Kudzu

Parts Usually Used

Root, flowers, seeds, stems, root starch

Description of Plant(s) and Culture

Kudzu is a noxious, robust, trailing, or climbing vine; the leaves are palmate and 3 parted. Leaflets are entire or palmately lobed. Flowers are reddish purple, grape-scented, in a loose raceme. Blooms in July to September.

Where Found

Found in waste ground from Pennsylvania to Florida; Texas to Kansas. Native to Asia.

Medicinal Properties

Antispasmodic, diaphoretic, diuretic, digestant, demulcent, tonic

Biochemical Information

Large amounts of starch

Legends, Myths and Stories

This is a pernicious, invasive weed of the Southern United States, covering trees, bushes, fences, old abandoned buildings, etc. When it covers a tree, the tree will eventually die from lack of sunlight. Perhaps it could best be controlled by harvesting it for its medicinal potential. Kudzu is used as a substitute for arrowroot; is claimed to have aphrodisiac properties.

Uses

In Chinese tradition, practitioners prepared a tea from the root for headaches, diarrhea, deafness, digestive complaints, and to induce sweating, as well as for snakebites, insect bites, and dog bites. The preparation was also applied externally for stiff necks and muscular tension. Traditional accounts noted the use of flower tea to counter drunkenness. Herbalists applied stem poultices to sores, swellings, wounds, and skin rashes, while a tea brewed from the stems was used as a gargle for sore throats.

The starch extracted from the root was traditionally consumed as a food. In experimental settings, researchers investigated the plant's extracts in connection with blood sugar and blood pressure.

Bibliography

Chinese Medicinal Herbs , compiled by Shih-Chen Li, Georgetown Press, San Francisco, California, 1973. Eastern/Central Medicinal Plants , by Steven Foster and James A. , Lotus Press, PO Box 325, Twin Lakes. , 15 Columbus Circle, New York, NY 10023 The Yoga of Herbs: An Ayurvedic Guide to Herbal Medicine , by Dr. David Frawley & Dr. Vasant Lad, Lotus Press, Twin Lakes, Wisconsin, Second edition, 1988.