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Wild Yam

Dioscorea villosa

also known as colic root

Moderate (traditional) — important to clarify what wild yam does and does not do

A North American climbing vine whose root has a long traditional use for menstrual cramps, digestive complaints, and joint pain. Wild yam contains diosgenin, a plant compound that pharmaceutical chemists used in the 1940s as a starting point to synthesize progesterone, cortisone, and birth control hormones in the lab. But the body cannot do this same conversion — wild yam itself does not produce hormones in the body, despite extensive marketing claims to the contrary.

  • Traditional use for menstrual cramps and painful periods — the antispasmodic effect is the genuine traditional use
  • Long traditional use for digestive cramping and irritable bowel-type complaints
  • Mild anti-inflammatory action useful for joint and muscle discomfort
  • Diosgenin (the plant steroid) was the laboratory starting point for synthetic progesterone, cortisone, and the first birth control pills — a real piece of pharmaceutical history
  • Topical wild yam creams have been marketed for menopause and PMS, though the human body cannot convert diosgenin to progesterone — any effect from these creams comes from added synthetic progesterone, not the wild yam itself
Wild yam does not raise progesterone or estrogen in the body — claims that it 'naturally balances hormones' are inaccurate
Some products labeled wild yam cream actually contain added synthetic progesterone — read labels carefully
Skip with hormone-sensitive cancers and conditions — even though wild yam itself doesn't act as a hormone, products may contain added hormones
Use caution with hormonal medications including birth control
Skip during pregnancy — limited safety data
Skip during nursing
May lower blood sugar slightly
Use caution with blood thinners
Research

Memorial Sloan Kettering About Herbs · EMA Herbal Medicinal Product Monographs · American Botanical Council HerbMedPro

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