Singkamas
Pachyrhizus erosus · Yam bean
The plant today
Pachyrhizus erosus, commonly known as jícama ( or ; Spanish: jícama [ˈxikama] ; from Nahuatl languages: xīcamatl [ʃiːˈkamatɬ]) or Mexican turnip, is a native Mesoamerican vine, although the name jícama most commonly refers to the plant's edible tuberous root. It is in the pea family (Fabaceae). Pachyrhizus tuberosus and Pachyrhizus ahipa are the other two cultivated species in the genus. The naming of this group of edible plants can sometimes be confusing, with much overlap of similar, or the same, common names. Flowers, either blue or white, and pods similar to peas, are produced on fully developed plants.
Excerpt from “Pachyrhizus erosus” on Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sa Tagalog
Ang singkamas (Ingles: jícama, Mexican turnip (gabi ng Mehiko), Mexican potato (patatas ng Mehiko); Kastila jícama, na nagmula sa katutubong Nahuatl ng Mehiko: xicamatl; pangalang pang-agham: Pachyrhizus erosus) ay isang uri ng halamang-ugat na may mabilog na bungang ang loob ay maputi, samantalang ang balat ay kulay ng pinaghalong kape at dilaw. Matamis ang lasa nito. Karaniwan din ito sa Pilipinas.
Sipi mula sa “Singkamas” sa Tagalog Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Recorded in the Philippines
GBIF holds 87 records of this plant from the Philippines. The ones with map coordinates fall in 10 provinces, most often Metropolitan Manila (5), Batangas (2), Bataan (1), Bohol (1), Bulacan (1), Capiz (1), Leyte (1), Palawan (1), and 2 more.
Counts from GBIF occurrence records, October 2026. They include planted trees and garden plants, and a province with no records may only lack collectors.
What the 1985 book uses it for
A record of home remedies from 1985, with the book's amounts and doses reworded. It is not medical advice.
- HerpesGround seeds boiled in oil, the oil applied to the blisters.Grind 10 seeds fine and boil in 2 tablespoons of oil for 5 minutes. Apply three times a day.Page 29
Singkamas seeds are poisonous to eat. The book uses them on the skin only.
Summarised from Herminia de Guzman-Ladion, Healing Wonders of Herbs (Manila: Philippine Publishing House, 1985), where this plant is shown as “Singkamas” on page 129. The book is in copyright, so its wording and photographs are not reproduced. Amounts are the book's, restated.
Recent research
The most cited papers since 2022 that name this plant in the title, pulled from Europe PMC in October 2026. Titles are the authors' own and the findings have not been reviewed here.
- Polysaccharides from Pachyrhizus erosus roots: Extraction optimization and functional properties
- Characterization and identification of inulin from Pachyrhizus erosus and evaluation of its antioxidant and in-vitro prebiotic efficacy
- Treating the Onset of Diabetes Using Probiotics Along with Prebiotic from Pachyrhizus erosus in High-Fat Diet Fed Drosophila melanogaster