Aztecs used wild yam externally to treat scabies and boils.¹² Other Native Americans used a decoction of the root to relieve labor pain and later physicians gave wild yam to patients with colic, morning sickness, asthma, hiccough, rheumatism and gastritis related to alcoholism.¹³ Modern herbalists value wild yam to treat intestinal colic, biliary colic, and flatulence as well as menstrual cramps and rheumatoid arthritis.^1,2,4,11 Herbalists combine wild yam with black cohosh¹¹ (and sometimes burdock root and motherwort)¹² for rheumatic complaints. Chinese herbalists use wild yam as a tonic.¹²

Currently, manufacturers market wild yam as a treatment for menopausal symptoms.¹⁴