From: sbharris@ix.netcom.com(Steven B. Harris)
Newsgroups: sci.med.nutrition,sci.med,sci.med.pharmacy,misc.health.alternative
Subject: Re: Need info on  research into WILD YAM
Date: 2 Jul 1998 09:07:40 GMT

In <01bda58a$6e9b8e00$bbf031ca@therdman.ihug.co.nz> "Herdie"
<therdman@ihug.co.nz> writes:

>I'm looking for any info on clinical research into wild yams as a
>progesterone replacement therapy,I don't need sales/marketing info, any
>help will be greatly welcomed,    Thanks Anna



Save yourself some time.  There is nothing in wild yam that will turn
into progesterone, except inside an old time 1940s or 1950's chemical
factory.  The stuff got its reputation because it was the original
source of a steroid precursor called diosgenin, which an enterprising
chemist used in the 1940's to found a Mexican chemical/pharmaceutical
company which made sex steroids cheap enough to be used clinically for
the first time.  A breakthrough which lead directly to The Pill.

But the process to convert diosgeninin into progesterone is difficult,
not biological (it does NOT happen in the body), and (if you need any
other reasons to be disappointed) also now very antiquated.
Progesterone is produced from other cheaper plant steroids precursors
these days.  In 1998 there's nothing left for the Mexican yam, but its
use as an aid for relieving suckers of their money.  Yep, it's the
Great Yam Scam.  Subject of flim flam health-aid spam.

                                       Steve Harris, M.D.