Dioscorea hispida

Dennstaedt

Bitter yam, Asiatic bitter yam

DioscoreaceaeRootsScore: 18/100

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(c) Radha Veach, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Radha Veach

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(c) lordworm_cryptopsy, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)

What to Eat

Edible parts: Tubers, Root, Bulbils

Several peoples use the tuber as food. The tuber is toxic when fresh due to the presence of saponins and calcium oxalate raphides, so it must be processed prior to consumption, typically by finely slicing into thin strips, placing in a sack or net, and leaving in a stream for a few days until the toxins have leached out. It is then dehydrated and cooked.

Where to Find It

A tropical plant. In the Philippines they occur in Mt Province and from Luzon to Basilan. Also common in central Luzon and northern Mindanao. Outside PNG it occurs in SE Asia and Indonesia. Plants grow from sea level to 1500 m altitude in Southern China. In Yunnan.

Asia, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brazil, Cambodia, China, East Timor, FSM, Himalayas, India, Indochina, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Nepal, Northeastern India, Pacific, Papua New Guinea, PNG, Philippines, Pohnpei, SE Asia, Sikkim, South America, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Vietnam,

Countries: United Arab Emirates, Afghanistan, Armenia, Argentina, Australia, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Bahrain, Brunei, Bolivia, Brazil, Bhutan, Chile, China, Colombia, Ecuador, Fiji, Micronesia, Georgia, French Guiana, Guyana, Indonesia, Israel, India, Iraq, Iran, Jordan, Japan, Kyrgyzstan, Cambodia, Kiribati, North Korea, South Korea, Kuwait, Kazakhstan, Laos, Lebanon, Sri Lanka, Marshall Islands, Myanmar, Mongolia, Maldives, Malaysia, Nepal, Nauru, New Zealand, Oman, Peru, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Pakistan, Palau, Paraguay, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Solomon Islands, Singapore, Suriname, Syria, Thailand, Tajikistan, Timor-Leste, Turkmenistan, Tonga, Turkey, Tuvalu, Taiwan, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Vietnam, Vanuatu, Samoa, Yemen

How to Identify

A yam. A climbing vine which can be quite long. It can be 10 m long. They twine to the left. There are thorns on the stem. It has compound leaves bearing 3 very large leaflets. The leaves can be 30 cm across. The leaflets are unequal on each side. The leaves are produced one after another along the stem. The young leaf stalks, stems and leaflets are hairy. The leaf stalk is as long as the leaflets (10-15 cm). There are small prickles on the under surface of the main vein. The flowers are small, pale yellow and borne on compound flower clusters. The fruit are 5 cm across and divided into 3 lobes. The tuber is covered with root hairs. It has lobes. Tubers are often 15-25 cm across.

Nutrition Score: 18/100

Part	Moisture	kJ	kcal	Protein	Vit A	Vit C	Iron	Zinc
Tubers	72.7	—	—	4.3	—	—	—	—

How to Grow

It can be grown from a tuber. The tuber can continue to increase in size over several years.

Medicinal Uses

Grated gadung tubers are utilized in Indonesia and China for the treatment of early-stage leprosy, warts, calluses, and fish eyes (Source: ). Additionally, the bulbs of the gadung plant are employed in treating wounds caused by syphilis. In Thailand, slices of gadung root are applied to alleviate stomach spasms, colic, and to extract pus from wounds. Furthermore, in the Philippines and China, it is used to provide relief from arthritis and rheumatism, as well as to cleanse wounds on animals. Dioscorea tubers, the main component of gadung, possess a thick mucilage consisting of water-soluble glycoproteins and polysaccharides. These glycoproteins and polysaccharides serve as water-soluble dietary fiber and function as hydrocolloids. They have demonstrated beneficial effects in reducing blood glucose levels and total cholesterol levels, particularly LDL cholesterol.

Wikipedia

Source ↗

Dioscorea hispida, also known as the Indian three-leaved yam, (Tagalog: nami, Indonesia: gadung) is a species of yam in the genus Dioscorea, native to South and Southeast Asia. Known to be poisonous when fresh, careful processing is required to render it edible.

Other Information

A yam only occasionally used as an emergency food. It is occasionally cultivated.

Notes

It contains the alkaloid dioscorine which is poisonous so it needs to be treated before eating. There are about 650 species of Dioscorea.

Names & Synonyms

Bai shu liang, Baichandi, Bekoi, Bharlang, Bigap, Cu nan, Gadog, Gadong mabok, Gadong, Gadongan, Gadung, Gakn, Gang, Gloei, Halu genasu, Hasar sanga, Hati-muria alu, Hoseyar sanga, Hubi gak, Hung, Intoxicating Yam, Karot, Karukandu, Kata alu, Kalot, Kayos, Kduoch, Kedut, Khuech, Khulu sanga, Kloi, Kloy, Klut, Koi, Manovaj, Mete alu, Nami, Peiperendai, Podavakilangu, Pulidumpa, Sulur gadong, Tella-ginigeddalu, Thadangja, Ubi akas, Ubi arak, Ubi bekoi, Vaskand

Dioscorea daimona Roxb.Dioscorea cylindrica Burm., Dioscorea daemona RoxburghDioscorea hispida var. daemona (Roxburgh) Prain & BurkillDioscorea mollissima BlumeDioscorea triphylla Linn. 1754 not 1753Dioscorea hirsuta Dennst.

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