The Oft Misunderstood Kudzu
Kudzu, known colloquially as the “vine that ate the South”, is a duplicitous fellow indeed. Seemingly malicious, our furitive friend, Kudzu, does much more than envelop residential areas.
As a legume, Kudzu increases the nitrogen content of soil via a symbiotic relationship with nitrogen-fixing bacteria. Its deep taproots, in addition to providing exceptional erosion control, also transfer valuable minerals from the subsoil to the topsoil.
Kudzu is readily consumed and greatily enjoyed by all types of grazing animals. Kudzu hay typically has a 15-18% crude protein content and over 60% total digestible nutrient value making it a high quality forage. However, the quality of it decreases as vine content increases relative to leaf content. Despite being throughly delicious and nutritious, frequent grazing over 3 to 4 years can ruin stands, making Kudzu, at best, only a temporary grazing crop.
Kudzu has a substantial number of potential medical uses. The Harvard Medical School is studying Kudzu as a possible way to treat alcoholic cravings, by turning an extracted compound from the herb into a medical drug. The mechanism for this is not yet established, but it may have to do with both alcohol metabolism and the reward circuits in the brain.
Kudzu also contains a number of useful isoflavones, including an anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial agent, a cancer preventive and an antileukemic agent. Kudzu root compounds can affect neurotransmitters (including serotonin, GABA, and glutamate) and it has shown value in treating migraine and cluster headache. It is recommended for allergies and diarrhea.Research in mice models also suggests that Kudzu is beneficial for control of some post-menopausal symptoms such as hypertension and diabetes type II.
But thats not all, Kudzu is used to make soaps, lotions, jelly and compost. It has even been suggested that kudzu may become a valuable asset for the production of cellulosic ethanol.
