Air Potato

Other Names : Dioscorea bulbifera, Huang Yao Zi, Air Yam, Tuber Dioscoreae, varahi, kaachil, dukkar kand.

Special Precautions of Air Potato

• Uncultivated forms, such as those found growing wild in Florida can be poisonous. These varieties contain the steroid, diosgenin, which is a principal material used in the manufacture of a number of synthetic steroidal hormones, such as those used in hormonal contraception. There have been claims that even the wild forms are rendered edible after drying and boiling, leading to confusion over actual toxicity. The common toxic symptoms include gastrointestinal reactions like vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain and others. And it may also cause some certain damage to the liver and kidney, or even blood clotting disorders. TCM wise, use it with caution in the cases of deficiency of spleen and stomach, hepatic insufficiency, and renal insufficiency.
• Overdoses or consumption can increase the risk of burning sensation of the mouth and tongue, etc.
• Prolonged period of uses or large dose can cause and kidney damage
• The roots contains chemical ingredients which can damage to liver
• Do not use the herb in newborn, children or if you are pregnant or breast feeding without consulting first with the related field specialist
• Contraindicated for those with ulcerated abscesses.
• Contraindicated for those with pre-existing Liver disorders such as hepatitis or cirrhosis.
• It may cause nausea, dry mouth, abdominal pain and vomiting.
• Long term use of high doses may cause liver damage and jaundice.
• It may cause alopecia.
• Overdose may cause a burning sensation in the mouth, tongue and pharynx, salivation, diarrhea and contracted pupils.

Actions

• Resolves Phlegm, dissipates nodules and reduces masses : Goiter (it can be used alone as a tincture)
• Clears Heat and reduces toxicity
  • Toxic swellings, scrofula, swollen and painful throat and animal bites (topical)
  • Only in emergency for snake bite (does not replace antivenom)
  • Many types of cancers, especially esophageal, Stomach, uterine and Colon
• Cools the Blood and stops bleeding : Hematemesis, hemoptysis and uterine bleeding
• Stops cough and calms wheezing
  • Coughs associated with acute and chronic bronchitis
• Whooping cough

Benefits and uses of Air Potato are

The bitter, acrid, cool and slightly toxic herb has been used in TCM to treat swelling of the thyroid glands as a result of Iodin deficiency, get rid of toxin, relieves swelling, etc., as it resolves masses, treats goitre, reduces phlegm, clears Heat, expels toxins, cools Blood, stops bleeding, etc., by enhancing the functions of liver and lung channels.

• Antitumor activity : The investigation of water extract (fraction A), ethanol extract (fraction B), ethyl acetate extract (fraction C), non-ethyl acetate extract (fraction D) and compound diosbulbin B isolated from Dioscorea bulbifera L. (DB), showed that compound diosbulbin B demonstrated anti-tumor effects in the dose-dependent manner at the dosage of 2 to 16 mg/kg without significant toxicity in vivo.
• Oral Cancer : In the evaluation of the evaluated chemopreventive efficacy of Antitumor B, a Chinese herbal mixture of six plants (Sophora tonkinensis, Polygonum bistorta, Prunella vulgaris, Sonchus arvensis L., Dictamnus dasycarpus, and Dioscorea bulbifera) on the development of 4-nitroquinoline-1-oxide (4NQO) induced oral squamous cell carcinomas in A/J mice, found that plasma concentrations had reached a steady-state level at 1 wk. There was no significant body weight loss and there was no other obvious sign of toxicity in Antitumor B-treated mice.
• Cytotoxic activity : In the study of two new steroidal saponins, diosbulbisides D (1) and E (2), along with five known saponins (3- 7) isolated from the rhizomes of Dioscorea bulbifera L., found that Compounds 6 and 7, two 3- O-trisaccharides of diosgenin spirostanes, showed moderate cytotoxic activity against human hepatocellular carcinoma cells.
• Analgesic and Anti-Inflammatory : In the demonstration of the aqueous and methanol extracts from the dry bulbils of Dioscorea bulbifera L. var sativa (Dioscoreaceae)-evaluated orally at the doses of 300 and 600 mg/kg against pain induced by acetic acid, formalin, suggested that the bulbils of Dioscorea bulbifera var sativa possess potent analgesic and anti-inflammatory activities. These activities may results from the inhibition of inflammatory mediators such as histamine, serotonin and prostaglandins.
• Against multidrug-resistant bacteria : showed that that the compound was effective in the reversal of bacterial resistance to various antibiotics. In addition, the compound did not show any cytotoxicity against a broad range of human cancer cell lines, namely MCF-7 (breast cancer), SiHa (cervical cancer) and A431 (epidermal carcinoma), and hence has the potential to be used as a lead compound for drug discovery programmes, according to “A potential plasmid-curing agent, 8-epidiosbulbin E acetate, from Dioscorea bulbifera L. against multidrug-resistant bacteria” by Shriram V, Jahagirdar S, Latha C, Kumar V, Puranik V, Rojatkar S, Dhakephalkar PK, Shitole MG.

Used in patent Medecines

• Hai Yao San. From Zheng Zhi Zhun Sheng (Standard of Diagnosis and Treatments), this recipe combines Hai Zao (Sargassum Seaweed), Mu Li (Oyster Shell), etc. to cure provoked goiter.
• Huang Yao Tang. From Sheng Ji Zhong Lu (The Complete Record of Holy Benevolence), the formula uses it with E Jiao (Donkey-Hide Gelatin) for chronic epistaxis.
• Huang Yao Tang. From The Complete Record of Holy Benevolence, this prescription takes it alone for recurrent hematemesis.
• Huang Yao Zi San. From Bian Que Xin Shu (Medical Understanding of Bian Que), it uses its powder alone for the treatments of acute laryngeal infection, swollen cheek and chin, and phlegm in chest and diaphragm.