21 JAN 2017 KONFAL (PURPLE YAM)

Study reveals natural anti-hypertensive property of yam

Category: Health DECEMBER 9, 2011 478 2

Yam (Dioscorea alata Linn) locally known as “ube” is abundantly found in tropical and subtropical countries. It is considered an important crop because of its excellent storage properties. It can be stored up to six months without refrigeration.

Yam is mainly grown for human consumption. It is processed into several food products such as yam flour and starch, confectioneries, cakes and pastries. The purple varieties are popularly used in the preparation of ice cream and other desserts.

However, aside from food uses, yam is also considered as source of natural ingredients for medicinal purposes.

A study funded by the Philippine Council for Health Research and Development of Department of Science and Technology (PCHRD-DOST) entitled Production and Evaluation of PRP-1 (Philippine Rootcrops Protein 1) – a Novel Anti-hypertensive Protein Isolated from Yam stated that locally produced yam can be a good source of alternative drug for the treatment of hypertension.

Hypertension or high blood pressure is a condition in which the blood pressure in the arteries is chronically elevated. The condition might lead to organ damage and several illnesses such as heart attack, stroke, heart failure, aneurysm or renal failure.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), hypertension is one of the most prevalent causes of premature deaths to nearly 8 million people every year worldwide. WHO also estimates that there are about 1 billion people suffering from hypertension, two-thirds of these are from developing countries.

Commercial anti-hypertensive drugs are expensive – that is why the WHO recommends and encourages the use of plants as an alternative treatment for the disease.

According to Dr. Edgardo E. Tulin, chemistry professor of the Visayas State University (VSU) in Baybay City, Leyte and project leader of the study, yam is rich in different properties that can be used in many medicinal applications.

Given these natural properties in yam, the study evaluated PRP-1, the protein extracted from locally produced yam suspected to have anti-hypertensive content due to its angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitory function.

According to Dr. Tulin, the ACE inhibitors in yam prevent conversion of angiotensin I to angiotensin II, a compound that causes blood pressure increase in the body. ACE inhibitors are proteins that are usually found in commercial drugs primarily used for the treatment of hypertension.

The study also reported that yam can lower the rate of sugar absorption in the bloodstream and help regulate the body’s metabolism. It is also a good source of Vitamin B6 needed by the body to breakdown homocysteine. High levels of homocysteine in the blood are believed to increase the chances of having heart disease. Intake of vitamin B6 will reduce the risks of heart attack.

The study also evaluated the toxicity of PRP-1 in mice and showed no effects in both acute and chronic studies conducted. “Purified PRP-1 was not allergenic to mice. There were no signs of toxicity and no significant changes in the blood and in the internal organs of the test animals we observed,” said Dr. Tulin.

The study was able to extract 333 milligrams of PRP-1 in every 100 grams of yam tubers. “PRP-1 is a natural protein that can be used safely as a potential anti-hypertensive drug which is non toxic, inexpensive and has no side effects. The discovery of this naturally occurring protein in yam could bring the country an alternative medicine for the treatment of hypertension,” concluded Dr. Tulin.(Edmon Agron/PCHRD-DOST)

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2 thoughts on “Study reveals natural anti-hypertensive property of yam”

Specifications

English Chinese yam, asiatic / white yam, potato yam, winged yam

This thick, tropical-vine tuber is popular in South and Central America, the West Indies and parts of and .Although sweet potatoes and yams are similar in many ways and thereforeoften confused with one another, they are from different plant species.In the southern United States, sweet potatoes are often called yams andto add to the confusion, canned sweet potatoes are frequently labeledyams. True yams, however, are not widely marketed and are seldom grownin the United States. Though they can be similar in size and shape tosweet potatoes, yams contain more natural sugar and have a highermoisture content. On the ,they're not as rich in vitamins A and C as sweet potatoes. There areover 150 species of yam grown throughout the world. They can range insize from that of a small potato to behemoths over 712 feet long and120 pounds. Depending on the variety, a yam's flesh may be variousshades of off-white, yellow, purple or pink, and the skin fromoff-white to dark brown. The texture of this vegetable can range frommoist and tender to coarse, dry and mealy. Yams can be found in mostLatin American markets, often in chunks, sold by weight. When buyingyams, select unblemished specimens with tight, unwrinkled skins. Storein a place that's cool, dark and dry for up to 2 weeks. Do not refrigerate. Yams may be substituted for sweet potatoes in most recipes.

Saturday, November 26, 2011

Baked winter vegetables Indian style

Here is one interesting recipe, which is made with winter vegetables and is absolutely delicious. There are many variations to this but generally it is done as I have described here.
It is known as OOKAD HANDI, POPTI, OOBADIYU AND SOME MORE NAMES.
Basically it is certain vegetables put in an earthen pot and sealed with some leaves that grow wild in this season and a bonfire is lit under the pot or it is kept in a hole/trench and lots of firewood is kept over it and burnt.
This is usually done in late evenings when it feels good to sit around the fire. The pot is opened after about 45 to 60 minutes and the vegetables dug out and eaten hot. No other accompaniment is necessary.
This year I made this a little early as the vegetables were available but the winter has not yet set in. I made this in an oven. To make it traditionally one needs to a lot of it and then it has to be enjoyed in the company of family and friends. With just the two of us at home this way we get to eat ookad handi often.

All the vegetable ready to go in the baking dish

The masala ingredients

The purple yam / kand / konfal

Mixed beans

ova / ajwain / ajmo / bishop weed seeds

The baked delicacy ready to eat.

So here is my way of doing this wonderful recipe.
10 small / baby potatoes
10 small onions peeled
10 small brinjals
5 sweet potatoes cut into big chunks with the peel
2 small purple yams / kand / konfal cut into big chunks
500 gms of various papdi /beans (surti papdi, kadu vaal, toor, gujri papdi) these are the varieties of various beans available at this time of the year.
For the masala:
1 big bunch of corriander leaves
1 big bunch of mint leaves / pudina
1 small bunch of green garlic / garlic with its leaves or 1 big pod garlic peeled
8 to 10 green chillies or to taste
1 table spoon ova / ajwain / ajmo / bishop's weed seeds
Salt to taste
How to proceed :
Wash and clean all the vegetables. Keep potatoes, sweet potatoes with the skin. Prick with a fork or the tip of a knife, potatoes, onions, brinjals, sweet potato chunks and the purple yam. Clean the beans. Keep some whole and remove some from shells to be used with the rest of the vegetables.
Wash and grind all the ingredients of the masala with a little water to a smooth paste.
Mix everything together. Add salt for the vegetables too. Pour the vegetables with the masala in a baking dish and bake in pre heated oven at 200 degrees Celsius for 2 hours or till the vegetables are cooked through. The vegetables should be cooked but firm and not too soft.
Eat hot. The only thing we have with this is a glass of butter milk as this is supposed to be a hot (with chillies) recipe.

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