Nature's Pharmacy
Mexican wild yam
In 1936, Japanese researchers discovered the compound diosgenin in
the Mexican wild yam. Like stigmasterol, diosgenin provides a
starting material for synthesizing many steroids, such as estrogen,
testosterone, and progesterone, as well as drugs such as the
birth-control pill. Mexican yams are cheap and plentiful, and just
two to three of their roots can yield up to a pound of diosgenin.