Wild yam, a native of North and Central America, has been used to treat gastrointestinal upset, nerve pain, and morning sickness. 

• Can not be converted to a hormone by the human body.
• Great for women seeking relief from uterine pain, PMS, menopausal symptoms and various other gynecological conditions..
• Anti oxidant effects.

In 1940 an American scientist found that a species of Mexican wild yam contained a steroid precursor known as diosgenin, which could be used in the manufacture of synthetic hormone products such as birth control pills, testosterone, progesterone creams and other medicine. Today the herb is used to make "natural hormone" creams and other remedies for women seeking relief from uterine pain, PMS, menopausal symptoms and various other gynecological conditions. Diosgenin can definitely be used in a laboratory to make sex hormones, but the human body cannot convert diosgenin into hormones, and diosgenin apparently can’t produce hormonal effects on its own. Thus, wild yam’s ability to provide "natural progesterone" and to regulate hormone production is controversial, even among herbalists. Experts have theorized that diosgenin (or another compound in the yam) has other therapeutic, non-hormone-related effects on the body. Scientists recently tested a wild yam extract to determine if it increased blood levels of a compound of dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA): after three weeks of dioscorea supplementation, researchers found no effect on levels of DHEA. The researchers did find, however, that dioscorea has significant antioxidant activity and was associated with increased levels of the "good" HDL cholesterol and reduced levels of triglycerides. Wild yam is also considered to be a strong antispasmodic and has antiinflammatory properties.