About the ‘Kudzu’ Category

The bane of the south, a creeping ivy that has no natural predators. Not for long, though. Kudzu has enormously beneficial properties that, in my wildest fantasies, would pay farmers more than their tobacco crop. Wouldn’t that be nice?

However, the medicinal benefits of the American variety has not yet been proven by 2,000 years of clinical observation and so we continue to use the Chinese variety (as 5:1 potency extract powder) in the formulas available at Eagle Herbs.

Let’s start out with some applications for kudzu that apply to those who enjoy a drink now and then, and then again.

Kudzu MA (Morning After)

 

Details of Kudzu MA
ge.gen .962 Kudzu MA (Morning After)

Kudzu root grows insanely in The Southern US, where it is most needed.

Notes: This formula uses the same four herbs as the other Kudzu formulas, however this one favors a larger dosage of Kudzu root and Mum flower.

Kudzu root in this formula helps to regulate the intestinal functions and hydrate the body. Alcohol consumption tends to dry out the body, not to mention wreak havoc on your digestive system.

Flowers are light and like to float. In Chinese medicine, this nature is expressed as it helps the body rid itself of the toxicity that arises from a night of drinking. This is mostly done through the sweat, but some also passes out of the body via the respiration. This is mostly Chinese medicine theory, I don’t know if this has been documented scientifically.

Still, if you find the morning after your night out is one you’d rather skip, try adding some Kudzu MA (Morning After) to shorten that period of dread.

More… »

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Kudzu LV (Liver Support)

 

Details of Kudzu LV (Liver Support)
ge.gen .962 Kudzu LV (Liver Support)

Kudzu root grows insanely in The Southern US, where it is most needed.

Notes: This formula uses the same four herbs as the other Kudzu formulas, however this one favors a larger dosage of the two herbs: Tiger Cane and Kudzu root. Tiger Cane is used here to support the liver’s natural ability to heal itself. Apparently it has some stripes that make it look like a Bengal tiger. Chinese doctors call it “hu zhang” in Mandarin, but I like to call it simply “tiger cane”.

The Kudzu root is good for regulating body fluids, which is as important as anything to get the body up and running at an optimum level in the wake of excessive alcohol consumption. Drinking alcohol causes a loss of body fluids due to its suppression of the brain’s anti-diuretic hormone. As we said in the Midwest, “You don’t buy beer, you rent it.”

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Kudzu PRT (Party Prep)

 

Details of Kudzu PRT (Party Prep)
ge.gen .962 Kudzu PRT (Party Prep)

Kudzu root grows insanely in The Southern US, where it is most needed.

Notes: This was our original Kudzu formula and continues to provide excellent support to those who want to lower their alcohol consumption without giving it up completely.

This formula features a larger dosage of Kudzu root. The formula is actually 50% Kudzu root which, when 5 capsules are taken, provide the same quantity per dose that a university study used recently.

Other herbs in this formula include “tiger cane” or hu zhang. This herb includes resveratrol, though it is added to this formula consistent with its benefits in regards to regulating liver enzymes such that might be needed when exposing the body a night out on the town.

More… »

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Kudzu for Liver and Stomach Health – Mechanisms of Action

 

gegen.2 Kudzu for Liver and Stomach Health Mechanisms of Action

Kudzu overwhelming unknown structures on a hillside.

When it comes to how something works, modern scientific biomedicine is very keen to understand medicinal mechanisms. While it is true that traditional Chinese medicine doesn’t make use of microscopes or molecular models to explain the effect of our therapies, we do have a very well developed theoretical framework to explain the actions of herbs.

TCM (traditional Chinese medicine) gives herbs certain qualities such as its temperature, taste, and the channel and/or organ that the herb enters.

Herbs have a sort of thermal quality about them. For instance mint is cool and peppers are hot. More… »

 

Research on Kudzu (Rx. Pueraria lobata, ge gen)

 

flickr.com photos brent nashville Research on Kudzu (Rx. Pueraria lobata, ge gen)

Kudzu climbing up hay storage.

Introduction to Kudzu

Up until very recently, Kudzu was considered in the USA to be an unfortunate agricultural problem of the south, where this ivy has taken over millions of acres with no natural predators and a perfect climate in which to thrive. However with recent research into its effect on the metabolism of alcohol in human test subjects, science may end up reclassifying this “weed” as our newest “wonder drug”.

Kudzu in Biomedical Research

A big health news story came out recently that reported that Ge Gen / Kudzu (Rx. Pueriariae) was shown to be effective in lowering alcohol consumption in humans. While there is some controversy regarding the mechanism of this action, it is generally considered a positive finding that less desire for alcohol is a good thing no matter how you slice it. In particular, this research says: More… »