Dioscorea zingiberensis — Edible Plant Database

What to Eat

Edible parts: Caution:

Caution: It contains the drug diosgenin.

Known Hazards

Where to Find It

It is a tropical and subtropical plant. It grows between 100-1,800 m above sea level. In Sichuan and Yunnan.

Asia, China,

Countries: United Arab Emirates, Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Bahrain, Brunei, Bhutan, China, Georgia, Indonesia, Israel, India, Iraq, Iran, Jordan, Japan, Kyrgyzstan, Cambodia, North Korea, South Korea, Kuwait, Kazakhstan, Laos, Lebanon, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Mongolia, Maldives, Malaysia, Nepal, Oman, Philippines, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Syria, Thailand, Tajikistan, Timor-Leste, Turkmenistan, Turkey, Taiwan, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Yemen

How to Identify

A yam. It is a climbing vine. The stems twine to the left. The leaves are alternate and simple. The leaves are an oval or triangle shape and usually have enlarged lobes at the base. The leaves are 5-10 cm long by 4-9 cm wide. The male flower spikes can occur singly or as 2 or 3 together. These are 5-10 cm long. The female spikes are 8 cm long. The fruit are capsules on long stalks.

How to Grow

The plant is usually dioecious, though monoecious forms are known. Both male and female forms of dioecious plants will need to be grown if seed is required.

Medicinal Uses

The tuber is used as a cooling medicine. An important traditional medicine. The tuber is collected near the end of the growing season. when the plant begins to wither. It is well washed and then dried in the sun or in ovens The rhizome contains around 2 - 2.5% of diosgenin. It is an extremely important, commercial source of this medicinal compound, which is widely used in the pharmaceutical industry for the synthesis of steroidal drugs such as sex hormones. anti-inflammatory corticosteroids. contraceptive drugs and anabolic steroids.

Wikipedia

Source ↗

Dioscorea zingiberensis, is a species of yam, a tuberous root vegetable. It has been cultivated in China for the production of diosgenin, an important pharmaceutical intermediate for the synthesis of steroid hormones. The rhizomes also produces steroidal saponins (TSS) as part of a treatment for cardiovascular disease.