Purple Yam Raised Antioxidant Defenses in Mice

Purple Yam — มันเสือ (man-suea) — Dioscorea alata.

Purple yam — man-sue-ah — a starchy tuber whose flesh is an electric violet all the way through, plus how to cook it and where that color comes from. The edible part is the tuber, and its violet flesh gets its color from anthocyanins, pigments that raised antioxidant-defense markers in a 2023 mouse study. For purple yam nutrition, the tuber is rich in copper, vitamin C, potassium, manganese, and vitamin B6. Copper helps your body put iron to work. Vitamin C helps build the collagen in your skin. Potassium helps your muscles and nerves fire normally. Manganese helps your body maintain normal bones. Vitamin B6 helps turn the food you eat into energy. Kaeng Buat Man Lueat is a Thai dessert of purple yam cubes simmered in coconut milk with pandan and palm sugar, eaten warm. Kaeng Liang Man Sao Pla Yang is a peppery herbal soup of purple yam and grilled fish, served hot with jasmine rice. To grow good tubers, dig a two-foot trench and fill it with loose sand mixed with compost before planting.

Sweet Purple Yam in Coconut Milk — แกงบวดมันเลือด (gaeng-buat-man-luat)
Herbal Purple Yam Soup with Grilled Fish — แกงเลียงมันเสาปลาย่าง (gaeng-liang-man-sao-pla-yang)

Food and nutrients

Rich in: copper, vitamin C, potassium, manganese, vitamin B6

Research context

Purple yam anthocyanins boosted antioxidant defenses in mice; anthocyanins generally support endothelial nitric-oxide function — Food Science & Nutrition, 2023 (animal)

Sources

Source: Qiu P et al. (2023). Anthocyanin from Dioscorea alata: antioxidant capacity in mice. Food Sci Nutr 11(10):6106-6115. DOI:10.1002/fsn3.3547. PMC10563728

Narration transcript

Opening

Cut into a purple yam and the flesh is almost unreal — a deep, electric violet all the way through, from the same pigment family, anthocyanins, that colors blueberries. Purple yam — มันเสือ, man-suea. You eat the starchy tuber cooked: simmered into a coconut-milk dessert, or dropped into a peppery soup with grilled fish.

Sweet Purple Yam in Coconut Milk (Kaeng Buat Man Lueat) (แกงบวดมันเลือด)

Kaeng buat man lueat is a warm dessert that simmers purple yam cubes in coconut milk with pandan and palm sugar.

Herbal Purple Yam Soup with Grilled Fish (Kaeng Liang Man Sao Pla Yang) (แกงเลียงมันเสาปลาย่าง)

Kaeng liang man sao pla yang is a peppery herbal soup that pairs purple yam with grilled fish, served hot with jasmine rice.

Nutrition summary

Purple yam spreads its numbers evenly — decent copper, vitamin C, potassium, and manganese all at once.

Copper

Copper helps your body use iron and maintain normal connective tissue.

Vitamin C

Vitamin C is used to build collagen and helps protect cells from oxidative stress.

Potassium

Potassium helps with normal fluid balance and muscle function.

Manganese

Manganese helps the body use food for energy and maintain normal connective tissue.

Vitamin B6

Vitamin B6 contributes to normal energy metabolism, supports a healthy nervous system, and helps your body make red blood cells.

Closing

If you grow it for those long tubers, do them a favor: dig a deep trench, a good two feet down, and backfill it with loose sand mixed through with compost, so the tuber can swell without fighting the soil. Follow Longevity Biome, and LIKE this video for regular updates.

Related playlists