Elephant foot yam is a popular tuber vegetable in tropics and subtropics. It is also known as “white spot giant arum”, “stink lily”, and “sweet yam”. In India, it is known by various names such as Oal, Suran, Zimmikanda/Jimmikand, Kuch. In Sanskrit, it is known as ‘Bahukanda’ and in Urdu, it is called ‘Zamin-kand’. Elephant foot yam is popular in tropical regions such as Africa, South East Asia, New Guinea, Oceania, Madagascar and the Pacific islands as a vegetable crop.

Nutrition in Tubers: A detailed account of nutrition in the tubers of elephant foot yam is as given below:

  • 100grams of edible portion of elephant foot yam tubers provides about 116 kcal of energy
  • It contains Moisture or Water (70-80g/ 100g), Carbohydrates (18-24g/100g), Protein (2-5g/100g), Fat/Total Lipid (0.2-0.4g/100g), and Crude fiber (0.8-1.68g/100g)
  • Minerals Present: Phosphorous (34 mg/100 g), Calcium (50-56 mg/100 g), Iron (0.6mg/100g),
  • Vitamins Present: Vitamin A (434 IU/100 g), Riboflavin (0.06-0.07mg/100g), Thiamine (0.06-0.07mg/100g) and Nicotinic acid (0.7mg/100g)
  • Its tender leaves contain 2-3 % protein, 3 % carbohydrates and 4-7 % crude fibre

Nutrition in Flour/Dried Tuber Powder

Researches reveal that dried and powdered tuber flour contains approximately crude protein (1.1%), crude fat (1.1%) and crude fiber (3.5%). Minerals preset in the flour are approximately Phosphorus (1445 mg/kg), Calcium (8536 mg/kg) and Magnesium (1512 mg/kg)

Health Benefits of Elephant Foot Yam

  1. Elephant foot yam is a fiber-rich, low fat food and hence can be used as a weight loss diet
  2. Anti-coagulant, anti-cancerogenic, anti-diabetic, anti-ageing and anti-inflammatory properties
  3. Lowers cholesterol and boosts immunity
  4. Increases memory and concentration
  5. Detoxifying properties
  6. Presence of omega-3 fatty acids which increase the good cholesterol levels in the blood
  7. Presence of antioxidant Diosgenin, a molecular hormone which is anti-carcinogenic

Medicinal Use

Elephant-foot yam is believed to have antibacterial, antiprotease, analgesic, and cytotoxic properties. It is traditionally used in Indian Ayurvedic medicines for treating a number of diseases and health disorders. It is widely used as a remedy for breathing disorders such as bronchitis and asthma and stomach disorders such as abdominal pain and dysentery. It is found effective in treating emesis, enlargement of spleen, piles, elephantiasis, and rheumatism also.

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