Witnessed by: Ayurveda · Unani
Elephant foot yam (Amorphophallus paeoniifolius), of the Araceae family. Stout tuberous aroid with a single large umbrella-like leaf and a foul-smelling flower; native range: cultivated across tropical India and South-East Asia in gardens and fields. Globally recognized as surana / arshoghna / kanda in Sanskrit, suran / jimikand / zaminkand in Hindi, suran / zaminkand in Urdu, and elephant yam, whitespot giant arum, telinga potato in English. The part used is corm (tuber). A huge rough brownish corm, white and starchy within, acrid and throat-pricking when raw from its calcium-oxalate needles, mellowing to a bland floury food when well cooked.
In this cross-tradition database, we analyze how this substance operates across world medicine systems — tracking its traditional tastes, temperatures, tissue affinities, post-digestive effects, and planetary correspondences across Ayurveda, Unani, and Western herbalism.
ELEPHANT FOOT YAM
IDENTITY
Name
- Common
- elephant foot yam
- Scientific name
- Amorphophallus paeoniifolius (Dennst.) Nicolson
- Family
- Araceae
Form
- Part used
- corm (tuber)
PROPERTIES
Nature
Taste
how the plant declares itself on the tongue
- Ayurveda
- pungent · astringent (katu, kashaya)
- Unani
- pungent · acrid
Temperature
- Ayurveda
- heating (ushna)
- Unani
- hot & dry (2nd degree)
Affinity
where in the body it travels
Organs / channels
- Unani
- intestines · stomach · liver
PRACTICE
Virtue
Actions
- Ayurveda
- arshoghna (the foremost anti-haemorrhoidal), dipana-pachana (kindles and digests), kaphavatahara, grahi (bowel-toning), krimighna (anthelmintic)
- Unani
- hazim (digestive), kaasir-e-riyah (carminative), muqawwi-e-meda (stomach tonic), qabiz (astringent), and a chief remedy for piles
Cautions
- Contraindications
- high pitta, acidity, bleeding-heat states and skin eruptions; the raw corm is not to be eaten
- Toxicity
- the raw or ill-cooked corm sharply irritates the mouth, throat and gut through calcium-oxalate raphides
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