How to Use Chinese Wild Yams
Chinese Wild Yam, also known as Dioscorea opposita, is a common herb found growing through Asia and the Pacific. In traditional Chinese medicine, wild yams are used as vitality tonics for chronic illness, fatigue, wasting conditions and diabetes. In a study published in the scientific journal Fitoterapie in 2007, Xiaoping Gao and colleagues discovered Chinese Wild Yams reversed insulin resistance in animals.
Instructions
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Purchase fresh Chinese Wild Yams from a local Chinese or Japanese grocer. The yams that you are looking for appear white as chalk and are sold as whole, long tubers. Because of the high starch content and bland taste, Chinese Wild Yams are often used in the same way as potatoes for soups, stir fries and in woks.
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Place the whole yams into a large bowl and cover them with water. Next add 2 tsp. of vinegar, rice vinegar if available, and add it to the water and yams. This vinegar-water solution will help to neutralize oxalate crystals that are present in the yam skins. After five minutes, drain the water and vinegar out and give the yams a rinse with some clean water.
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3
Chop up the Chinese Wild Yams. Depending on how you plan to cook the yams, they can be cut into long slices, cut into thin cross-sections or diced up finely. Though they are prescribed as a traditional Chinese medicine, herbalists still recommend consuming wild yams in the diet the same way that you would a vegetable. One way of preparing the yams so that you get as much of their nutritional and medicinal properties as possible is to make them into a soup.
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Bring about 1 L of water to the boil. Reduce the temperature to medium heat to allow the water to simmer and add the freshly cut yams. These yams are quite similar to potatoes, so allow them to simmer for 30 minutes before removing from the element. Test the yams with a fork or knife frequently to see how fast they are cooking. When finished you can either blend the mixture to make a smooth soup, or leave the vegetables in chunks and add noodles.
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Consume this yam soup each day. Taken daily it makes a useful medicinal tonic to restore vigor, energy and strength.
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Tips & Warnings
Chinese Wild Yam can also be purchased from a traditional Chinese herbalist as a powder or a dried extract.
Chinese Wild Yam causes increased urination.
Use with caution if you are taking prescribed anti-diabetic medication.
References
- Photo Credit yam image by Lucky Dragon from Fotolia.com
