Elephant foot yam regulates the digestive system

The Elephant Foot Yam
Photo Credit- Wikimedia Commons by Bhaskaranaidu
The botanical name of Elephant foot yam is Amorphophallus paeoniifolius. It is also known as white spot giant arum or stink lily and is called Jimikand or Suran in India.
It is known by different names in different regions of India. The people of Bihar and Bengal call it oal, while it is suvarna gedde in Kannada, oluo in Oriya, senai kizhangu in Tamil, pulla ganda in Telugu, chhena in Malayalamkeane in Tulu, teve in Tonga etc.

It is is a tropical tuber crop of Southeast Asian origin and is also grown primarily in Africa, South Asia and in the tropical Pacific islands. It grows in its wild form too.
It is cultivated in different parts of India.

The oal curry, oal bharta or boiled paste, pickles and chutney or sauce is very popular in Bihar. The oal sauce contains mango, ginger and oal in equal amounts.

In West Bengal the fried form of the yam curry is very popular. The green plant body is also eaten as a green vegetable called Bengali  ol shaak or green.
In Tonga it is known as teve and is only eaten if no vegetable is available.

Now it is being raised as a cash crop due to its nutritional benefits. This vegetable grows under the ground and has several medicinal properties to keep anyone healthy and free from diseases.

Contents
It is rich in calories, fiber, vitamin C, vitamin B, folic acid and niacin. It also contains minerals like potassium, iron, copper, magnesium, calcium and phosphorus etc.

Benefits
1. The application of the paste of boiled jimikand helps in ulcer, abscess, pimples and other skin diseases.

2. The intake of it gives relief in respiratory diseases and helps to alleviate cough.

3. It saves the heart from several diseases as it has rich amounts of vitamins in it. It helps to regulate heart beats and the blood pressure and removes the bad cholesterol.

4. It is a rich source of antioxidants, vitamin C and beta carotene, which fight against the cancer causing free radicals in the body.

5. It is helpful in arthritis and asthma too.

6. The regular intake of it regulates the digestive system and helps in constipation. The rich amounts of potassium in it help in healthy digestive system.

7. It helps to increase the memory and makes the brain sharp. It also saves from the occurrence of Alzheimer’s disease.

8. The copper present in it increases the red blood corpuscles in the body and regulates the proper blood flow too.

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