Common names:
Jíquima: Ecuador yacón, llacón: Peru, Bolivia llakuma (Quechua): Peru, Bolivia aricoma (Aymara).

Crop adaptation:
A distant relative of the sunflower, yacón grows from Venezuela to Argentina at altitudes under 3,300 meters, in climates that are warmer and more humid than those in which other tubers usually grow. Yacón usually grows in small farm orchards in intermontane valleys. The area of the crop has not expanded much in recent decades. In some Andean valleys, yacón is sold at market fairs, especially in November for All Saints’ Day.

Varieties:
This root has little variability. It mainly has white or yellowish transparent flesh.

Nutritional value:
The root contains 86-90% water and only traces of protein and lipids. It is high in oligofructose (also called fructo-oligosaccharide), a dietary sugar, which the human body does not metabolize, hence its potential use for diabetics and in body weight control. Moreover, increased intake of oligofructose has been associated with improved gut health because of the stimulation of (beneficial) bifidus bacteria in the colon.

Uses:
Yacón can be eaten raw, just like a fruit. Once the roots have been dried in the sun, they become sweeter. In Cusco, Peru, during the Inti Raymi festivities in June, yacón is traditionally sold under the name of "cocashka."

May assist on the treatment for diabetes. Helps to alleviate Gastrointestinal problems. Helps reducing the levels of glucose in the blood. Helps reducing cholesterol and triglycerides. Used combined with Seaweed to loose weight. Assists as an antioxidant agent.

Yacon (Smallanthus sonchifolius) is an all natural herbal medicine that helps stabilize blood sugar fluctuations. Studies have shown that the leaves of the Yacon plant, which these capsules are made from, have the ability to reduce glucose levels in the blood. The implication for diabetes is significant. Yacon helps reduce the body's resistance to insulin so that it can work naturally. This process helps the body function in the way that it is intended to. Often other medicines cause stomach discomfort or have other side effects. Yacon is an all natural product that helps the body perform it's natural functions.

Diabetes:
The other instance of diabetes, where the body is not producing the right amount of insulin or it has become resistant to the insulin itself is called Diabetes Type II (non-insulin-dependent diabetes).

People with Diabetes Type II do have methods to help control their diabetes.

Yacon and Diabetes:
Yacon helps maintain normal blood sugar levels in the body by re-sensitizing the body to the effects of insulin. With the help of Yacon, the body increases the effective utilization of insulin thus allowing the body to regulate itself more eas
Diabetes.

Diabetes is a disease that affects millions of people young and old alike. Diabetes is an incurable disease that affects its victims physically and emotionally.
What Causes Diabetes? Glucose circulates in the blood stream where it is available for body cells to use. In people without diabetes, the pancreas makes the correct amount of insulin needed to allow glucose to enter body cells. In people with diabetes, however, not enough insulin is produced. A severe deficiency of insulin causes excess breakdown of stored fats and proteins.

There are two kinds of diabetes. Insulin-Dependent diabetes, also known as Diabetes I, and Non-Insulin-Dependant Diabetes, also called Diabetes II. Diabetes I, most often develops in children and young adults. Diabetes II occurs when the pancreas creates insulin through beta cells inside of the pancreas. Once the beta cells stop producing insulin in the child’s pancreas, they will never start producing insulin again. Diabetes is not beyond control.

Medication is available. Type II Diabetes does have oral medication to help treat it. This natural medicine (Yacon) acts by lowering cells' resistance to insulin, a common problem in Type II diabetes. This new medicine helps Type II diabetics make better use of their own insulin by resensitizing body tissues to the insulin.





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