Academic Journal
Unveiling the Nutraceutical Potential of Yam Dioscorea alata L.: A Comprehensive Review.
| Τίτλος: | Unveiling the Nutraceutical Potential of Yam Dioscorea alata L.: A Comprehensive Review. |
|---|---|
| Συγγραφείς: | Prajapati KK; Experimental Botany and Nutraceutical Laboratory, Department of Botany, Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gorakhpur University, Gorakhpur, 273009, U.P., India., Pandey R; Experimental Botany and Nutraceutical Laboratory, Department of Botany, Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gorakhpur University, Gorakhpur, 273009, U.P., India. rpcg12@gmail.com., Pandey V; Experimental Botany and Nutraceutical Laboratory, Department of Botany, Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gorakhpur University, Gorakhpur, 273009, U.P., India., Upadhyay KM; Experimental Botany and Nutraceutical Laboratory, Department of Botany, Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gorakhpur University, Gorakhpur, 273009, U.P., India., Singh S; Experimental Botany and Nutraceutical Laboratory, Department of Botany, Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gorakhpur University, Gorakhpur, 273009, U.P., India., Pandey VS; Department of Botany, St. Andrew's PG College, Gorakhpur, 273001, U.P., India., Pandey VN; Experimental Botany and Nutraceutical Laboratory, Department of Botany, Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gorakhpur University, Gorakhpur, 273009, U.P., India. vnpgu@yahoo.co.in. |
| Πηγή: | Plant foods for human nutrition (Dordrecht, Netherlands) [Plant Foods Hum Nutr] 2026 Jun 06; Vol. 81 (2). Date of Electronic Publication: 2026 Jun 06. |
| Τύπος έκδοσης: | Journal Article; Review |
| Γλώσσα: | English |
| Στοιχεία περιοδικού: | Publisher: Kluwer Academic Country of Publication: Netherlands NLM ID: 8803554 Publication Model: Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1573-9104 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 09219668 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Plant Foods Hum Nutr Subsets: MEDLINE |
| Imprint Name(s): | Publication: Dordrecht : Kluwer Academic Original Publication: [Dordrecht] : Martinus Nijhoff, c1987- |
| Ιατρικοί όροι (MeSH): | Dioscorea*/chemistry , Plant Extracts*/pharmacology , Dietary Supplements*, Antioxidants/pharmacology ; Anti-Inflammatory Agents/pharmacology ; Phytochemicals/pharmacology ; Hypoglycemic Agents/pharmacology ; Saponins/pharmacology ; Anthocyanins/pharmacology ; Plants, Medicinal/chemistry ; Humans ; Functional Food |
| Περίληψη: | Dioscorea alata L. (water yam and purple yam) is a traditionally important food and medicinal plant widely used in Asia and the Pacific Islands. It has long been utilized in traditional medicine for treating weakness, inflammation, menstrual disorders, wound healing, and gastrointestinal ailments. The dual role as a dietary and therapeutic resource highlights its ethnopharmacological importance and supports the need for scientific validation. This review evaluates existing knowledge on the nutraceutical potential of D. alata. Recent studies report diverse biological activities, including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antidiabetic, anticancer, antihypertensive, cardioprotective, and gut microbiome-modulatory effects. These activities are largely attributed to bioactive compounds such as saponins and anthocyanins. The species shows considerable promise as a functional food and natural therapeutic resource. Moreover, its cultivation and utilization may contribute to food security and public health (SDG 2 and 3). Further, phytochemical and clinical studies are required to fully establish its nutraceutical value. (© 2026. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.) |
| Competing Interests: | Declarations. Consent for Publication: Not Applicable. Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing interests. |
| References: | Animals (Basel). 2022 Nov 28;12(23):. (PMID: 36496841) |
| Contributed Indexing: | Keywords: Dioscorea alata; Anticancer; Nutraceuticals; Pharmacological potential; Purple yam |
| Substance Nomenclature: | 0 (Antioxidants) 0 (Plant Extracts) 0 (Anti-Inflammatory Agents) 0 (Phytochemicals) 0 (Hypoglycemic Agents) 0 (Saponins) 0 (Anthocyanins) |
| Entry Date(s): | Date Created: 20260606 Date Completed: 20260610 Latest Revision: 20261010 |
| Update Code: | 20261010 |
| DOI: | 10.1007/s11130-026-01525-w |
| PMID: | 42250036 |
| Βάση Δεδομένων: | MEDLINE |
| ISSN: | 1573-9104 |
|---|---|
| DOI: | 10.1007/s11130-026-01525-w |