Yams and liver necrosis.

YAM (Dioscorea rotundata) is widely consumed in Ghana and other parts of West Africa and in some regions forms a staple of the diet. Toxic principles have been isolated from some species of yam, and it is widely known among farmers that the consumption of particular forms of yam may prove fatal1. Other species of yam when eaten in large quantities are said to lead to stupefaction2. It seemed desirable, therefore, to examine more closely the nutritional properties of those species of yam consumed commonly in Ghana.