Dioscorea dumetorum, also defined
as the bitter yam, cluster yam, or three-leaved yam, is a Dioscorea genus yam
species native to Africa.
A plant native to Africa is the
bitter yam. In times of famine, it contains a fleshy, potato-like root (tuber)
that can be used as food or medicine.
Bitter yams found in the wild are
likely to be poisonous, so they must be soaked and boiled before consumption.
Farmers' bitter yams, on the other hand, are usually poison-free due to the
selection of safer varieties.
Bitter yam (Dioscorea dumetorum)
and wild yam (Dioscorea villosa) are not to be confused with air potato
(Dioscorea villosa) (Dioscorea bulbifera). All three of these plants are
referred to as bitter yam.
The following are some of the
health benefits of bitter yam:
- It's good for diabetics.
- It's also good for arthritis
sufferers.
Bitter Yam is a stomach-pain reliever.
- It is also beneficial to women who have irregular menstrual periods.
- Another important benefit of
bitter yam is that it can be used to treat schistosomiasis. Schistosomiasis is
a disease spread by parasitic worms.
Note: Bitter
yam poisoning did occur when the yam is eaten raw, undercooked, or unprocessed.
Soaking this yam species in water
over several hours (typically overnight) and drying are the two most common
methods of processing.
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