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Submited By: Michael Simmonds on 03/20/2008
Kudzu is also known by the names Kuzu, Pueraria, Gwat Gun, and Ge Gan. Kudzu is a coarse, high-climbing, twining, trailing, perennial vine, native to Japan and China. It also grows in the Southeastern portions of the United States where it helps to control soil erosion, fix nitrogen into the soil, and feed cattle. This herb quickly overgrows its boundaries, and a single vine can grow up to 100 feet in one season, taking over and killing other plants along its path. It can literally grow through rocks. Despite the many important uses of this plant, it is often considered a noxious weed, yet continues to be imported from Asia to be sold as both food and medicine. The genus is named after the Swiss botanist, M. N. Pueraria. Kudzu root has been known for centuries in traditional Chinese medicine. The first written mention of the plant as a medicine is in the ancient herbal text of Shen Nong (circa A.D.100).
In traditional Chinese medicine, Kudzu Root is used in prescriptions for the treatment of "wei," or "superficial" syndrome (a disease that manifests just under the surface - mild, but with fever), thirst, headache, and stiff neck with pain due to high blood pressure. It was also recommended for allergies, migraine headaches, measles eruptions in children, and diarrhea. It was also used as a treatment for angina pectoris. The roots provide a fiber for the textile industry. The process for extracting the starch from the roots is tedious and can take up to 120 days, during which it is chopped, washed, pounded into a mass, and filtered up to 50 times.
The primary chemical constituents of Kudzu include starch, isoflavonoids, puerarin, daidzein, and phytoestrogens. Kudzu Root is high in isoflavones, such as daidzein, as well as isoflavone glycosides, such as daidzin and puerarin. Depending on its growing conditions, the total isoflavone content varies from 2-12%, with puerarin in the highest concentration, followed by daidzin and daidzein. It has some demulcent properties, making it useful for thirst and dryness. Also, the flowers have been shown to be effective in lessening the desire for alcohol, and thus are used in the treatment of alcoholism. This herb also helps counteract poisons.
When Kudzu is roasted in a dry pan, it makes an excellent tonic for the spleen, and helps treat diarrhea. Kudzu is cooked as food in China, where it is used as a thickening agent in making sauces, soups and puddings. It can be used as a starch for people who do not digest grains well. The young leaves, shoots, and flowers can be steamed or sautéed as a vegetable. They may also be pickled. The common name Kudzu also includes the species Pueraria thunbergiana, which is used interchangeably with Pueraria lobata.
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Recent studies have shown that the Kudzu plant, which can be taken as a tea or in capsules, can cut the emotional desire for alcohol in half. Kudzu tea has been used in China for more than 2500 years, and is known to have no side effects.
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