Diosgenin is a sapogenin that is spirostan which is substituted by a hydroxy group at the 3beta position, contains a double bond at the 5-6 position, and has R- configuration at position 25.

A natural product found in Dioscorea (wild yam) species, it is used as the starting point for the commercial synthesis of a number of steroids, including pregnenolone, progesterone.

It has a role as an apoptosis inducer, an antiviral agent, an antineoplastic agent, and a metabolite. It is a 3beta-sterol, a spiroketal, a hexacyclic triterpenoid, and a sapogenin. It derives from a hydride of a spirostan

Diosgenin is an important basic raw material for the production of steroidal hormone drugs . Steroid hormone has a strong anti-infective, anti-allergic, anti-virus and anti-shock pharmacological effects, the treatment of rheumatism, kardiyovasküler, lymphatic leukemia, cell encephalitis, skin diseases, anti-tumor and rescue of critically ill patients important treatment; it is important steroid hormone drug intermediates acetate pregnancy enolase raw materials, can be synthesized by its norethindrone, fluocinolone, and other steroid drugs.Diosgenin pharmaceutical industry is referred as "medicinal gold", medicinal value is very important and broad.