African Potato

Hypoxis rooperi (Starflower, Sterblom, Inkomfe (Z), Ilabathela (X), Lotsane (S))

Health Benefits

• Immune Health – Strengthen the immune system
• Skeletal system – Treat arthritis, rheumatism, gout & oedema 
• Regulate blood sugar levels and manage type 2 diabetes.
• Prostate health – Assist in treating prostate problems
• Urinary system – Treat urinary tract disorders and bladder infection. Alleviate water retention
• Respiratory health – Protect against tuberculosis & lung disease.
• Alleviate epilepsy and childhood convulsions.
• Immune modulator – Assist with cancer treatment. May alleviate HIV and AIDS (May interfere with aids medication)
• Properties – Anti-inflammatory, diuretic

Topical/Skin

• Treat skin conditions such as eczema, acne, psoriasis, & rashes
• May prevent scars formation
• Assist in the healing of bedsores
• May assist as part of treatment to remove warts
• Prevent the formation of stretch marks
• Relieve sunburn, insect bites
• Moisturizes dry skin
• Encourages wound healing, including burn wounds

 Parts used 

Tuberose rootstock (Corm) & leaves. The corm is highest in its active ingredients.

Phytochemical compounds

Phytosterol, sterolins, sterols, stanols, terpenoids, saponins, cardiac glycosides, tannins, and rooperol. Hypoxide in African Potato is rapidly converted in the gut to a potent antioxidant, rooperol.

Properties & Actions

Antioxidant, immunomodulation, antinociceptive, antiandrogenic, hypoglycemic, anti-inflammatory, anti-infective, antibacterial, heterolytic, antimotility, antidiabetic, anticonvulsant, and ant-cancer, neoplastic, spasmolytic and anticholinergic

Nutritional value

Practical uses

The leaves are made into a strong and lasting rope. The underground corm also yields a dark, almost black dye. These dyes were traditionally used to blacken floors.

Warnings & side effects

Raw parts of the bulb contain toxic substances. Best to dry it first. Side effects are nausea and vomiting. Taking too much may cause kidney impairment and interfere with HIV medication.

Detailed Health Benefits

Strengthen the immune system

African potato help increases the functioning of the T-cells, which control and regulate the immune system. This improves the body’s natural ability to fight against disease and illness. Plant sterols concentrated in the corm of African potato significantly enhance the functioning of T-cells and possess potent anti-inflammatory properties. Beta-sitosterol boosts the immune system after physical stress like exercise.

Anti-inflammatory

African potato has strong anti-inflammatory properties that alleviate oedema and arthritis. It also soothes inflammation of the respiratory system, urinary system, and prostate.

Treat arthritis, rheumatism, gout & oedema.

Hypoxide in African Potato has potent anti-inflammatory, anti-neoplastic and anti-infective properties.

Alleviate prostate problems

Benign prostatic hyperplasia, enlarged prostate, and prostate cancer. B-sitosterol has antiandrogenic and anti-inflammatory properties that affect the stromal cells of the prostate, TGF-B1 expression, and protein kinase C-alpha activity. As such assists in the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia.

Alleviate water retention

African potato’s diuretic properties improve urine flow caused by an enlarged prostate (benign prostatic hyperplasia).

Treat urinary tract disorders and bladder infection

Its anti-inflammatory en diuretic properties assist in fighting urinary tract inflammation and eliminate toxins by improving urine flow.

Support the respiratory system

Protect against tuberculosis & lung disease. It might help people with lung cancer to live longer.

Regulate blood sugar levels and manage type 2 diabetes.

It may stimulate insulin production.

Alleviate skin conditions

African potato treats skin problems such as eczema, acne, psoriasis, rashes, scars, burns, bedsores, warts, stretch marks, sunburn, insect bites & dry skin. As a moisturizer, it soothes and calms the skin, eliminating redness and puffiness caused by inflammation. A cream or ointment from African potato soothes irritation and inflammation. It alleviates joint stiffness, sprains, arthritis, and muscular pain. It is high in sterol and sterolin levels, easing inflammation, accelerating healing, and boosting skin immunity. 

Encourages wound healing

It speeds up wound healing, reduces inflammation, and stimulates skin cell renewal.

Traditionally uses

Wasting disease, insanity, barrenness (infertility), impotence, bad dreams, and intestinal parasites.

Epilepsy and childhood convulsions. African potato has anticonvulsant properties that prevent or reduce the severity of epileptic fits or other seizures.

Cancer

African potato has anti-cancer properties and fights cancerous and premalignant cells. It contains phytochemicals that might prolong survival in patients with lung cancer. It is traditionally used for testicular tumours, prostate cancer, and lung cancer.

HIV and AIDS

It may delay Aids symptoms in people that are HIV positive. The African potato significantly inhibits the metabolism of anti-retroviral medications, highly effective drugs used to treat HIV.