Flowers 1-2,axillary,sessile, racemed,whitish or lemon yellow. Pod 5.7 cms long with a persistent beak,hairy with 10-20 seeds. The plant contains a number of steroidal sapogenins,specially diosgenin found in the oily embryo. Two furastanol glycosides,F-ring opened precursors of diosgenin have been reported,as also hederagin glycosides. The alkaloid trigonelline,trigocoumarin,trimethyl coumarin and nicotinic acid are also present.
Mucilage is a prominent constituent of the seeds.
Its effect as an oral hypoglycaemic has been evaluated. In rats trigonelline counteracts the hyperglycaemic effect of cortisone given 2 hours before or simultaneously. Antiulcer property has been studied in rats. Hypocholesterolemic effects, and anti-inflammatory effects have been observed. The ether extract of the seeds had an effect on inflammation induced in rats by cotton - pellet insertion,or formalin or carrageenin exposure , comparable to that of salicylates.