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Botany
Tugi is a slender, slightly hairy, spiny vine, reaching a height of several meters.
Tubers are 15-20 cm long, except in the case of some cultivated forms. Leaves are simple, suborbicular
to reniform, 6 to 12 cms long, apiculate, the base 11- to 15-nervbed,
prominently heart-shaped, with rounded lobes. Spikes are slender,
axillary, pubescent, up to 50 cm long. Flowers are green, about
4 mm in diameter.
 Distribution
- In thickets and secondary
forests at low altitudes in Bataan Islands, in Cagayan, Benguet, La Union, Pangasinan in Luzon, and in Semirara.
- Also cultivated, but not as extensively as ubi (Dioscorea alata).
- Also occurs in India to Malaya and Polynesia.
Constituents
- Contains 83% starch, 12%
protein.
- Tubers are a good source of vitamin B.
- Phytochemical screening yielded saponins, diosgenin, ß-sitosterol,
stigmasterol, cardiac glycosides, fat and starch.
- Edible yams have yield polyphenolic substances such as catechins, epicatechins, chlorogenic acids, leucoanthocyanidins and antocyanins.
Part utilized
Root.
Uses
Edibility
- Cooked like potatoes.
- Rich
in carbohydrates, a good source of vitamin B, with a nutritional value
similar to ubi.
Folkloric
The raw tubers are applied to swellings.
In Indo-China, decoction of the tubers used for rheumatism and as diuretic.
In China, used for beriberi.
Studies
• Anti-inflammatory / Phytochemicals:
Methanol extract study of D esculenta exhibited significant dose-dependent
inhibition of carrageenan-induced edema and supports its folkloric use
in inflammation. Phytochemical screening yielded saponins, disgenin,
ß-sitosterol, stigmasterol, cardiac glycosides, fat and starch.
• Antioxidant: Study
screening the phenolic content of different varieties of root crops
in the Philippines, including D esculenta, found the roots crops a rich
source of phenolic compounds with antioxidant activity.
• Storage Effect: Study
of 1 to 7 weeks of storage revealed the moisture content, dray weight and starch levels decreased gradually with a concomitant increase in sugar content under different stages of dormancy.
Availability
Wild-crafted.
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