What is the use of Dioscorea?

What is the use of Dioscorea?

Dioscorea bulbifera bulbils are used in the treatment of Piles, dysentery, syphilis, ulcers, cough, leprosy, diabetes, asthma, and cancer. It is a raw material for contraceptives, and it is one of the most consumed yam species especially in West Africa.

How do you grow Dioscorea japonica?

Cultivation details Easily grown in a fertile well-drained soil in a sunny position or light shade[200]. Prefers a rich light soil[1]. Plants produce tubercles (small tubers that are formed in the leaf axils of the stems), and can be propagated by this means[K].

Is Dioscorea a fruit?

The flowers are individually inconspicuous, greenish-yellow, with six petals; they are mostly dioecious, with separate male and female plants, though a few species are monoecious, with male and female flowers on the same plant. The fruit is a capsule in most species, a soft berry in a few species.

Which of the following is the Indian species of Dioscorea?

The distribution of Dioscorea species selected for the present study is given below. In India, the most common Dioscorea species is D. alata L. (Khambha Aalu) distributed throughout the country, and rich in Odisha.

Which part of Dioscorea is used?

Table 1

Plant parts	Ethno-botanical/Pharmacological values
Tuber	Used against jaundice.
Tuber	Tubers are used for treatment of chest pain, nervous disorders, and swellings.
Tuber	Tuber paste is used to relieve pain and to treat boils, dysentery and swellings.
Tuber	For treatment of stomach ache.

Does eating yams cause twins?

A 2008 analysis of births in southwest Nigeria — which has the highest twinning rate in the world — notes that eating yams may increase the chance of having twins among that area’s Yoruba population.

How do you grow mountain yams?

They should be potted up immediately in individual pots in an unheated greenhouse or cold frame, covering them with about 10mm (0.5”) of soil. Protect them from mice etc and keep the soil moist but not wet. They should come into growth in the spring, plant them out in early summer when in active growth. Chinese Yam.

How do you plant Japanese sweet potato slips?

Dig narrow holes for the sweet potato slips; the holes should be long enough to plant the slips, while leaving the remaining leaves exposed above ground. Insert the slip in the hole, fill the hole with soil and pack gently to ensure good contact between the soil and the vine slip.

Is yam a potato?

Yams are members of the genus Dioscorea and are in their own special family, Dioscoreaceae. They are tubers, like potatoes, and are mostly cultivated in tropical parts of the world. A number of different yam species are grown for food, and the large tubers range in color from white to yellow, pink, or purple!

Is yam a living thing?

Roots and tubers such as yam are living organisms. When stored, they continue to respire, which results in the oxidation of the starch (a polymer of glucose) contained in the cells of the tuber, which converts it into water, carbon dioxide, and heat energy.

What is Dioscorea SPP?

Yam (Dioscorea spp.) provides food and medicines to millions of people in the world especially in the tropics and sub tropics. It is recognized as the fourth most important tuber crop after potatoes, cassava, and sweet potatoes. It contributes about 10% of the total root and tubers production around the world.

Which chemical is present in Dioscorea?

Botagenin is present in Dioscorea.

What are the tubers on a Dioscorea plant?

These are pea-size swellings in the leaf axils and they fall off the plant when they are ripe. These tubercles are actually baby tubers and are an excellent way of propagating a quantity of the plants. Try and harvest them just before they are ready to fall from the plant and store them in a cool, frost-free place over the winter.

How big does a Dioscorea batatas plant get?

This particular species comes from the mountains of northern Japan and can tolerate temperatures down to about -20°c – it can, therefore, be grown outdoors in most parts of the country. The plant is a vigorous twining herbaceous climber. It can send out shoots up to 3 metres long each year and these will need supporting.

What can you do with Dioscorea batatas tubers?

The tubers can be boiled, baked, fried, mashed, grated and added to soups. They store well and for a long time, and can also be left in the ground and harvested as required in the winter. They contain about 20% starch. 75% water, 0.1% vitamin B1, 10 – 15 mg % vitamin C.