Roots and bulbs ordered now will ship October 2021.
Wild Yam, Chinese (Dioscorea batatas), live aerial tubers, organic [NY, INTL NO]
$5.95 – $12.00
Family: Yam (Dioscoreaceae)
Hardy to Zones 4 to 8.
(Shan-yao, Cinnamon Vine, Wild Yam, Chinese Wild Yam, Light Yam) (Syn. Dioscorea opposita) Perennial dioecious vine. Does well in pots. In the humid evenings and mornings, the flowers exude a rich Cinnamon fragrance. Traditional use (TCM): Antipandemic. The underground and aerial tubers are eaten and are delicious–bake or slice thinly and fry on a pan. Oh, yum, yum. Direct seed in rich soil or plant in pots fall, spring, or summer. I find that the best method is to press the aerial tuber, which is about the size of a chickpea, into the surface of the soil but not covered by soil. The tuber will push down into the dirt and a sprout will eventually emerge to the side. I tried this again this year, using a deep flat in the greenhouse, and yesterday tugged on the tubers, and they had all extended down into the medium and were locked in place. One has a new sprout coming up. This whole process can take months. Nature is not in a hurry, at least not on human terms, and patience is golden.
Aerial tubers, Certified Organically Grown {SORRY, Not Available to the State of New York and also NO INTERNATIONAL SALES}
Question
Pedro –
Hi, Can you clarify the restriction to NYS? Thanks.
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Richo Cech –
strangely, we got a communication from department of agriculture NY saying that these are disallowed. You might say that NY, among all the states, has the distinction of disallowing this important plant, but it would be better to think of something else that NY does that makes more sense.
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Question
jaclyn_tang –
Is this (dioscorea batatas) the same as ‘Radix Dioscorea’ ?
Thank you.
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Richo Cech –
Hi! Yes, “Radix Dioscorea” is what we call the pharmaceutical Latin. It just means “Wild Yam Root.” The interest in wild yam has skyrocketed since one Chinese study showed that it treats COVID. Richo
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Richo Cech –
Hi Michelle, Zone 8 is pretty warm and in that situation many gardeners will start herbaceous perennials (which make up the majority of medicinal herbs) in the fall. That gives the plants time to grow and develop during the cooler months and then flower come spring to early summer. Some of the plants that work well in warm gardens are: Spilanthes, Ashwagandha, Echinacea purpurea. Richo
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Lesley –
Richo – I live in Indiana, can I plant them in the ground now or should I keep them indoors until spring?
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Richo Cech –
Best to keep in a bright window, they will not do well with frost prior to elongation. Press into surface and keep reasonably moist
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Question
Gordon –
Hello, when will you be getting more chinese or Japanese yams in?
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Richo Cech –
Hi Gordon, The vines are in flower and we should have more aerial tubers starting in September. richo
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Irmgard Tank –
Hi Richo,
Are you already out of them for the season or will they still become available later this month?
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Richo Cech –
Hello Irmgard, They will soon become available. The Japanese ones, too. I could pick them now, but if you wait longer, they become more solid and develop more pronounced nodes, which I think is desirable. Hit “waitlist.” richo
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Question
Tim Child –
How should the aerial tuber be stored for eating and how should they be stored for planting?
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Richo Cech –
these will dry up if left out in the open. Make sure they are surface-dry and then keep in a lidded jar in the fridge. They can be cooked and eaten (more or less like Gulliver eating an liliputian potato) or planted at a later time.
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Question
Marikyn Nardini-Smith –
How does one propagate the Chinese Yam Tuber?
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Richo Cech –
OK, I see that the directions were rather thin, and I often do this when the starting material is obviously alive and the propagation technique is going to be dependent on the zone, the conditions in the particular garden, and the patience and experience of the propagator–all variables. I added some more text which hopefully will be helpful: Direct seed in rich soil or plant in pots fall, spring, or summer. I find that the best method is to press the aerial tuber, which is about the size of a chickpea, into the surface of the soil but not covered by soil. The tuber will push down into the dirt and a sprout will eventually emerge to the side. I tried this again this year, using a deep flat in the greenhouse, and yesterday tugged on the tubers, and they had all extended down into the medium and were locked in place. One has a new sprout coming up. This whole process can take months. Nature is not in a hurry, at least not on human terms, and patience is golden.
Richo
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Question
Tim –
What is the best way to tell the difference between the vine of a Chinese wild yam and the vine of a Japanese wild yam? How long dose it usually take for the Chinese wild yam to begin to flower after it emerges from the ground the 2nd year?
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Admin Richo Cech –
Hi Tim,
The Chinese wild yam has a wider leaf than the Japanese. They look really similar–differentiation is all leaf shape as far as I know. Mine are already flowering in June in the greenhouse. They usually flower midsummer when outdoors. They don’t call it cinnamon vine for nothin’, the smell is like the finest Ceylon cinnamon.
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Good Stewardship Farm –
Are the leaves edible? I do know that the leaf juice is used externally for venomous bites. I also use vine crops that are edible to assist feeding my small collection of livestock.
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Richo Cech –
Hello Good, in TCM the Dioscorea is considered mildly toxic. This means the tubers should be cooked before eating, and the aerial parts are used medicinally only. In a way, toxicity may equate to medicinal activity–dosage is important. One of the studies I read listed Dioscorea batatas as the strongest inhibitor of coronavirus. Richo
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