Dioscorea BULBIFERA L.
| Synonym : | Dioscorea crispata Roxb. Dioscorea heterophylla Roxb. Helmia bulbifera (L.) Kunth Polynome bulbifera (L.) Salisb. |
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| Bangla Name : | Banalu, Chamalu, Suaralu, Ratalu, Pagla Alu.,Chang Foya, Ta Su Dhui (Marma). |
| English Name : | Yam, Potato Yam, Air Potato. |
| Family : | Dioscoreaceae |
| Disease : | Bowels, syphilis, piles, dysentery, diarrhoea, ulcers, bronchitis, asthma, dyspepsia, urinary discharges and leucoderma and vasicatories. |
| Description : | A large twinner, tubers variable. Bulbils numerous, irregular in shape, 2.5 cm or more across, warted. Stem twining to the left. Leaves usually alternate, 10-15 cm long, ovate, acuminate, base more or less deeply cordate. Male spikes 5-10 cm long, clustered, axillary or in leafless panicle. Female spikes 1-25 cm long, in axillary clusters of 2-5. Capsules, 1.8-2.2 cm, oblong. |
| Distribution : | Forests of Chittagong, Chittagong Hill Tracts and other places of the country. |
| Chemical Constituents : | Tuber contains steroidal saponins, diosgenin, bitter and non-bitter terpenes, norditerpene glucosides, diosbulbinoside D & F, a large number of diosbulbins, diterpene lactones, phenanthrenes, dihydrophenanthrene, furanoid nor-diterpenes and d-sorbitol. Bu |
| Uses : | The tubers are tonic, alterative, aphrodisiac, stomachic, expectorant, anthelmintic and astringent to the bowels, used in syphilis, piles, dysentery, diarrhoea, ulcers, bronchitis and asthma, also useful in dyspepsia, urinary discharges and leucoderma. Th |
| Habit : | - |