Shop for herbs and other supplements on Amazon
(advertisement)

Progesterone & Wild Yam info

#1

I'm not sure if this has been covered here or not yet. But I'd like to share some info about these two things. (I apologize if this HAS been covered.) This post will be mostly quotes and links. I don't have enough time right now to personally dive into this further, so I'll let the links guide you Smile

Wild yam does have its benefits; help with anxiety, anti cancer benefits, menstration and menopause relief, blood sugar and cholesterol regulation, digestion aid, it contains antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties, among other uses. It is rich in diosgenin, a PRECURSOR of progesterone, DHEA, testosterone, and the three human estrogens—estriol, estrone, and estradiol.

Taking wild yam internally, and even applying wild yam cream topically, or eating yams, your body doesn't convert the wild yam into progesterone. In order to raise progeterone levels using wild yams, it MUST be done in a lab. Keep reading Smile

"Unlike soy and flax, for example, which contain plant-based estrogens (phytoestrogens) that are adaptogenic and converted into utilizable forms in the body, wild yam (Dioscorea barbasco) cannot be converted into progesterone in the body. The conversion can occur in a laboratory setting, however, and therefore, wild yam is sometimes used to synthesize the progesterone found in progesterone creams. The cream may technically be yam-based, but its active ingredient is not the wild yam itself but the USP progesterone that has been added." (2)

I may be wrong & out of line here, or just ignorant, but I never understood why some people take wild yam as a progesterone booster, unless they are using it for other reasons or JUST as a progesterone precursor and not to actually effect progesterone levels directly. If you're using it because you think it boosts your progesterone, see my links below and switch to a Bio-identical USP progesterone cream.


(1) **"Wild yam is a plant source for a saponin called diosgenin (the active component in wild yams), which can be converted in a laboratory into progesterone. However, your body cannot convert diosgenin into progesterone, DHEA (dehydroepiandrosterone) or any other sex hormone, and wild yam does not naturally contain any progesterone that your body can use. The progesterone that is made from wild yam is known as pharmaceutical progesterone because it only exists after a chemical conversion process has been performed in a lab.
So, wild yam products that say they contain "natural progesterone" -- and many do -- can be misleading because progesterone does not actually exist in wild yams, nor can your body convert any wild yam components into it." http://www.sixwise.com/newsletters/05/06...nefits.htm

(2) **"Unlike soy and flax, for example, which contain plant-based estrogens (phytoestrogens) that are adaptogenic and converted into utilizable forms in the body, wild yam (Dioscorea barbasco) cannot be converted into progesterone in the body.
The conversion can occur in a laboratory setting, however, and therefore, wild yam is sometimes used to synthesize the progesterone found in progesterone creams. The cream may technically be yam-based, but its active ingredient is not the wild yam itself but the USP progesterone that has been added. For this reason, while the body may absorb wild yam extract through the skin, which may then confer mild effects on menopausal symptoms, results of research on oral and topical applications of wild yam extract have not detected a significant change in progesterone levels in the blood.
If you want the beneficial effects of bioidentical progesterone, make sure the ingredients on the label include United States Pharmacopoeia (U.S.P.) progesterone. U.S.P. progesterone is available in over-the-counter 2% creams as well as by prescription." http://www.drnorthrup.com/womenshealth/h...pic_id=129

(3) ** "Will Wild Mexican Yam produce the same benefits as natural progesterone?
No, it cannot. Wild yam is a repository of many wonderful substances, but wild yam and its extract cannot be converted by the human body into progesterone. Deep in the root of the Wild yam is fatty substance called diosgenin. Locked within it lies the natural progesterone molecule that must be synthesized out by a competent pharmaceutical grade laboratory." http://www.healthyhormones.com/faqs2.htm

(4) ** "You cannot get a significant amount of hormones from using creams based directly on wild yam or even by eating Mexican wild yam. Your body doesn’t have the chemical cofactors required to convert them into useful hormones. This has to be done in a laboratory. This hasn’t stopped entrepreneurs, though, from marketing yam creams as sources of various steroid hormones. Make sure the product you use is not just unprocessed Mexican yam, but instead a scientifically produced product using the highest pharmaceutical-grade USP progesterone." " It is rich in diosgenin, a PRECURSOR of progesterone, DHEA, testosterone, and the three human estrogens—estriol, estrone, and estradiol." http://www.smart-publications.com/articl...to-balance

(5) ** "A compound in wild yam, called diosgenin, is used as the basis for synthesizing several steroids, including progesterone and estrogen. However, diosgenin can be manufactured into progesterone only in the laboratory; the human body can't make that conversion. For this reason, diosgenin is better used as an antispasmodic." http://health.howstuffworks.com/wellness...medies.htm

(6) **http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/QAA263507/wild-yams.html

(7) ** http://altmedicine.about.com/od/herbsupp...ildYam.htm

(8) ** http://www.womenforbalance.com/why-is-my...rking.html

(9) ** http://books.google.com/books?id=8NxuQPmRqh8C&pg=PA25&lpg=PA25&dq=wild+yam+usp+micronized+progesterone&source=bl&ots=P_BJA6UBAe&sig=P9XUDE7dyjte-qnw9Jozg5l8MJY&hl=en&sa=X&ei=fAPhU8PPB-nx8AH5_ICQBg&ved=0CCQQ6AEwBDgK

