A small 2009 case report involving 16 people with regular cluster headaches provides some anecdotal evidence. Almost 3 in 4 participants had less intense headaches, kudzu to stop drinking more than half had fewer headaches, and 1 in 3 had shorter headaches when taking kudzu root. Let’s dig into the potential health benefits of this rad root.
- As a young naturalist growing up in the Deep South, I feared kudzu.
- Livestock and wildlife eat the fruit or “pods” of mesquite trees, which causes the seed to be spread all across rural pastures and grazed land.
- What's more, kuzu is most often utilized for its ability to help balance the acidity of sweets, and is commonly an ingredient in desserts such as puddings, pies, icing, and atop a variety of cakes.
- As the plant matures, these vines become woody and thick (up to 4 inches in diameter).
- "He's one of the best people I've ever met," Clark told media at Monday's Wolves practice.
- There are numerous indications, however, that it may help someone with alcoholism.
Is That Poison Oak? Identification and Treatment
While any attempt to remove kudzu can be helpful for the overall health of your land, the most effective way to successfully eradicate kudzu is through integrated pest management (IPM). IPM is a combination of removal methods—mechanical, chemical, and biological (through the use of goats or beneficial insects) and should be implemented for several years. While not an easy task by any means, this combination of methods should eventually reduce or eradicate the kudzu on your land. It’s as if many have come to view the Southeast as little more than a kudzu desert. Tennessee, Alabama and northern Georgia (often considered centers of the kudzu invasion) and the Florida Panhandle are among the areas that the authors argue should be prioritized. It was an invasive that grew best in the landscape modern Southerners were most familiar with—the roadsides framed in their car windows.
Why Are Poison Ivy and Poison Oak So Tough to Control?
Department of Agriculture (USDA) study, the use of combined management programs can control kudzu more quickly than individual methods in use today. As a seasoned gardener, I’ve seen my fair share of aggressive vines, but kudzu – Pueraria montana – takes the cake in the Southern United States. Its unrelenting sprawl, smothering other plants and consuming everything from fences to forests, is enough to make even the most confident green thumb doubt their abilities.
Kudzu Root: Beneficial Herb or Just a Hyped Plant Invader?
Kuzu root can be found in a couple different forms to treat a number of “everyday” ailments. Kuzu starch, specifically, is most commonly used to treat minor indigestion and the symptoms of the common cold. It may also be used as a remedy for constipation or to stimulate appetite. Roots are known to be the source of a plant’s energy and can occupy a special place in our diets. While other roots such as ginseng, burdock, beets and carrots are prized for their nutritional value, none comes close to kuzu (or kudzu). Taking kudzu along with diabetes medications might cause your blood sugar to go too low.
Using an Herbicide Treatment to Eliminate Kudzu
We have several methods for eradicating and controlling kudzu before it gets out of hand. Kudzu grows predominantly in the southern United States, thriving in the USDA hardiness zones five through ten. It is both invasive and aggressive in growth, but that wasn’t the intention when it was brought into the United States from Japan https://ecosoberhouse.com/article/kudzu-extract-and-alcohol-addiction-can-it-help-you-drink-less/ in the 1930s. It was meant as a means of erosion control and as a forage crop. Weaver applied four different herbicides, individually or in combination, and a bioherbicide treatment at three different kudzu-infested sites. (A bioherbicide is a biologically based control agent for weeds.) He repeated these treatments for two years.
What Is Kudzu?
Some common applications include treating fevers and easing symptoms of diabetes. Now kudzu’s popularity is also picking up in the Western world as a wellness supplement. While it was never intended to create kudzu infestations when brought to the United States, it’s an issue that needs to be handled and controlled. Leaving the kudzu plant on its own destroys native plants, and structures can become overgrown. Withholding the sunshine, water, nutrients, and oxygen a plant needs to survive eventually causes it to wither away and die.
- While this takes a lot of hard work and muscle, it is well worth the effort.
- About 20 to 30 feet tall and thorny, mesquite has one or more trunks with many branches and a crown of bipinnate leaves that cast a light dappled shade.
- However, kudzu can also be found growing as far north as New York and even in parts of the Pacific Northwest.
- Other oral uses include treatment of polio myelitis, encephalitis, migraine, deafness, diabetes, and traumatic injuries.
How Much Kudzu Are We Talking About?
Just remember, it’s all about persistence; kudzu is tenacious, but with time, so are we. Additionally, kudzu sends out new growth from the root crown but not the entire root below it. To do so, cut the root just below the root crown using a handsaw or pruning shears (depending on the size). If the root crown is still intact, or if any vines are left in the soil, kudzu will grow back. Unfortunately, there aren't any quick or easy ways to get rid of kudzu—that is, unless you keep goats or sheep on your property, as they love to eat the vine.
- Stores typically sell it as a powdered drink mix, an oral capsule or tablet, liquid drops, or as a food-grade starch to use in cooking.
- Still, more research needs to be done to prove whether it’s truly effective.
- The best solution for getting rid of both poisonous plants is to apply an herbicide directly to the plant itself.
- In Traditional Chinese Medicine, kudzu root can be used for lots of health purposes.
- Kudzu is a unique plant that may offer health benefits, but keep in mind that more research is needed to gain a better understanding of the benefits of kudzu root and this climbing plant as a whole.
DRUGS AND MEDICATIONS CENTER
If you’re struggling, consider reaching out via email or attending local community events. Knowledge truly is power when it comes to invasive weeds. I always tell my fellow gardeners, “Watch your garden like a hawk! Spotting new growth early and acting swiftly can prevent a full-scale re-invasion. Kudzu, the vine that “ate” the southeastern United States, is no pushover in the plant world.