A substance closely resembling saponin is in large amounts in the rhizome. Wild yam also contains an abundance of starch.4 Traditional therapeutic uses of wild yam include abdominal colic, spasmodic hiccough, painful vomiting, gastritis, irritable bowel symptoms, dysmenorrhea, indigestion, chronic hepatic congestion, flatulence, urinary tract spasms, and rheumatism. Natural Progesterone vs. Wild Yam Progesterone is termed natural progesterone, regardless of its source. Natural progesterone has the same molecular structure as the progesterone molecule found in animals, including humans. This is distinct from progestins not found in nature.
Many people mistakenly believe that many plants contain hormones.
Only a few animal hormones have been discovered in plants. Estrone, one of six identified types of estrogen, occurs in a few plants, palm-kernel oil, moghat roots and date palm pollen, for example. The amount of hormones in these plants is minimal. Wild yams do not contain progesterone. Some yams do contain a sapogenin called diosgenin.