How Kudzu Is Used In The Treatment Of Alcoholism

How Kudzu Is Used In The Treatment Of Alcoholism
Other Common Names: Geh Gen, Ko Fen, Ko Pu, Kudzu Vine, Kung Pu, Kuzu, Pueraria lobata, Pueraria thunbergiana

Range: E. Asia - Japan.

Habitat: Thickets and thin woods all over Japan.

Kudzu was introduced into the United States at the Philadelphia
Centennial Exposition in 1876 and into the South at the New Orleans
Exposition during 1884-1886. Some folks began using the plant as a
shade vine for their porches and arbors. Cows thought it tasty as a hay
and forage, but its stems made it difficult to harvest. The big break
for kudzu came during the Great Depression of the 1930's when the US
Government paid farmers $8.00 an acre to plant the stuff on fallow
fields and bare banks as a means of controlling erosion. It's been
growing like a weed ever since. Today, the primary value of kudzu is as
a source of amusement and ridicule. And, of course, the plant is a
valuable source of medication for alcoholic hampsters!

The vines grow as much as a foot per day during summer months,
climbing trees, power poles, and anything else they contact. Under
ideal conditions kudzu vines can grow sixty feet each year. While they
help prevent erosion, the vines can also destroy valuable forests by
preventing trees from getting sunlight. The USDA declared kudzu to be a
weed in 1972!

The kudzu vine, known as Ge Gen in China, is commonly used in
Chinese herbalism, where it is considered to be one of the 50
fundamental herbs. Recent research has shown that compounds called
'daidzin' and 'daidzein', which are contained in the roots and the
flowers, are a safe and effective method for treating alcohol abuse.
They work by suppressing the appetite for alcohol, whereas existing
treatments interfere with the way the alcohol is metabolised and can
cause a build-up of toxins. The plant is often used in combination with
Chrysanthemum x morifolium in treating alcohol abuse.

Current research may lead to new medicines made from kudzu, but for
now only hamsters and mice can benefit from these drugs. Research with
laboratory animals at Harvard Medical School has revealed that a drug
extracted from kudzu root may help in the treatment of alcoholism. The
drug is based on a 2,000 year old Chinese herbal medicine. Several
years of testing may be required before the drug can be made available
for human consumption.

The flowers and the roots are antidote, antiemetic, antipyretic,
antispasmodic, demulcent, diaphoretic, digestive, febrifuge,
hypoglycaemic and hypotensive. A concoction of the flowers and tubers
is used to treat alcoholism, fever, colds, diarrhoea, dysentery and
acute intestinal obstruction. It is useful in the treatment of angina
pectoris and migraine. The root is frequently used as a remedy for
measles, often in combination with Cimicifuga foetida.

The root contains puerarin. This increases the blood flow to the
coronary artery and protects against acute myocardial ischemia caused
by the injection of pituitrin. The root can be harvested from the
autumn to the spring and is used fresh or dried.

The flowers are harvested just before they are fully open and are
dried for later use. The stems are galactogogue and are also applied as
a poultice to incipient boils, swellings and sore mouths.

Root - cooked. Starchy. The root can be up to 1.8 metres long. The
root contains about 10% starch, this can be extracted and used as a
crispy coating in deep fried foods, or for thickening soups etc. It can
also be made into noodles, or like agar or gelatine is used as a
jelling agent for salads.

Stems and young leaves - raw or cooked. The fresh young shoots taste like a cross between a bean and a pea.

In Japan, a kind of kudzu tofu is highly prized.

Known Hazards: Although no specific mention has been found
for this species, the leaves of the closely related P. hirsuta (which
might be no more than a synonym for this species) have barbed hairs and
these can cause severe irritation.