Kuzu benefits / contraindications of kuzu and side effects (kudzu) Have you heard about kudzu or kuzu and want to know more about this plant? Here we explain the benefits and contraindications of kudzu, but first let’s see its botanical aspect.
The kuzu is native to India, China, and Japan. The plant is grown commercially in some parts of China.
Kuzu was first introduced to the US in the 1870s and was widely planted in the southeastern states until 1933 as erosion protection and a source of food and fiber. In no more than 10 years, the plant had become a highly problematic weed that covered more than 200,000 hectares and is almost impossible to eradicate.
This is due to the extremely fast growth of the plant. Under ideal conditions, a kudzu plant can grow up to 30 cm in a day and up to 30 m during the growing season.
In the southern parts of the United States, the plant has become so widespread that it has been called «the plant that ate the south.»
Plant description: Kuzu is a deciduous vine with long, thick rhizomes, hairy stems, and clover-like leaves. The purple flowers are fragrant and appear in erect 25 cm long clusters. They are followed by flat, hairy seeds that divide when mature.
Plant parts used: It is mainly the dried tuberous roots that are used in herbal medicine, but sometimes the flowers as well. The roots are harvested from October to April and are used fresh for juice or dried for decoction and powder.
After the roots are dug up, they are cleaned and sliced with the outer rind peeled off. The slices are dried in the sun or by artificial means.
The flowers are collected in late summer or early fall and dried in the shade.
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Kuzu health benefits
Active ingredient and substances: Kuzu contains glycosides (kudzusaponins A1, A2, Ar, SA4, SB1), sterols and isoflavones (puerarin, daidzin and daidzein). Isoflavones have properties similar to estrogen and the effect against alcohol abuse is attributed to the substances daidzin and daidzein. The substance puerarin has been shown to have strong antioxidant properties, much more so than Vitamin E.
The peeled root contains approximately 2.1% protein, 0.1% fat, and 27.1% carbohydrates.
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Kudzu or kuzu as herbal medicine
Kuzu is known to have been used in traditional chinese medicine for over 2,000 years, and is still considered one of the top 50 herbs in chinese herbal medicine.
It has been used as a medicinal herb for a variety of ailments such as alcoholismangina, cancer, headache, migraine and high blood pressure.
In addition, it has been used traditionally as a remedy for diarrhea, psoriasismuscle pain, some symptoms of menopause, and upper respiratory tract infections, such as sinus infection, common cold and hay fever.
Relieves upset stomach When you come down with an upset stomach, what do you do? You can have some mint tea or nibble on a couple of crackers. You can even take some antacids if you develop heartburn and indigestion.
Try adding kuzu to your list of natural treatments for an upset stomach. According to research, kuzu is an effective remedy for stomach problems, relieving indigestion.
When broken down, kudzu root has a thick, sticky consistency that resembles a type of mucus that naturally lines the stomach lining. This mucus helps break down the acid found in the stomach. Due to its similarity to stomach mucus, kuzu can help counteract acid buildup in the stomach.
Relieves gastritis Gastritis is a condition that occurs when the stomach lining becomes inflamed. Stress, medications, excessive alcohol consumption, and bacterial or viral infections can cause it. While doctors usually prescribe antibiotics and over-the-counter medications to treat gastritis, anti-inflammatory supplements can also help relieve stomach inflammation.
Because kuzu is rich in flavonoids, it can reduce inflammation in the stomach. Flavonoids also help activate the body’s immune responses to more effectively eradicate infections like the stomach flu.
A possible treatment for breast cancer The hormone estrogen stimulates many cancers, including breast cancer and some forms of melanoma (cancer that forms from pigment-containing cells called melanocytes).
Kudzu contains several chemicals that are very similar to estrogen. One of them, formononetin (an isoflavone), has no effect in the body as such, but when converted by friendly bacteria in the digestive tract to an estrogen-like compound called daidzein, it binds to cells that would normally fire up. .
Briefly, the substance blocks estrogen at activating sites in the cells of breast cancerwithout stimulating these cancer cells to divide like estrogen would.
Studies in Japan, the US, and Finland have shown that isoflavones are clearly linked to reducing the occurrence of breast and uterine cancer.
