What Is Wild Yam Cream? An Herbalist's Honest Guide

I've made more than 70,000 jars of wild yam cream by hand, and the question I still hear most is the simplest one: what is it, actually? So let's sit down with it, herbalist to friend, no hype.

Wild yam, the plant

Wild yam (Dioscorea villosa) is a climbing vine native to eastern North America. The part herbalists use is the knobby root. It isn't the sweet potato on your Thanksgiving table. It's a bitter, woody root that wise women and folk herbalists have kept in their cupboards for generations, and it has long been thought of as a women's herb.

In traditional herbalism, wild yam was the root women reached for through the turns of the female cycle: the monthly rhythm, the years after babies, and the long transition into perimenopause and menopause. That's the tradition I learned from, and it's why I built a cream around it.

What's in our Wild Yam Cream

Ours is simple on purpose. Three herbs, infused slowly into oils, then whipped into a rich butter:

• Wild yam root: the heart of the formula.
• Chaste tree berry (vitex): a classic women's herb, traditionally paired with wild yam.
• Red clover: a gentle blossom long used in women's formulas.
• The base: castor oil, sunflower oil, mango butter, beeswax and vitamin E.

There's no water in it. That's called anhydrous, and it matters. Most lotions are mostly water, which means more preservatives and less of the good stuff. Ours is herbs infused straight into the oils, so a little goes a long way and it feels like a buttery balm on your skin.

Is wild yam cream the same as progesterone cream?

No, and this one trips a lot of people up. Some creams on the market are labeled "wild yam" but have progesterone added in a lab. Ours isn't one of them. Ripple's Wild Yam Cream is purely herbal: plants, oils and butters, nothing synthetic. If you're shopping around, read the label. If it lists progesterone, it's a different product.

How women use it

Women come to wild yam cream at all different seasons of life. Some use it as part of their monthly cycle ritual. Many find it in their forties and fifties, during perimenopause and menopause, when they want something natural and steady in their routine. I hear from daughters who buy it for their moms, and moms who buy it for their daughters.

"This is my third jar. I love this product because it works. Simple as that." — a Ripple customer

Every body is different. Some women notice a difference within a few weeks, others take longer, and it isn't for everybody. What I always tell people: give it a real, consistent try, twice a day, for at least a full month before you decide.

How to use wild yam cream

• Twice a day, morning and night. Consistency is the whole secret.
• A small amount, about the size of a pea to a dime.
• Thin-skinned areas: lower belly, inner wrists or inner thighs. Many women rotate spots.
• Make it a ritual. Warm it between your fingers, take three slow breaths, and massage it in. That minute is for you.

Want it on the go? The Wild Yam Herbal Roll-On fits in a purse, and the Hormone Harmony Trio puts the cream, the roll-on and our lavender Magical Magnesium together.

Who should skip it

Herbs are powerful, and I'd rather you be safe. Please don't use wild yam cream if you take hormonal birth control or hormone-replacement therapy. Talk with your healthcare provider first if you're pregnant or nursing, have a hormone-sensitive condition, or are going through cancer treatment.

How long does a jar last?

Used twice a day, a 4 oz jar lasts most women a couple of months, and a 2 oz jar about half that. It's also why so many people buy a second jar for a sister, a mom or a best friend.

Small batch. Old magic. Thank you for trusting the plants, and me, with a little piece of your day.

— Jamie

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Wild Yam Cream is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. For external use only.