Wild Yam Extract ( Dioscorea villosa) - Benefits and side effecst of Wild Yam cream and root

The wild yam plant has clusters of small, drooping greenish-white and greenish-yellow flowers. The heart-shaped leaves are long and broad and long-stemmed, with prominent veins. The upper surface of the leaves is smooth while the underside is downy.

The Wild Yam contains a progesterone precursor. The progesterone precursors in the yam are used by the pharmaceutical industry to produce progesterone. However, there is no evidence that the human body can convert these substances into progesterone.

Recently, wild yam has been promoted as an herbal alternative to hormone replacement therapy for menopausal symptoms. This claim is based on the inaccurate belief that the plant is a natural source of the female hormone progesterone. Although wild yam does contain diosgenin, a substance that can be converted into progesterone in a laboratory, it is not possible for the human body to make this chemical transformation.