Dioscorea pentaphylla, Fiveleaf Yam, কাঁটা আলু Kanta Alu, નાનો જંગલી કંદ, कांटा आलू, アケビドコロ, ಕಾಡು ಗುಂಬಳ. നല്ലനൂറ, grabosa ovada, Kantakaluka, நூறை, అడవి గెనుసు తీగ, มันคันขาว

 

Dioscorea pentaphylla L.
Family: Dioscoreaceae

Synonyms: Botryosicyos pentaphyllus (L.) Hochst., Dioscorea changjiangensis F.W.Xing & Z.X.Li, Dioscorea codonopsidifolia Kamik., Dioscorea digitata Mill., Dioscorea globifera R.Knuth, Dioscorea jacquemontii Hook.f., Dioscorea kleiniana Kunth, Dioscorea pentaphylla var. cardonii Prain & Burkill, Dioscorea pentaphylla var. communis Prain & Burkill, Dioscorea pentaphylla var. hortorum Prain & Burkill, Dioscorea pentaphylla var. jacquemontii (Hook.f.) Prain & Burkill, Dioscorea pentaphylla var. kussok Prain & Burkill, Dioscorea pentaphylla var. linnaei Prain & Burkill, Dioscorea pentaphylla var. malaica Prain & Burkill, Dioscorea pentaphylla var. papuana Burkill, Dioscorea pentaphylla var. rheedei Prain & Burkill, Dioscorea pentaphylla var. simplicifolia Prain & Burkill, Dioscorea pentaphylla var. suli Prain & Burkill, Dioscorea pentaphylla var. thwaitesii Prain & Burkill, Dioscorea pentaphylla var. unifoliata R.Knuth, Dioscorea spinosa Burm., Dioscorea triphylla L., Hamatris triphylla (L.) Salisb., Ubium quadrifarium J.F.Gmel., Ubium scandens J.St.-Hil.

• Common name: Fiveleaf Yam
• Assamese: আদা আলু ada alu, পাচ পতীয়া আলু punch patia alu
• Bengali: কাঁটা আলু Kanta Alu
• Chinese: 五叶薯蓣
• Gujarati: નાનો જંગલી કંદ nano jungli kand, વજનું કંદ vajnu kand, વેણી વેલ veni vel
• Hindi: कांटा आलू Kanta Alu, फल आलू phal alu
• Japanese: アケビドコロ
• Kannada: ಕಾಡು ಗುಂಬಳ Kaadu Gumbala
• Khasi: phan kyrsiew
• Konkani: तीळ करंदी til karandi
• Malayalam: Vellachikizhangu, കാട്ടുകിഴങ്ങ് kattukizhangu, മരക്കിഴങ്ങ് marakkizhangu, നല്ലനൂറ nallanoora, നൂറകിഴങ്ങ് noorakizhangu
• Manipuri: হা ha
• Marathi: शॆंडवेल Shendvel, Marathi: गाबोळी gaaboli, मुंडावळया mundavalya
• Malai: Ubi pasir
• Nepali: मिठे तरुल mithe tarul
• Oriya: କଣ୍ଟାଆଳୁ kontaalu
• Portuguese: grabosa ovada
• Sanskrit: कण्टकालुकः Kantakaluka
• Tamil: நூறை Nuurai , காட்டுவள்ளி Kaattuvalli, வள்ளி (கொடி)
• Telugu: అడవి గెనుసు తీగ Adavi Genasu Tiga, అడవి గుమ్మడి తీగ adavi gummadi tiga, చెంచు గడ్డ chenchu gadda, దుక్క పెండలము dukka pendalamu, కారుచెంబ kaaruchemba, మొయ్యాక్కు పెండలము moyyakku pendalamu, ముళ్ల పెండలము mullu pendalamu, నూలు దుంప nulu dumpa, పంది గడ్డ pandi gadda, పంది ముక్కు దుంప pandi mukku dumpa 
• Thai: มันคันขาว
• Tulu: ಕಾಟ್ಟು ಕುಂಬುಡ kattu kumbuda

