What Does Mexican Wild Yam Do for Women?

The many uses of Mexican Wild Yam go back through the ages and cultures: it is not a new plant when it comes to traditional natural health, even though it only came to notice in America and Europe in the 1940s. North American Indians have been using this plant for centuries to assist with women's problems from menstruation through to menopause and since the late 1950s it was used to manufacture the first synthetic female contraceptive pill. Yet it is a product of Mother Nature and contains precursors to female hormones! In general, yams are a staple part of the Asian, African and Oceanian diet, where they are as versatile in used as potatoes. They are used in casseroles, chips, snacks, sweets and soups as they are nutritious and grow in abundance.
If you are familiar with the climbing vine, then you may well recognise the wild yam plant, which is itself a member of the vine family. Lightish green, medium-sized heart-shaped leaves weave and wrap their way around any available stake to as the wild yam loves to climb and loves to entwine itself with whatever local foliage is available. It is estimated that wild yam takes approximately 4 years to grow from seed to fully grown and prefers growing in woodlands.
Out of the estimated 600 varieties of wild yam, Mexican Wild Yam is one of the most well-known. Bought to us directly from Mother Nature, this plant keeps its best secrets hidden, underground! The actual fleshy roots or so-called tubers of the Mexican Wild Yam grow underground. The underground stem of a mature plant may have many tubers. These are the part of the plant that have the highest concentration of the plant's chemicals and it is these that are linked to having a positive impact on women's health.
The root of this plant is said to be rich in the plant substance known as diosgenin. Diosgenin has properties similar to progesterone which is why is it is often referred to as a natural progresterone. In fact, diosgenin is a plant steroid that is used to synthetize various hormones including progesterone, estrogen and testosterone.
Dioscorea villosa is the plant's scientific name. Dioscorea is the botanical name from the Greek physician, Dioscorides Pedanius (c.40-90 AD) and the word 'villlosa' means 'hairy' in Latin.
North American Indian women used this plant to help with the flushes of menopause, the pains of childbirth and those of menstruation. It was even used as a natural contraceptive. This tuber was used as an aphrodisiac and to assist vaginal dryness. Did it work for them? Well the answer is they used this plant for many generations...