Dioscorea membranacea

Pierre ex Prain & Burkill

DioscoreaceaeRoots

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Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

What to Eat

Edible parts: Tuber, Root, Rhizome

The tuber, root, and rhizome are edible; rhizome sections 10–16 cm long are used for cultivation and consumption. It serves as a famine food.

Where to Find It

It is a tropical plant.

Asia, Indochina, Laos, Myanmar, SE Asia, Thailand, Vietnam,

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. The vine climbs 10 m tall. The rhizome is 4-8 cm long by 1-5 cm wide. It is branching and spreading. The vine twines to the left. The leaves have a 3-5 pointed lobes. The leaves are simple and alternate. The leaf stalks are 2-13 cm long.

How to Grow

Sections of the rhizome 10-16 cm long are used.

Medicinal Uses

Used as a medicine and investigated as an anticancer plant.

Other Information

It is a famine food and a medicine.

Notes

It is used as an anticancer plant.

Names & Synonyms

Chatong, Hua-khao-yen

References (3)

Lim, T. K., 2015, Edible Medicinal and Non Medicinal Plants. Volume 9, Modified Stems, Roots, Bulbs. Springer p 36
Mareenoon, K. et al, 2008, Ethnobotany of Dioscorea L. (Dioscoreaceae), a Major Food Plant of the Sakai Tribe at Banthad Range, Peninsular Thailand. Ethnobotany Reaearch & Applications 6:385-394
Saekoo, J. et al, 2010, Cytotoxic effect and its mechanism of dioscorealide B from Disocorea membranacea against breast cancer cells. J. Med. Assoc. Thai. 2010 Dec.:93 Suppl. 7:S277-83