(10) **(And this is from a company that SELLS wild yam): "While diosgenin can be converted into progesterone in the laboratory, it cannot be converted into progesterone in the human body. Wild yam contains no progesterone, natural or otherwise." https://www.mountainroseherbs.com/produc...ct/profile

(11) ** http://www.johnleemd.com/store/faqs_progest_crm.html
** ^^ HIS LIST OF BIO-IDENTICAL PROGESTERONE CREAMS:
http://www.johnleemd.com/store/resource_...erone.html


There's a lot more info out there, this is just all I had time to do. Feel free to search around Smile
Reply
#2

woot to you! another reseacher in our midst. even if it was already covered, i am sure it might get burried with all our constant posting.lol.

thank you for taking the time to do the legwork for others.
Reply
#3

Damn, I just bought some (am still waiting for all my herbs to arrive in the mail)!

I notice it appears in Breast Actives though? The rason I bought it is because I plan to make my own cream using some of the ingredients in Breast Actives (way cheaper that way).

Thanks for the info!
Reply
#4

(05-08-2014, 20:49)squirrelwithboobs Wrote:  woot to you! another reseacher in our midst. even if it was already covered, i am sure it might get burried with all our constant posting.lol.

thank you for taking the time to do the legwork for others.

Thanks Smile

No problem at all, I'm a research nerd Smile I love it. Yeah, I know what you mean about constant posting. Haha! I've become addicted to this forum and posting lately Smile
Reply
#5

Hi Charlie,

Good work, Its always great to see someone who enjoys researching, of course I'm biased in that regard. RolleyesTongue

Another great resource is actually BN, you'd be surprised how much info has been covered. I still find it very useful, EVE M (our site admin) has said in the past 'you'll find as good if not better research inside our forum'. We've have some legendary researchers here, which has motivated my interest in the technical side of NBE ( the more you know the better you grow, lol).

Wild Yam - also contains an anti-androgen (β-sitosterol), WY increases progesterone receptors, although falls a little short in converting them though lol.

Estrogen activities and the cellular effects of natural progesterone from wild yam extract in mcf-7 human breast cancer cells.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19222119

You should look into Isabelle threads if you've got the research bug. Wink

(27-07-2011, 23:40)Isabelle Wrote:  Wild yam is a 16α-hydroxyestrone blocker: http://www.breastnexus.com/showthread.ph...p#pid30744 open the link to the steroidogenesis map. 16α-hydroxyestrone is off the map at bottom right. It is one of the two metabolites of natural estrogens. Wild yam may keep your estrogens levels up, by not letting them leak away to 16α-hydroxyestrone. But it's not watertight, because your natural estrogens will still leak away to the other metabolite, 2-hydroxyestrone.

There's so much to learn, good luck! Big Grin
Reply
#6

Ya wild yam / diosgenin is not progesterone at all, but diosgenin has its own effects on various hormones including progesterone and others. The most abundant saponin in fenugreek is also diosgenin btw and ditto for it.
Reply
#7

(06-08-2014, 04:56)Lotus Wrote:  Hi Charlie,

Good work, Its always great to see someone who enjoys researching, of course I'm biased in that regard. RolleyesTongue

Another great resource is actually BN, you'd be surprised how much info has been covered. I still find it very useful, EVE M (our site admin) has said in the past 'you'll find as good if not better research inside our forum'. We've have some legendary researchers here, which has motivated my interest in the technical side of NBE ( the more you know the better you grow, lol).

Wild Yam - also contains an anti-androgen (β-sitosterol), WY increases progesterone receptors, although falls a little short in converting them though lol.

Estrogen activities and the cellular effects of natural progesterone from wild yam extract in mcf-7 human breast cancer cells.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19222119

You should look into Isabelle threads if you've got the research bug. Wink

(27-07-2011, 23:40)Isabelle Wrote:  Wild yam is a 16α-hydroxyestrone blocker: http://www.breastnexus.com/showthread.ph...p#pid30744 open the link to the steroidogenesis map. 16α-hydroxyestrone is off the map at bottom right. It is one of the two metabolites of natural estrogens. Wild yam may keep your estrogens levels up, by not letting them leak away to 16α-hydroxyestrone. But it's not watertight, because your natural estrogens will still leak away to the other metabolite, 2-hydroxyestrone.

There's so much to learn, good luck! Big Grin

lotus; is there or could there be a pre-cursor for converstion of the diosgenin? how do they do it in the lab?
Reply
#8

So basically wild yam is not of any use in NBE right? Does it have any benefits at all ?
Reply
#9

It is extremely useful but it is not progesterone at all and there is absolutely no way for your body to convert it to progesterone. That's the double confusion it causes: not progesterone but still useful. It's more of an adaptogen having potentially a variety of hormonal effects.
Reply
#10

Thank you, Lotus Smile What a compliment coming from you. You definitely know your stuff! And you do absolutely know the technical side, I've read many of your posts/threads and they're absolutely great! So much information Smile

And oh, I know! There's TONS of great info on this site! It's amazing. LOTS of research has been done and it's really great that so many different people contribute, even conflicting info, so we can all see different aspects of things.
Reply

Shop for herbs and other supplements on Amazon
(advertisement)




Users browsing this thread: 5 Guest(s)



Shop for herbs and other supplements on Amazon
(advertisement)


Breast Nexus is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.


Cookie Policy   Privacy Policy