Kuzu as a treatment for alcoholism Chinese doctors have used kuzu in the form of a tea as a treatment for alcoholism for centuries. The tea used is called xing-jiu-ling.
This traditional application of the herb has gained interest in the scientific community and few studies have been conducted to investigate the effectiveness of the herb.
So far, these studies have produced mixed results. While some have shown it to be useful in the treatment of alcoholism, others have indicated that the herb is ineffective.
Biochemist Wing Ming Keung of Harvard Medical School conducted a study in Hong Kong involving more than 300 people suffering from alcoholism, and in all cases he found that kudzu was shown to be effective in controlling and suppressing the urge to drink alcohol. , without side effects. It generally reduced the urge to drink alcohol within a week, and in more than 80% of cases, the urge to consume alcohol disappeared completely within two to four weeks of treatment.
In addition, Indiana University researchers discovered two compounds (daidzin and daidzein) in the plant that affect the enzymes that break down alcohol in the liver, producing an alcohol byproduct called acetaldehyde. When this occurs, nausea, facial flushing, and general discomfort soon set in.
These two compounds seem to work in a similar way to the drug disulfiram (Antabus), although Kudzu doesn’t seem to cause nausea as much as Antabus, but both increase discomfort when alcohol is consumed.
Another double-blind study, which lasted one month and included 38 subjects with alcoholism, found no improvement when kudzu was administered, compared to the control group. These results dampened the enthusiasm surrounding the use of kudzu for this purpose.
One reason for these negative results may be that the substance daidzin present in the plant is less effective in its purified form and kudzu is more effective when used in its natural state.
It is also possible that people of Asian descent respond better to kudzu as a treatment for alcoholism than Caucasians.
In East Asia, particularly Korea, up to 80% of the population lacks the enzyme that forms acetaldehyde. Since alcohol tolerance is genetically lower among people who lack that particular enzyme, kudzu may have a more dramatic effect on them.
Also know juice recipes to stop alcoholism
A remedy for heart disease the kudzu is often used as a remedy for heart and circulatory problems and high blood pressure. The flavonoid-like substances in kudzu contribute to an increase in the blood circulation and flow in the arteries of the heart and reduce the heart’s need for oxygen. These substances also relax the muscles around the left coronary artery and slow the heart rate.
Kudzu also has antioxidant properties that might slow down the narrowing of the arteries. In a clinical study, kudzu was used as a treatment for angina pectoris (chest pain due to coronary heart disease).
Study duration was 4 to 22 weeks. Of 71 patients, 29 showed improvement, 20 showed some improvement, while 22 patients showed little or no improvement.
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Kudzu or kuzu in cooking and as food
In Japan, kudzu is used as food and medicine. The stems and young leaves can be eaten raw or cooked. Young, fresh shoots have a flavor, similar to a mixture of beans and peanuts. The flowers can be boiled and used in pickles.
The roots are sometimes used as a vegetable. The roots are the source of a fine starch, known as Japanese arrowroot powder, and widely used in Japanese cuisine as a thickening agent in sauces, soups, and noodle dishes in much the same way as cornstarch.
A fiber called ko-kemp is obtained from the stems and is used in the manufacture of textiles, rope, and paper.
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Dosage and administration
Kudzu is probably the easiest to use in tablet or capsule form. The tablets/capsules are usually standardized to contain 10mg of extract equivalent to 5g of the herb.
For all commercial products containing the herb, the manufacturer’s instructions should always be followed.
Kudzu flowers can be used in the form of a tea. 1/2 cup of fresh flowers in a cup of boiling water, soaked for 5 minutes, then strained.
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Kuzu contraindications and side effects
The use of kuzu as a medicinal herb is considered safe, and so far, there have been no reports of serious side effects associated with the herb, even at high doses.
To be safe and until more research is available, the herb should not be used by pregnant and lactating women and should not be given in therapeutic doses to children. children.
Also, people with heart conditions should use it with caution and not without first consulting with a healthcare professional. Kudzu may increase the effects of some heart medications and should not be used concurrently with such medications.
It should be noted that the estrogen-like effect of kuzu does not occur before friendly intestinal bacteria can convert the substances into the herb, and the use of antibiotics can lessen the effect of the herb, as they can harm the bacteria’s natural flora. ..