Yacon Rhizomes (for planting)

IMPORTANT NOTE: Sold Out. Available June 2024. Pickup Only from Yandina or Stanthorpe

Commercial quantities of organic yacon rhizomes from Nutrition Farms™ – Available now!

Were $39 per kg - now just $25 per kg

Yacons have proven to be a successful, dual-income crop at our demonstration farms and we are now able to offer others the opportunity to access planting material for this problem-free crop.

Here are seven reasons to consider planting yacons this season:

1) Highest source of prebiotics - these are substances that boost beneficial gut organisms with a potential market equal to that for probiotics. Yacons are considered to be amongst the most powerful of prebiotic foods as they contain exceptional levels of fructooligosaccharides (FOS) and inulin.

2) A highly profitable, multi-income crop - these versatile, juicy tubers are sought after and there is a growing demand for the rhizome planting material. There is also a potential third income stream from the leaves, that can be used to produce a high antioxidant, herbal tea.

3) Problem-free productivity - the very high antioxidant qualities of this crop sponsor an inherent pest protection that makes them a low-stress pleasure to produce.

4) A proven weight loss tool - these taste treats are often called the “diet potato” due to their capacity to shut down the hunger hormone, ghrelin, and thereby suppress appetite.

5) Helps counter constipation - yacons are packed with both the soluble and insoluble fibre, which is so important for bowel health.

Commercial quantities of organic yacon rhizomes from Nutrition Farms™ – Available now! 

Extra Information:

Yacons are a plant from the sunflower family with some unique characteristics. They grow as high as two metres, with a small yellow flower and large leaves. The leaves are a rich source of antioxidants and they are the basis of a popular medicinal tea in South America. However, it is the tubers that are most sought after. They have been termed “The Peruvian Apple” as they taste like a cross between an apple and a juicy pear. The crop offers multiple income streams, including the leaves, the tubers and the rhizomes. They make delicious dried fruit and they can be used to produce yacon syrup, which is a popular alternative sweetener for diabetics. The rhizomes, rather than the tubers, are used for replanting, and these lumpy, red, fleshy bulbs are cut up for seed, ensuring there are at least two nodules on each seed piece.

Each plant produces around 5 kg of delicious tubers and up to 2 kg of rhizomes. They flourish in subtropical and temperate regions equally well, and they die back in winter.

However, the tubers are much more than a juicy taste treat. They have huge potential when considering the emerging market for prebiotics. That term, of course, refers to substances that boost your beneficial gut life.

We now understand that every aspect of your health is impacted by the health of your life within. That includes immunity and even mental health. The queen of prebiotic plants has always been the Jerusalem Artichoke, due to its content of the two most researched of the prebiotics, inulin and fructooligosaccharides or FOS. However, it is now understood that yacons are actually the highest source of these gut-life stimulants and that’s just the start of the benefits of this truly medicinal food. Here’s four other benefits

1)  Yacons as a weight loss tool - yacons are often referred to as the “diet potato” for two reasons. They have been shown to shut down the hunger hormone called ghrelin. If you consume fresh yacons or yacon powder, 20 minutes before a meal, it can reduce your appetite to the point that you will consume up to 50% less food

Yacons are a recognised regulator of body fat. We have reached the ludicrous point on this planet, where there are as many people overweight as there are starving. In fact, Australians now hold the gold medal, as the most accomplished fatties of all. We are not the most obese, but 62% of us are now more than 5 kg above our ideal body weight. Carbohydrates, including sugar, are the biggest players in this battle of the bulge, and this is where yacon shines. It is called “the diet potato” because it has both low calories and a very low glycemic index.

2)  Constipation is a major health issue. Yacon tubers counter constipation in two ways. Their prebiotic influence fires the good guys responsible for peristalsis, the rhythmical contraction of the digestive tract, that moves things along in the tube. Probiotic organisms message the digestive tract to squeeze at each stage, including that important last squeeze.

The second laxative impact relates to the high fibre level found in yacon. Unlike high GI potatoes that have no fibre, these treats are packed with the soluble and insoluble fibre, which is so important for bowel health.

3) Reducing cholesterol and triglycerides - high levels of both of these fats are seen as a marker for increased risk of heart attack and stroke. Fructooligosaccharides have been shown to reduce both low density lipoproteins (LDL cholesterol) and triglycerides. This is seen as a protectant against fatty liver, a major health issue impacting our second largest organ.

4) Addressing Metabolic Syndrome - research published in the March 2008 issue of “Food and Chemical Toxicology” revealed a relationship between yacon consumption and reduced risk from Metabolic Syndrome. Metabolic Syndrome involves a collection of elevated markers, which together generate a far greater risk of stroke, heart attack, diabetes and Alzheimer’s Disease. In that study, yacon was combined with silymarin, the active ingredient in milk thistle, to reduce all five markers of this precursor condition. There are five markers for this condition that affect up to one in three adults, and if you have three of them, you are usually diagnosed with this condition. Those markers include:

•     elevated blood pressure (greater than 130/85)
•     high blood sugar levels (insulin resistance)
•     excess fat around the waist
•     high triglyceride levels
•     low levels of good cholesterol, or HDL

Perhaps you are now thinking that this crop might have some potential. If you are Australian and you are seeking plant material, you can source it from Nutrition Farms™ by contacting NTS on 07 5472 9900 or via this site. We also market the tubers, when in season, and we also produce dried yacons that are really something special. They are a guilt-free, chewy, sweet treat where the benefits just described are concentrated five fold.