[tanysquirrel]

Diosgenin
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diosgenin

Diosgenin, a steroid sapogenin, is the product of hydrolysis by acids, strong bases, or enzymes of saponins, extracted from the tubers of Dioscorea wild yam, such as the Kokoro. The sugar-free (aglycone), diosgenin is used for the commercial synthesis of cortisone, pregnenolone, progesterone, and other steroid products.
Clinical uses[edit]

Diosgenin is the precursor for the semisynthesis of progesterone[3] which in turn was used in early combined oral contraceptive pills.[4] The unmodified steroid has estrogenic activity[5] and can reduce the level of serum cholesterol.[6]

Diosgenin may behave as a prodrug to progesterone.[7][8]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prodrug
prodrug: A prodrug is a medication or compound that, after administration, is metabolized (i.e., converted within the body) into a pharmacologically active drug.[1][2] Inactive prodrugs are pharmacologically inactive medications that are metabolized into an active form within the body. Instead of administering a drug directly, a prodrug might be used instead to improve how a medicine is absorbed, distributed, metabolized, and excreted (ADME).[3][4] Prodrugs are often designed to improve bioavailability when a drug itself is poorly absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract.[1] A prodrug may be used to improve how selectively the drug interacts with cells or processes that are not its intended target. This reduces adverse or unintended effects of a drug, especially important in treatments like chemotherapy, which can have severe unintended and undesirable side effects.