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Aspects of this topic are discussed in the following places at Britannica.
Methods of converting the steroid sapogenin diosgenin into progesterone have been developed. An abundant source of diosgenin is a Mexican yam called cabeza de negro, and progesterone made from it is used in producing steroid hormones.
...steroid drugs, however, are undoubtedly the oral contraceptives, which were introduced in the early 1960s. These synthetic materials, which act by suppressing ovulation, are made chiefly from diosgenin, a plant steroid obtained from wild yams.
an organic compound belonging to the isoprenoid series and responsible for the red colour of the tomato, the hips and haws of the wild rose, and many other fruits. Lycopene is an isomer of the carotenes, the yellow colouring matter, both having the same molecular formula, C40H56, but differing in structure. Lycopene was isolated from the black bryony (Tamus communis), a European yam, in 1873, and from tomatoes in 1875.
Aspects of this topic are discussed in the following places at Britannica.
...such as age, race, or family history cannot be avoided. However, studies have suggested that a diet low in fats and high in fruits and vegetables decreases prostate cancer risk. Compounds called lycopenes, which are present in grapefruit, tomatoes, and watermelon, have been linked to reduced risk, as has the nutrient selenium, which is found in nuts, oranges, and wheat germ.
a Bantu-speaking people who inhabit the northwestern region of Zambia. Their wooded highlands average 4,000 feet (1,220 m) in elevation; to the southeast begin open plains noted for their abundant wild animals.
Three groups with different histories are known as Kaonde; all are probably descended from the Luba people residing in what is now Congo (Kinshasa). When they settled their present area in the 16th and 17th centuries, the Kaonde recognized the paramount chief of the Lunda empire to the north as their overlord. Several autonomous Kaonde chiefships arose in the 18th century, however, and came to prominence in the 19th century, a period marked by battles with the Lozi and by Kaonde slave raids against the Ila to their south.
Kaonde observe matrilineal descent and reside virilocally in large villages. Corn (maize), cassava, millet, sorghum, yams, squash, and beans are grown. Traditionally, the Kaonde piled and burned felled trees and underbrush and then planted crops in a square area of ash-enriched soil. Many wild fruits are gathered. Men hunt small highland game (cane rats, duiker, bushbuck) when it is available and fish by poisoning river pools during the arid months of June and July.
Kaonde share many cultural traits with other Central Bantu speakers. Ancestral spirits are supplicated by the Kaonde, as they are throughout northern Zambia and southern Congo. Many Kaonde seek work in mining centres of the Copperbelt. Kaonde is one of the eight official languages of Zambia and is used in Radio Zambia broadcasts.
a South American Indian people living in Brazil, Peru, and Colombia, around the Amazon-Solimões and Putomayo-Içá rivers. They numbered about 25,000 in the late 1980s. The Tucunan language does not appear to be related to any of the other languages spoken in the region.
The Tucuna live in flat, moist, jungle tracts in the northwest Amazon basin and cultivate bitter and sweet cassava, yams, and corn (maize). They raise chickens for food and keep a number of wild mammals as pets around their houses. The Tucuna gather tubers and nuts from the forest and eat some types of frogs, certain larvae, and ants. They collect wild honey but do not keep bees. At one time, the Tucuna were skilled hunters, using bows and arrows, spears, blowguns, snares, and traps. In the 20th century, however, the demand for animal hides has depleted the availability of game in the jungle and has altered old patterns of hunting.
The Tucuna manufacture a simple type of pottery but do not weave cloth or practice metallurgy. They are accomplished in the art of making and using bark cloth, out of which they make ceremonial masks and large animal figures. They manufacture many different baskets and other containers out of a variety of plant fibres.
The 20th-century Tucuna are adaptable and successful traders, just as their forebears had been. Traditionally, the Tucuna exchanged certain vegetable poisons of the Amazonian forest for goods brought down from the mountains. In recent years, the Tucuna have provided animal hides and canoes to urbanized South Americans, in exchange for money and manufactured goods.
Aspects of this topic are discussed in the following places at Britannica.
...of hornets or the bites of poisonous ants. The girls’ initiation, generally more developed in the Amazon area near the Andes, is also frequently accompanied by difficult tests. Among the Tikuna (Tucuna) and other...
