The Asiatic bitter yam, Dioscorea hispida Dennst locally known as “nami”/ “ngamu” or “Bu-ot” in bisaya. Considered as a famine food and was a huge advantage for the Filipinos during the 2nd world war. This wild yam contains dioscorine, histamine and cyanogens that cause nerve paralysis when ingested. Although it is toxic, the asiatic bitterm yam is also a good source of starch and carbohydrates when processed and cooked well.
During WW2 some Filipinos/soldiers used this plant to iliminate Japanese soldiers in Mindanao. They would invite Japanese soldiers into their homes and serve them with an unprocessed yam which resulted to intoxication and fatally killing their enemies. When the Japanese took over the country which included farms and livelihood, many Filipinos (my ancestors) were forced to flee and hide into the thick jungles for many years. For them to survive they must hunt and forage whatever they find in the wild and among the many famine foods was the “nami” or “bu-ot”.
The process takes about 3-5days to make the tuber safe to eat. Although there are many known process, the most popular here was the “slice, soak and cook” for the lack of better term.
(1) You skiin and slice the tubers into thin parts like chips.
(2) soak it in water with salt overnight
(3) place it in a cloth sack or net bag and soak it in running water for 48-72hrs
(4) Finally cook it to whatever recipe you desire. Some also test-feed it to the animals before eating the chips
Apart from the toxicity and edibility of nami, it also yields many other properties which includes medicinal and sometimes even used in hypnosis. The crude extracted from its stem when mixed with neem oil makes a very effective insect/mosquito repelant. And its hypnotic properties is now being studied to help cure problems with insomnia.
An article by RP Outdoors & Bushcraft
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