Kudzu Root 100 g, 50 g, 25 g

Kudzu Root – 100 g ($15.99), 50 g ($10.99), 25 g ($7.99)

Benefits:
Kudzu has been used in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) since at least the year 100 for the treatment of headache and stiff neck with pain due to high blood pressure. Kudzu has also been used for allergic rhinitis, diarrhea, gastroenteritis, migraines, psoriasis, trauma, and osteoporosis. It is used in modern Chinese medicine as a treatment for angina pectoris. It is also TCM’s principal herb for the treatment of alcoholism, diabetes, neck pain, and the common cold. Kudzu has application in the treatment of cancer and is helpful in treating the early stages of deafness and various neurological conditions.

Alcoholism. Chinese physicians have used kudzu as a cure for alcoholism for over 2,000 years. The tea that is used is called xing-jiu-ling, which is literally translated as “sober up.” A biochemist at Harvard Medical School, Wing Ming Keung, compiled studies of over 300 cases in Hong Kong. In all of the cases he reviewed, kudzu tonics were considered effective for controlling and suppressing the appetite for alcohol, without side effects. In clinical studies, kudzu has been shown to significantly reduce the amount that heavy drinkers drink, increase the number of sips and the time taken to consume each drink, with a decrease in volume of each sip. Participants showed no urge to drink more. No side effects were reported. Kudzu appeared to suppress alcohol intake and reduce withdrawal symptoms.

Researchers at Indiana University have discovered two compounds in kudzu that alter the enzymes that break down alcohol in the liver. As a result, an alcohol by-product called acetaldehyde builds up. When this happens, nausea, facial redness, and general discomfort usually ensue. These compounds work in the same way as the prescription drug disulfiram (Antabuse). Kudzu compounds, however, do not induce nausea to as great an extent as disulfiram, although both treatments increase the discomfort of intoxication.

However, a one-month double-blind study of thirty-eight individuals with alcoholism found no improvement in the participants given kudzu as compared with those given a placebo. One reason for the discrepancy in the results among studies may be that the compound daidzin in kudzu becomes less effective when purified during processing. Kudzu may be more effective if used in its natural state, such as in kudzu tea. It is possible that persons of East Asian ancestry have the greatest response to kudzu as a treatment for alcohol abuse. In East Asia, especially in Korea, as much as 80 percent of the population lacks the enzyme that processes acetaldehyde. Since alcohol tolerance is genetically lower among such persons, kudzu may have a more dramatic effect on them.

Cancer. Kudzu has purported effects on cancer treatment because it prevents the cancer cells from multiplying and has anti-inflammatory properties. Tectorigenin is an isoflavone from kudzu, and it has been shown to have antiproliferative activity against human cancer cells.

Many kinds of cancer, including breast cancer and some forms of melanoma, are stimulated by the hormone estrogen. Kudzu, contains several chemicals that are very similar to estrogen. One of these chemicals, formononetin, has no effect on the body by itself, but is changed by the friendly bacteria in the digestive tract into an estrogen-like compound called daidzein. Daidzein binds to cells that ordinarily would be activated by estrogen, locking out estrogen from activator sites on breast cancer cells, but without stimulating the cancer cells to reproduce. Studies in Japan, the United States, and Finland have shown that the isoflavones, the chemical family that includes formononetin, are clearly associated with reduced rates of breast and uterine cancer. However, because kudzu has been shown to have estrogenic effects, it should not be used by individuals with hormone-sensitive cancers and those taking tamoxifen should avoid it.

Heart disease. Flavonoid-like substances in kudzu help improve microcirculation and blood flow through the coronary arteries. Kudzu reduces the heart’s need for oxygen and improves coronary circulation. Substances in the herb relax the muscles lining the left coronary vessel and lower the heart rate. One kudzu compound is a beta-blocker, which reduces a racing pulse induced by stress. In addition to being used to lower blood pressure, beta-blockers help to reduce swelling within the eye in people with glaucoma. Peurarin, the beta-blocker in kudzu, can perform the same function. In one study, patients with coronary heart disease who received an intravenous form of kudzu (500 milligrams of puerarin) experienced improvements in insulin resistance, blood lipids, and blood clotting. All of these changes are desirable for such patients.

Menopause. The isoflavones in kudzu may be involved with alleviating symptoms such as hot flashes and night sweats in perimenopausal women. In one study, postmenopausal women who used the equivalent of 100 milligrams of isoflavones from kudzu a day for three months experienced better cognitive function compared to a group of women who received hormone replacement therapy (HRT). Other parameters such as blood lipids or hormone levels did not change with kudzu but did in the HRT group. However, many women are advised against using HRT, and kudzu may offer benefit in terms of cognition for these women.

Recommended Use
Kudzu is most easily used in tablet form, but also comes in a powder and tea. The tablets are usually standardized so that 10 milligrams of extract is equivalent to 5 grams of the herb. This is an extraordinarily nontoxic herb; taking as much as 3 ounces (about 100 grams) in a single dose has no reported side effects. The oral dose for menopausal symptoms is 100 milligrams isoflavones (standardized from kudzu) and for alcoholism, 2.4 grams of kudzu root extract.

Kudzu should not be used by those who are hypersensitive to it and patients with estrogen receptor–positive types of breast cancer. Too much kudzu can impair liver function. Interactions can occur with certain drugs such as tamoxifen, antidiabetic drugs, and those that work via the cytochrome P450, 2D6, and 1A2 pathways. It is important to remember that kudzu’s estrogen-like effects do not occur until the friendly intestinal bacteria process the herb. For this reason, antibiotic use nullifies the effect of using kudzu, whether by itself or in herbal formulas that contain it, as these drugs may harm the intestinal bacteria.

