Botanical Name: Dioscorea villosa
Common Names: colic root, China root, yuma, devil's
bones
Medicinal
Properties: Antispasmodic, antibilious, diaphoretic, hepatic
Very relaxing and soothing to the nerves. Useful in all cases of nervous excitement. Will expel gas from the stomach and bowels. Good in cholera. Useful in neuralgia of any part. Excellent for pains in the urinary tract. One of the best herbs for general pain during pregnancy. Take during the whole period of pregnancy. Will allay nausea in small frequent doses. Excellent for cramps during the latter part of pregnancy. Combined with ginger will greatly help to prevent miscarriage. Use a teaspoonful of wild yam, one-fourth teaspoon ginger. Also good to combine with squaw vine for use during pregnancy. Valuable in affections of the liver, spasms, and rheumatic pains. Steep a heaping teaspoonful in a cup of boiling water thirty minutes. Drink cold one to three cupfuls a day, a large swallow at a time. Children less according to age.
Adopted from Kloss, 1939