Homemade wild yam cream

Wild yam varieties, including Mexican yam and Chinese yam, contain trace compounds that mimic progesterone and oestrogen. Popular in salves and ointments, wild yam cream is widely used by perimenopausal and pregnant women who are seeking a boost in oestrogen. Making your own wild yam cream at home doesn't take much time and requires just a few ingredients.

Gather the following items and ingredients to create a rich and beneficial wild yam cream: 3 cups of chopped and diced wild yam root, 1 gallon distilled water, 1/2 cup of emollient beeswax beads, 3 tablespoons of stearic acid, a 4-quart of non-stick stockpot and a large glass bowl. Choose your ingredients carefully and purchase items like stearic acid and beeswax from a trusted and reliable soap making supply merchant. Stearic acid, a white lumpy powder, thickens cosmetic recipes and provides foaming capabilities. Beeswax beads come in white or yellow and are very small balls of the natural wax. Retailers of holistic herbs and related items carry wild yam roots.

Place the gallon of distilled water and diced wild yam root into the stockpot and simmer the contents for approximately 40 minutes. Stir and smash the wild yam cubes as they soften in the water, using a wooden or plastic spoon, just enough to smash some of the yams. Leave most of the yams in a solid state to avoid soaking up all of the water. The simmering water breaks down the wild yams and a thin, foamy layer of "fat" will begin to form at the top of the simmering concoction. Skim the layer of yam fat from the surface using a spoon, and drop the foamy stuff into the large glass bowl. Reserve approximately 1/2 cup of yam water. Dispose of the leftovers in the pot. Wild yam fat shrinks after it cools and what appears to be a lot actually isn't, so take as much of the fat off the top of the water as you can.

Introduce 1/2 cup of beeswax beads to the bowl of hot yam fat, and stir as the beads begin to melt. If necessary, microwave on high for approximately 20 seconds to help the beads melt faster. Add the stearic acid powder to the bowl of wax and yam fat and stir vigorously for at least 3 minutes, or until a thick foam forms. Add small increments of the reserved yam water until the froth reaches the desired thickness.

Allow the cream to cool in the bowl, while covered with cling film, until it reaches room temperature. Massage the rich, orange-coloured cream into the soft, sensitive parts of your skin to take advantage of the oestrogen-like properties of the wild yam cream. Areas of your body such as your breasts, stomach, thighs and buttocks benefit from the rich, foamy cream. Following the recipe will give you about enough wild yam cream to last approximately six months, if the cream is used once every two weeks. Add about 3 teaspoons of vitamin E oil to the cream to keep it preserved, and spoon it into a jar with an airtight lid. The cream lasts about a year if stored in a cool, dark place.