Botanical Name: Pueraria lobata
English: Tropical kudze, Kudzu vine, Tropical kudze, Kudzu vine, Japanese arrowroot, East Asian arrowroot, Arrowroot
Also, known as: Vidaari
Habitat: Asia
Origin: China
Harvested: Wild
Parts Used: Root

General Information:
Kudzu (also called Japanese arrowroot or Chinese arrowroot) is a group of climbing, coiling, and trailing perennial vines native to much of East Asia, Southeast Asia, and some Pacific islands, but invasive in many parts of the world, primarily North America.

The vine densely climbs over other plants and trees and grows so rapidly that it smothers and kills them by blocking most of the sunlight. The plants are in the genus Pueraria, in the pea family Fabaceae, subfamily Faboideae. The name is derived from the Japanese name for the plant East Asian arrowroot (Pueraria montana var. lobata). Where these plants are naturalized, they can be invasive and are considered noxious weeds. The plant is edible, but often sprayed with herbicides.

The name kudzu describes one or more species in the genus Pueraria that are closely related, and some of them are considered to be varieties rather than full species. The morphological differences between them are subtle; they can breed with each other and introduced kudzu populations in the United States apparently have ancestry from more than one of the species.[8][9] They are:
P. montana
P. edulis
P. phaseoloides
P. tuberosa

Kudzu spreads by vegetative reproduction via stolons (runners) that root at the nodes to form new plants and by rhizomes. Kudzu also spreads by seeds, which are contained in pods and mature in the autumn, although this is rare. One or two viable seeds are produced per cluster of pods. The hard-coated seeds can remain viable for several years and can successfully germinate only when soil is persistently soggy for 5–7 days, with temperatures above 20 °C (68 °F).

Once germinated, saplings must be kept in a well-drained medium that retains high moisture. During this stage of growth, kudzu must receive as much sunlight as possible. Kudzu saplings are sensitive to mechanical disturbance and are damaged by chemical fertilizers. They do not tolerate long periods of shade or high-water tables.

 

How to use:
We make these suggestions to help you get the best benefit from the herbs that you’re choosing to improve your health. Also we make these ideas and recommendations so that consuming them easier and better fit into your lifestyle by adding them to the food that you already eat.
For the full health benefit, it is best to consume (or use the whole herb in poultices) the whole herb. All of the compounds in the herb act best together, as nature intends. Extracts draw out the most prominent beneficial compounds and may concentrate them. What is not extracted can be helpful in ways that we do not yet understand.

Cut Pieces or Powdered Herb:
There are different ways to use cut pieces or powdered herb.
Food Preparation: You can add powdered or pieces of herb (if the pieces you buy are bigger than you like, a coffee or herb grinder will quickly reduce) to any yogurt, smoothie, apple or other sauces, spreads, salads or other foods more familiar to you that don’t use heat. Heat can be damaging to the beneficial compounds in the herb. Other options like oatmeal, scrambled eggs, pasta sauce, soup, cookies and anything else that fits your lifestyle, but minimizing (by adding near the end of cooking) the heat is helpful.
Also, for children, you can mix powdered herb with honey or glycerin to make paste. The thicker the paste, the more potent and herbal in taste. The sweet taste of honey and glycerin will help medicine go down. The resulting liquid is called an electuary.
For seeds in general, but especially small seeds, it’s best to grind these to break the protective hulls a short time before consumption. This makes all the benefits available, rather than some remaining locked inside the hulls that are unbroken by insufficient chewing.
To make adding herbs even easier, you could add a week’s worth of your chosen herb(s) to an amount of, for example, yogurt that you would eat in a week. Mix thoroughly and eat this each day of the week. So you make once /week and just eat each other day.
Hot Infusion: The basic method for dried herbs and flower is, take 2-3 tablespoons of dried herb in a cup or teapot. Pour hot water over it and cover it with lid for 10-30 minutes. The heat from making tea can degrade some of the beneficial compounds in the herb. This method minimizes this effect. For the full health benefit, it is recommended to consume what is left over after making tea.
Decoctions: Decoctions are suitable for roots, barks, large seeds & berries, and other dense material. The simple way to make decoction is, in a saucepan, add 1 tablespoon of dried herbs to 1 cup of water, Bring the water to boil, reduce heat and simmer for 30-60 minutes with the pot covered. Squeeze out as much as liquid as possible. Best practice is to drink the liquid and also consume the solid material that remains. Herb pieces can also be used.
Powdered Herb:
There are different ways to use powdered herb.
Capsules: HerbsCrafters makes capsules guaranteed to be filled with the pure herb with no filler or any other products. You can also use powdered herb to make your own capsules at home. These capsules are best taken with liquid to aid in digestion and absorption and to ensure it doesn’t stick in your throat.
Poultice: Poultice can be made with an herbal powder and liquid (mostly water) to form a paste which is then applied to the skin. This method is very helpful for skin conditions.
Herbal shot: Powdered herb can be mixed with water, fruit juice or other liquid to make herbal shot.

Tips:
You can sweeten your herbal decoctions with bit of honey, natural fruit juice, stevia leaves powder or licorice root powder.

Precautions:
You should consult with a qualified healthcare practitioner before using any herbal products, particularly if you are pregnant, nursing, or on any medications.
All information on this website is for educational purpose ONLY.
This information has not been evaluated by Health Canada.
This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.