In some parts of Indonesia, gadung tubers (Dioscorea hispida) are processed into a variety of foods. The tubers are thinly sliced and fried into chips. Gadung tubers can also be steamed and served as a dish with coffee. To make bread in Maluku, a member of the Dioscoreaceae family is dried in the sun then pounded and mixed with sago flour.
The health benefits gadung tuber is little known. In the book Useful Plants of Indonesia by K Heyne, the efficacy of gadung tuber as a cure for leprosy is mentioned. The treatment consists of drinking boiled water of gadung tuber mixed with java chili, white pepper, coconut sugar, and grated coconut.
Another benefit of the gadung tuber research is the tuber’s ability to reduce blood sugar levels in people with diabetes mellitus. The compound, which contains 23% carbohydrates, has been shown in animal studies to inhibit the damage to pancreatic cells caused by alloxan so that the production of the hormone insulin in the body can be normalized.
