Wild yam and other plants with similar constituents continue to be the main source of these drugs. Another compound, dioscoretine, has been shown in animal studies to lower blood sugar levels. An extract of wild yam was found to have antioxidant properties. Wild yam is also considered to be a strong antispasmodic and is potentially anti-inflammatory. However, wild yam saponins or other constituents may have properties similar to these compounds.
Pharmaceutical progesterone is made from wild yam using a chemical conversion process.
Women who require progesterone should consult their physician and not rely solely on wild yam or other herbs. Alternatively, one or two capsules or tablets of the dried root can be taken three times each day. Some people may experience nausea when taking large amounts of wild yam. At the time of writing, there were no well-known drug interactions with wild yam. For the convenience of the reader, the information in the table listing the supplements for particular conditions is also categorized.