• Journal of The Korean Society of Clinical Toxicology
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.42-45
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• 2019

Dioscorea tokoro has long been used in Korean traditional medicine as a pain killer and anti-inflammatory agent. A 53-year-old male who consumed water that had been boiled with raw tubers of D. tokoro as tea presented with numbness and spasm of both hands and feet. Laboratory results showed hypocalcemia, hypoparathyroidism, and vitamin D insufficiency. During his hospital stay, colitis, acute kidney injury, and toxic encephalopathy developed. The patient received calcium gluconate intravenous infusion and oral calcium carbonate with alfacalcidol. His symptoms improved gradually, but hypocalcemia persisted despite the calcium supplementation. We suggest that ingestion of inappropriately prepared D. tokoro can cause symptomatic hypocalcemia in patients with unbalanced calcium homeostasis.

• Korean Journal of Plant Taxonomy
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• v.50 no.2
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• pp.232-238
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• 2020

The identity of Dioscorea coreana (Prain & Burkill) R. Kunth is recognized during the re-identification process of Korean Dioscorea specimens. Given the relatively few pieces of information, including few descriptions and research papers, this species has been misidentified as D. tokoro, which has a similar leaf shape, but D. coreana is distinguished from D. tokoro by the absence of a pedicel in the male flower, the green color of the tepal, and the shapes of the fruit and seed. Thus, detailed descriptions, illustrations, and photographs of D. coreana and a key to the Korean Dioscorea, including this species, are presented.

• Korean Journal of Plant Taxonomy
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• v.52 no.1
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• pp.29-34
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• 2022

A palynological study of genus Dioscorea L. in Korea was conducted to evaluate the taxonomic implications. As a result of confirming the palynological characteristics of seven taxa of Dioscorea L., including six that are distributed in Korea and D. tokoro found in Japan, sections or species were classified according to the characteristics, such as the number of apertures, the polar end shape, and exine sculpturing. Specifically, the exine sculptures of D. coreana and D. tokoro, erroneously known to be distributed in Korea, are distinguished. The change in the number of apertures is closely associated with microsporogenesis, and it can be presumed that disulcate pollen might have been derived from monosulcate pollen in Dioscorea.

• Korean Journal of Pharmacognosy
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• v.40 no.4
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• pp.257-279
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• 2009

Plants of genus Dioscorea have long been served as important carbohydrate-stuffed foods in the tropical and subtropical regions, and utilized as traditional herb medicines to enhance digestive function, improve anorexia, and treat diarrhea in oriental countries. It is known that around 600 species of Dioscorea are distributed in the world including 107 species in Asia, but actually utilized Dioscorea species are restricted to small numbers. Phytochemical investigations for Dioscorea species have revealed a number of chemical components such as sapogenins, saponins, phenanthrenes, stilbenes, diterpenes and purine derivatives. According to recent pharmacological studies, Dioscorea species possess significant antioxidant, antibacterial and anti-inflammatory activities as well as anticancer, antidiabetic, cholesterol-lowering and hypolipidemic effects. Here, seven Dioscorea species (D. batatas, D. japonica, D. bulbifera, D. opposita, D. tokoro, D. nipponica and D. alata), mainly distributed and used in Korea, China, and Japan, are reviewed to provide their botanical, phytochemical and pharmacological properties were described.