Description: Tuberous climbers; stem terete, twining to left, usually armed with prickles. Leaves 3-5-foliolate, with bulbils in the axils; leaflets 3.5-8 x 2.5-5 cm, elliptic-ovate, base acute or attenuate, apex acute, glabrous or pubescent below; upper leaves much smaller; petiole to 8 cm long. Male flowers on slender spikes on axillary or terminal panicles, tomentose. Perianth lobes 6, greyish; outer c. 1.5 mm long, ovate, tomentose, inner c. 1 mm long, lanceolate, glabrous. Stamens 3, staminodes 3. Female spike solitary, tomentose. Perianth lobes 6, biseriate, c. 1 mm long, ovate. Ovary c. 3 mm long, oblong, ribbed; stigma capitate. Capsule c. 2 cm long, oblong, 3-winged, glabrescent.

Used in Ayurveda and Sidha. Poisonous tubers, acrid raw tubers are not edible; tubers, if eaten, produce sterility in males. Tubers for healing swellings, boils, rheumatism and as a tonic; root powder taken by women to enhance milk during lactation. Leaves decoction drunk as contraceptive. Veterinary medicine, root extract given for cough; root bark along with stem bark of Albizia lebbeck crushed and applied locally for rheumatism, the decoction given orally. [CRC World Dictionary of Medicinal and Poisonous Plants]

In India, tubers cut into pieces, steeped in water, and boiled or baked prior to eating, In Hawaii, tuber steamed and eaten warm. In Oceania, tubers boiled baked or used in lap-lap . In Peninsular Thailand, tubers main source of carbohydrate for the Sakai.[Edible Medicinal and Non-Medicinal Plants v.10]

Bark of root along with stem bark of Siris [Albizia  lebbeck  (L.)  Willd.] are  soaked  in  butter  milk  overnight.  Then  the  mixture  is  crushed and applied locally.  Decoction is  also  given orally once  daily  for  a week  in  the  treatment  of  rheumatism. [Herbal Cures: Traditional Approach]

9 Published articles of Dioscorea pentaphylla

1.    Purnomo, Malikah, and Maryani, Diversity and phenetic analysis of tomboreso (Dioscorea pentaphylla L.) in Yogyakarta based on morphological and leaf anatomical characters. 2018. 2002.
2.    Sharlina, M.S.E., A.M. Lazim, and W.A. Yaacob, Synthesis and thermal properties of dioscorea pentaphylla sodium starch sulfate. 2017. 46(9): p. 1549-1555.
3.    Kumar, S., et al., Antioxidant activity, antibacterial potential and characterization of active fraction of Dioscorea pentaphylla L. tuber extract collected from Similipal Biosphere Reserve, Odisha, India. 2017. 53(4).
4.    Prakash, G., B.B. Hosetti, and B.L. Dhananjaya, Antimutagenic effect of Dioscorea Pentaphylla on genotoxic effect induced by methyl methanesulfonate in the drosophila wing spot test. 2014. 21(3): p. 258-263.
5.    Prakash, G. and B.B. Hosetti, Bio-efficacy of Dioscorea pentaphylla from Midmid-Western Ghats, India. 2012. 19(2): p. 100-105.
6.    Poornima, G.N. and V. Ravishankar Rai, In vitro propagation of wild yams, Dioscorea oppositifolia (Linn) and Dioscorea pentaphylla (Linn). 2007. 6(20): p. 2348-2352.
7.    Singh, A., et al., Diosbulbin B, a constituent of Dioscorea pentaphylla. 1999. 55(4): p. 559-561.
8.    Tanno, N., et al., Gibberellins A19 and A24 from Yams, Dioscorea bulbifera, D. pentaphylla and, D. oppositifolia. 1994. 49(7-8): p. 399-403.
9.    Heckel, Sur Une Nouvelle Variété De Dioscorea Pentaphylla L. A Tubercules Ronds, Ramassés Au Bas De La Tige, Et Rouges. 1901. 48(2): p. 97-100.