Kudzu

Pueraria lobata syn. P. thunbergiana

COMMON NAMES

• Ge-gen
• Kudzu

The herb called the kudzu is a high climbing, coarse textured twining and trailing type of perennial vine found in parts of Asia and naturalized elsewhere. Chinese traditional medicine makes use of the huge root that grows to the size of an adult human body - the kudzu called ge gen in China, is a major source for many modern herbal products as well as traditional Chinese medications. In China, the kudzu or ge gen is found growing in shaded areas along mountains, in the fields and along roadsides, in thickets and thin forests all over the country. Herbal products are also made from the root of another related Asian species of kudzu, called Pueraria thomsonii. The main compounds found in the root of the kudzu are the isoflavones, like the compound daidzein, also included are the isoflavone glycosides, like daidzin and the compound called puerarin. In any batch of kudzu roots, the total content of isoflavone often varies widely from 1.77%-12.0% depending on the growing conditions of the herb. The compound puerarin is always found in the highest concentration among all the isoflavones, second is daidzin, followed by daidzein. The chemical compounds found in kudzu root are similar to other flavones-like substances and aid in bringing about improvement in the microcirculation as well as blood flow along the coronary arteries in the body. The ability of both the daidzin and daidzein compounds to inhibit the desire for alcohol was demonstrated during an animal study in 1993, which was subsequently widely publicized. The urge for alcohol could be stemmed by the root extract of kudzu according to the authors of the report, and they supported the use of the kudzu root extract as a supplemental herbal treatment for alcoholism. However, controlled clinical studies conducted on human subjects have not proven this property of kudzu extract.

PARTS USED

Root.

USES

Diseases such as measles are usually treated using the ge gen remedy in China; this use of the herb is often combined with the use of the sheng ma - Cimicifuga foetida - herb. The various aches and pains in the musculature are also treated using the ge gen herb, in particular those that are linked with the onset of fever or those that tend to affecting the muscles along the neck and the upper back of the patients. Problems like headache, sudden spells of dizziness, or even skin numbness induced by high blood pressure in the person can also be treated using the ge gen. Problems like the diarrhea and dysentery can also be treated using a remedy made from the kudzu herb. The ju hua herb mixed with kudzu root is used in China to treat excessive intoxication with alcohol; it is also used to treat the effects of hangovers, as well as long term alcoholism in people.

Other medical uses
Bell's palsy.

HABITAT AND CULTIVATION

The kudzu is a native plant growing in the wilds of China, Japan - eastern Asia in general; wild naturalized populations of the ge gen herb also exist in the US. The main regions for the cultivation of ge gen in China lie in the central and eastern provinces. During autumn or spring, harvest and unearthing of the root takes place in preparation for storage and processing.

RESEARCH

Cerebral blood flow in patients affected by arteriosclerosis is believed to be increased by the ge gen remedy. The herb also eases stiffness and neck pain in patients. The desire for alcohol is possibly suppressed by ge gen, as suggested by some US research - these results need verification and further studies.

USUAL DOSAGE

Dosages suggested by the 1985 Chinese Pharmacopoeia for the kudzu root are to take 9-15 grams daily during treatment. Doses of the kudzu standardized root tablets at 10 mg of weight per tablet, which is equal to about 1.5 grams of the crude root are used widely in the treatment of angina pectoris in patients. The equivalent dosage can be said to be about 30-120 mg of the root extract taken 2 - 3 times daily.

SIDE EFFECTS AND CAUTIONS

At the dosages recommended here, there have been no reports of kudzu toxicity in humans.

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