Common Name:

General Information

Dioscorea hamiltonii is a herbaceous, perennial climbing plant growing from a vertical, cylindrical tuber. One to several stems are produced each year, the stems scrambling over the ground and twining into the surrounding vegetation for support. The stems twine in a clockwise direction[]
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a food and a medicine. It is sometimes cultivated in Vietnam for its edible tuber[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

E. Asia - India, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, southern China, Vietnam

Habitat

Mixed forests, scrub forests, mountain slopes, valleys, roadsides; at elevations from 100 - 2,000 metres[]

Properties

Habit	Perennial Climber
Height	0.00 m
Cultivation Status	Cultivated, Wild

Cultivation Details

The plant produces small tubers (tubercles) in the leaf axis[]. These can be used for propagation.

Edible Uses

Tuber cooked[]. The tuber contains around 63% carbohydrates and 6.75% proteins[].

Medicinal

The rhizomes constitute a restorative and antifebrile remedy[]. They have a beneficial effect in the treatment of dyspepsia, general debility, chronic enteritis, chronic diarrhoea and dysentery, spermatorrhoea, night sweats, diabetes mellitus, polyuria, merrorrhoea, lumbago, vertigo and photopsia[].
The tuber is used externally for poulticing boils[].
The tubers are collected towards the end of the growing season as the plant begins to wither. They are carefully washed, soaked in an aqueous solution of alum for 2 - 3 hours, then subjected to sulphur fumigation for 48 hours. They are then dried in the sun or in ovens[].

Other Uses

None known

Propagation

Seed -
Tubercles.

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