Kudzu Vines
Kudzu was introduced from Japan to the United States in the late 1800s, and this hardy little vine has thrived to epic proportions across the landscape of the Southeastern part of the country. So much so, that it is actually becoming a big environmental nuisance. Well, it’s time to take a stand and start finding a solution to our kudzu problem. And hey, if this solution is also to the benefit of our collective health and well-being, then kudos for kudzu supplements!
Kudzu can Help Curb Cravings for Alcohol
One of the most interesting scientific findings concerning kudzu is that this plant may contain chemical properties that can help curb cravings for alcohol. Dr. Rallie McAllister, M.D., M.P.H., a family physician in Kingsport, Tennessee, USA, reports:
Kudzu may prove to be most beneficial for folks who want to cut back on their consumption of alcohol. ……
……When subjects took the kudzu-containing capsules, they not only drank more slowly, they also drank significantly less alcohol. On average, treatment with kudzu extract produced nearly a 50 percent reduction in alcohol consumption.
The researchers aren’t exactly sure how kudzu works to dampen drinking behavior, but they’re hopeful that it will prove useful in the prevention of binge-drinking. Taken at higher doses and for longer periods of time, extracts of kudzu could help dramatically reduce alcohol consumption in people who tend to drink too much too fast.
Compounds in Kudzu Offer Potential Health Benefits – by Dr. Rallie McAllister
This research is a real breakthrough for those people afflicted with alcoholism. The disease has a tremendously high fall-back pattern in which people who succumb to a craving for alcohol often begin back down the same sort of addictive alcoholic cycle. Kudzu may offer those people a stronger resource to help them fight alcohol cravings preemptively and actually influence them, biologically, to drink less when they do drink.
Other Uses of Kudzu
In addition to helping people curb their dependency on alcohol, Kudzu has been used by people with imagination for various other things.
Uses for Kudzu:
- Ruth Duncan of Greenville, Alabama makes over 200 kudzu baskets each year and says she doesn’t mind that people call her the “Queen of Kudzu.”
- Nancy Basket of Walhalla, South Carolina, makes paper from kudzu which she uses in colorful collages.
- Diane Hoots of Dahlonega, Georgia has developed a company to market her kudzu products which include kudzu blossom jelly and syrup, and kudzu baskets.
- Edith Edwards makes deep-fried kudzu leaves, kudzu quiche, and many other kudzu dishes.
Source: The Amazing Story of Kudzu – Max Shores (Media Producer at The University of Alabama)
Growing Capabilities of Kudzu
Kudzu has nearly mythic growth capabilities and has been called the “foot a night” plant or a “mile-a-minute vine”. Many Southerners have reported coming home from summer vacation to find their home and garden overrun with kudzu. Whatever your feelings may be about introducing a non-native plant to a foreign environment, the fact is that kudzu is here to stay and we have to find a way to control it.
However, there’s an upside to this resourceful and proactive problem solving; kudzu is delicious and you can prepare it in a variety of different ways. So, let’s pick up a fork and get busy — the true kudzu control!
Jocelyn Eide is a writer-researcher from Montana, USA, and writes on a variety of insightful topics, including natural health. When she is not working, she is likely doing Yoga.
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