Description
The standardized extract of Wild Yam (Dioscorea villosa or Dioscorea opposita) roots, containing diosgenin as the principal active steroidal saponin. Used in women's-health supplements positioned for menopause and hormone-balance support.
Yellow-brown to brown free-flowing powder. Limited water solubility; freely soluble in alcohol.
We supply food-grade Wild Yam Extract from manufacturers in China holding ISO, Halal, Kosher and other certifications relevant to the product and production.
Common market grades include 6 percent Diosgenin (cost-effective baseline), 10 percent Diosgenin (standard supplement grade), 20 percent Diosgenin (premium grade), and 90 percent Diosgenin (the high-purity pharmaceutical-feedstock grade used for industrial steroid synthesis).
Bulk and reduced-MOQ shipments. Batch-level COA covering diosgenin content (HPLC), total saponins, residual solvents, heavy metals, pesticides, and microbiology.
Introduction
Wild Yam has been used in traditional medicine across multiple cultures for women's reproductive health, joint support, and digestive complaints. The compound diosgenin became commercially important in the 1940s as the principal feedstock for industrial steroid synthesis (the so-called 'Marker degradation' process developed by Russell Marker enabled cost-effective production of cortisone and progesterone from wild yam).
Industrial production proceeds by extraction of dried Wild Yam roots, followed by purification to defined diosgenin content. Low-grade extracts (6 to 20 percent) serve dietary supplement applications; high-purity diosgenin (90 percent or higher) serves pharmaceutical steroid synthesis.
Recognized as a permitted food ingredient by the U.S. FDA, the European Food Safety Authority, and equivalent regulators worldwide.
Despite frequent supplement marketing claims, diosgenin is not converted to progesterone or other hormones in the human body; the Marker degradation is a multi-step chemical process that cannot occur in vivo. The compound's clinical efficacy for menopause and hormone-balance claims in healthy women remains debated, but consumer demand has supported substantial market growth.
Strategic positioning splits between women's-health dietary supplements (the volume application) and pharmaceutical steroid synthesis (the high-purity industrial application).
Where it is used
- Women's-health dietary supplements: menopause-support and hormone-balance formulations
- Premenstrual symptom support supplements
- Beauty-from-within supplements positioned for women
- Cosmetic skincare: anti-aging formulations
- Pharmaceutical applications: high-diosgenin grades serve as feedstock for industrial synthesis of cortisone, progesterone, and other steroid drugs
- Traditional Chinese Medicine product formulations
- Veterinary applications for hormonal-balance in breeding animals
Technical data
| Item | Specification |
|---|---|
| Appearance | Yellow-brown to brown free-flowing powder |
| Diosgenin content (HPLC) | 6% / 10% / 20% / 90% (grade dependent) |
| Total saponins | ≥ 30% (low grades) |
| Loss on drying | ≤ 5.0% |
| Residue on ignition | ≤ 5.0% |
| Heavy metals (as Pb) | ≤ 2 mg/kg |
| Total plate count | ≤ 1000 cfu/g |
| Source | Dioscorea villosa or D. opposita roots |
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