Plant atlas Short
Purple Yam Raised Antioxidant Defenses in Mice
Purple Yam · มันเสือ · Dioscorea alata
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. Follow Longevity Biome for a new Thai plant every day.
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)
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
Educational content, not medical advice! Consult your doctor before changing diet or medication.
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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)