Botanical name : Dioscorea alata Linn.
Family : Dioscoreaceae
SANSKRIT SYNONYMS
Alukam.
AYURVEDIC PROPERTIES
Rasa : Madhura
Guna : Guru, Snigdha
Virya : Seeta
PLANT NAME IN DIFFERENT LANGUAGES
English : Greater yam, Asiatic yam
Hindi : Khamalu, Chupri alu.
Malayalam : Kachil, Kavuttu
Distribution – Throughout India, growing wild, also cultivated.
PLANT DESCRIPTION
A glabrous twinner, with a peculiar 4 winged stem leaves simple, opposite, ovate, cordate, and acuminate. Flowers unisexual and fruits capsules. Plant has many Arial tubers that also aid in reproduction. Underground tubers are large, many branched dark brown and fleshy. It is edible, and used as a staple food.
MEDICINAL PROPERTIES
Plant pacifies vitiated pitta, hemorrhoids, leprosy, intestinal worms, seminal weakness, post menopausal syndrome, and general weakness.
Useful part : Tubers.