
taken in the winter or late fall. Tubercles or baby tubers can be
found in the leaf axils in late summer and early autumn. These
should be taken when about pea size and easily fall away from the
vine. They should be planted immediately in individual pots and kept
inside till spring. Wild yam prefers sandy to loamy medium,
well-drained, moist soils and requires partial shade. |
Wild Yam Description
The plant is a
trailing vine climbing over adjacent shrubs and bushes, growing to a
length of 15 feet or more with a smooth, reddish-brown stem and
heart-shaped long petioled leaves from 2 to 6 inches long and 1 to 4
inches wide. Leaves have very prominent veins which run lengthwise from
the center top of the heart shape out into a fan pattern. They are usually
alternate, but sometimes grow in twos and fours near the base of the
plant. The root runs horizontally beneath the surface of the ground, it is
long, branched, crooked, and woody, forming tubers which are light brown
outside and white fibrous inside. The small, greenish-yellow flowers are
produced in drooping clusters about 3 to 6 inches long (male) and in
drooping, spike-like heads (female), blooming from June to August. Gather
tubers and roots in fall, dry for later herb use. Not to be stored for
longer than 1 year.
Wild Yam Herbal Use and Medicinal
Properties
Wild Yam is edible and medicinal, though
said to be bland, when cooked with seasoning it is tasty. Used for
centuries as a medicinal herb by the Aztec and Myan peoples for a wide
range of ailments including many female problems and to relieve the pain
of child birth. Research indicates that this is a powerful
alternative medicine containing many steroidal saponins, mainly Dioscin
which is widely used to manufacture progesterone and other steroid drugs
used as contraceptives and in the treatment of various disorders of the
genitary organs as well as in other diseases such as asthma and arthritis.
Other constituents Phytosterols (beta-sitosterol), alkaloids and Tannins
make this plant useful as an antiinflammatory, antispasmodic, cholagogue,
diaphoretic and vasodilator. A decoction of the root is used to alleviate
many of the symptoms of menopause and PMS such as hot flashes, night
sweats, mood changes, and vaginal dryness. It is also used to treat
irritable bowel syndrome, gastritis, gall bladder complaints, spasmodic
cramps, painful menstruation, and in small doses is especially helpful in
treating the nausea of pregnant women.
Wild Yam Recipe
Decoction: Place 8oz. chopped root in
nonmetallic sauce pan, cover with water and bring to boil, reduce heat
simmer for 20 to 30 min. Strain and store in refrigerator. Take in ½ cup
doses twice a day.
Karen's Comments about Wild Yam
"Although common in the woodlands in my part of Middle
Tennessee; Wild Yam is listed as endangered by
United Plant Savers and should never be harvested from natural
habitat. In my experience wild yam rootlets planted in pots immediately
after harvesting from destroyed forest habitat will die back within a dew
days. However if kept in gallon pots with potting soil in shade and
watered every other day they will spring back up after about three weeks."
"Conservation of habitat
is needed to ensure the future of our wild medicinal plants. Also of
interest is another yam species used in Chinese medicine, Dioscoreaceae
batatas is considered a noxious weed in Tennessee and thrives in full sun
and spreads like an ivy. It puts on little potato like tubers in fall that
hang in bunches from the stem, from that comes the common name of "air
potatoes". They are edible and actually quite tasty. I learned of its use
in Chinese medicine from Joe Hollis at the Long Hungry Creek Herb
Conference in October of 99.I love this plant simply for its beautiful
appearance in my shade garden." K Bergeron
Article by Deb Jackson & Karen Bergeron
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