Dioscorea has been known not only to TCM therapists but also to a much wider public for some years now. Most people have probably been offered it as a remedy for menopausal symptoms and symptoms of premenstrual syndrome. A remedy for women, at first glance. This usually refers to the Mexican Dioscorea villosa.
Scientists attribute the effect to the ingredient
diosgenin, a steroid sapogenin that is related to progesterone
progesterone and - so it is believed and also suggested in advertising
advertising - has similar effects to progesterone.
Dioscoreae oppositae rhizoma
No wonder, the Mexican Dioscorea is now also cultivated in China. cultivated in China. After all, anything that promises the prospect of profit is grown there and and the wages of Chinese agricultural labourers are probably even lower even lower than those in Mexico. Diosgenin is still the most important the most important starting material for the production of progesterone and it was also at the beginning of the development of ovulation inhibitors, i.e. the contraceptive pill. Various species of Dioscorea contain large quantities of diosgenin. Interestingly, comparable quantities are also contained in another remedy used in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), namely Semen Trigonellae (Hu Lu Ba), the fenugreek seeds, in English Fenugreek (Fenugreek should not be confused with the fenugreek, another TCM remedy, which is very similar to fenugreek in TCM. Fructus Lycii (Gou Qi Zi), which is nowadays also sold in lifestyle and wellness drinks and is usually labelled as goji juice). There are also other sources of diosgenin in the plant world, but in the context of this TCM perspective, we will not discuss these here. discuss them here.
Dioscoreaceae (yam family) is the name given to a family of plants to which around 900 species belong and which are mainly found in warmer regions. In Europe, only only one species, namely Dioscorea communis = Tamus communis = common loosestrife. Although it has a large distribution area in Switzerland Although it has a large distribution area in Switzerland, it is not particularly common. Dioscoreaceae usually grow liana-like.
Dioscorea Pflanze
The name yam (sometimes also called yam) causes some confusion
confusion, as it also includes plants that do not belong to the yam family.
the yam family. Sweet potatoes, for example, are sometimes
are sometimes referred to as yams. However, these belong to a completely different
plant family, namely the Convolvulaceae, the bindweed family, of which the
of which the bindweed (Calystegia sepium) is known in Switzerland as a dreaded garden weed
garden weed, as it is almost impossible to eradicate and often the only
the herbicide Windentod.
Zaunwinde
Suesskartoffel
The bindweed sweet potato is called Ipomoea batatas. Ipomoea is probably a familiar name to some. Morning glory is the promising name of a plant that was used as a drug in the sixties to produce promising hallucinogenic trips as a drug in the sixties. Ololiuqui was the name by the Indians of Mexico and it contains a substance related to LSD. substance. This plant is closely related to the bindweed plants that we like to buy bindweed that we like to buy in seed shops and grow in gardens and balconies. and balconies. They grow quickly and form beautiful flowers similar in appearance to those of bindweed, but with beautiful colours. As a member of the bindweed family, sweet potatoes can be eaten by the kilometre without the risk of tripping. This is a completely harmless Ipomoea species. Another Ipomoea species should also be mentioned: Zu Deutsch Wasserspinat, Latin Ipomoea aquatica is regularly available in Asian shops in in Switzerland and makes a delicious dish.
Another common confusion is the labelling of taro as yams. Taro is also available in Asian shops. The Latin name for taro is (Colocasia antiquorum). This plant belongs to the Araceae family, the arum family. It is therefore hardly surprising that taro must be otherwise it is slightly poisonous. The rule that that in TCM a remedy is never used on its own, but always in combination combination with other plants, naturally also applies in exactly the same way in Chinese cuisine. So you have to know what you should cook taro should be cooked with.
Taro Pflanze
Taro Knolle
But now back to Dioscorea: depending on the species and variety, real yam roots can and variety, can weigh many kilos. In Asia, yams are considered a valuable a valuable source of starch, but its importance in this function is not function. This is quite different in Africa, where yams are a staple food for many people. Yams are not only found many species, but above all as many hundreds of varieties on the market. on the market.
Dioscorea opposita = Dioscorea batatas (Shan Yao) and its local varieties and alternative species for medicinal use varieties and alternative species for medicinal use:
A frequent adulteration of Shan Yao is Ipomoea batatas, i.e. the sweet potato
Another Disocorea species in medicinal use is D. hypoglauca (Huang Yao Zhi), but its area of application is completely different from that of Shan Yao. completely different from that of Shan Yao.
The Complemedis range includes no less than eight classic TCM formulas containing classic TCM formulas containing Dioscorea (Shan Yao). Among them are quite a few of the most frequently used. This is certainly to do with the important ingredient diosgenin in Dioscorea but the view in TCM is much broader than just focussing on a single ingredient. that it would limit itself to a single ingredient.
The best known formula of TCM containing Dioscorea is Liu Wei Di Huang Wan (Rehmannia Six Combination), a formula that is frequently used today, but not at all exclusively used in gynaecology. It treats the TCM syndrome of liver and kidney yin deficiency with all its manifestations its manifestations such as back pain in the lumbar spine, night sweats, tinnitus, diabetes. Originally this centuries-old proven formula originated in paediatrics and was used to treat children with developmental delays. Nowadays it is also gaining ground children, who are known to be poorly grounded, sometimes due to a lack of sometimes due to a lack of yin in the liver and kidneys, which is no which is no wonder: overstimulation as an expression of a yang-heavy environment and too little support on the yin side: no time, no desire, no money time, no desire, no money for a balanced diet, reduction of the same to fast energy sources such as carbohydrates. TCM drug therapy may seem antiquated or strange terms such as yin and yang and the five elements and yang and the five elements, but the bottom line is that these are but in fact these are tangible and highly potent chemical ingredients, Diosgenin is just one of many hundreds of known substances that are important for substances that are important for life and only one of thousands that have not yet been discovered or described or whose significance is not yet fully known. yet. And TCM goes much further than a simple dietary supplement by means of a few vitamins and trace elements, as is the inadequate view of Western nutritional science.
Another tuber: Pachyrhizus erosus = yam bean. It originally comes from Mexico, but is now also cultivated in Asia. A juicy, sweet root tuber, similar in consistency to radish or kohlrabi, but without their typical flavour. It is also available as a fresh vegetable in Asian shops. At home, we use them to fill jiaozi (Tibetan momos) dumplings. The pictures are from my garden and my kitchen.
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