Part1. What is yam extract powder?
Yam is the tuber of Dioscorea opposita Thunb, a plant of the family Dioscoreaceae. Also known as Guangxi yam, yam, yam medicine, small potato, potato, and yam. Yam is widely distributed in the hilly and shallow mountain areas of Northeast my country, North China, Central China, Southeast China and Southwest China. It is also distributed in Korea and Japan and forms many local varieties. Yam is divided into two categories: medicinal and edible, and the southern provinces mainly use edible yam.
Part2. Physiological functions of yam
Medicinal yam is represented by Huai yam planted in northern Henan Province and south-central Shanxi Province. It has the highest medicinal and nourishing value, so it has become the main raw material of many traditional Chinese medicines and an important nourishing food. Its taste is sweet and flat, and it belongs to the spleen, lung and kidney meridians. It has the effects of invigorating the spleen and stomach, promoting body fluid and benefiting the lungs, and invigorating the kidney and astringent essence. Yam is used to treat diseases such as spleen deficiency, lack of food, chronic diarrhea, lung deficiency cough, kidney deficiency nocturnal emission, leukorrhea, frequent urination, deficiency heat and thirst. Yam, as a kind of medicinal and edible plant, is favored by everyone. General yam extract is a white powdery solid.
Part3. Pharmacological effects
The pharmacological effects of yam extract are as follows:
1. Hypoglycemic effect
Yam mucus and polysaccharides can stimulate and regulate the body's immune system, lower blood sugar, and enhance the body's resistance. The results of the study showed that yam has certain anti-diabetic effects, which may be related to increasing insulin secretion and improving the function of damaged islet β cells.
2. Anti-aging, anti-oxidation
The study found that there is a certain correlation between the anti-free radical activity of Chinese yam and the content of polyphenolic components in the extract. The study also found that yam saponin has a strong ability to scavenge hydroxyl free radicals: it has a strong Fe3+ reducing ability, and the reducing ability increases with the increase of concentration, but it is not as good as the reducing ability of vitamin C at the same concentration.
3. Immunomodulatory effect
The immunomodulatory effect of yam extract is mainly related to polysaccharides.
4. Regulate spleen and stomach function
Chinese yam has the function of invigorating the middle and replenishing qi, and can regulate the function of the spleen and stomach. Shen Jingen and other studies found that the anti-ulcer effect of fresh yam extract may be related to improving the quality of mucus layer and increasing serum EGF content.
5. Anti-tumor and anti-mutation effects
It was proved that the antimutagenic effect of yam active polysaccharide is mainly realized by inhibiting the mutagenic effect of the mutant on the strain.
6. Lipid-lowering effect
Feeding atherosclerotic mice with starch purified from yam can reduce their lipid concentration. For mice fed with free cholesterol and cholesterol-containing food, yam can reduce their cholesterol concentration.
7. Other functions
In addition, studies have shown that yam also has other effects of preventing liver damage and antibacterial.
Part4. Clinical application
Clinically, yam and its extracts can be used to treat spleen deficiency, infantile diarrhea, infectious diseases in children, diabetes, irritable bowel syndrome, chronic obstructive emphysema, hemorrhage after tumor chemotherapy, etc. Efficacy and Indications Invigorate the spleen and nourish the stomach, promote body fluid and benefit the lungs, nourish the kidney and astringent essence. For spleen deficiency diarrhea, lung deficiency asthma and cough, diabetes, physical weakness leucorrhea, spermatorrhea, enuresis and so on.
