Everything You Wanted to Know About Kudzu Root Extract
With Pueraria lobata being its botanical name, kudzu root extract has always been a mystery herb for many Westerners. While there have been beliefs and disbeliefs and several different contrasting views, the herb has reached beyond the Chinese geopolitical borders to become a much sought-after organic remedy for many diseases. Since it’s an organic product, many [online herbal product sellers have started propagating its benefits, creating a vast domestic and international market for herbal medicine. If you have heard about kudzu root extract a couple of times but still do not know much about the herbal alternative to many allopathic medicines, here’s a detailed description of the Japanese arrowroot.
Top medicinal uses of Kudzu Root Extract
Kudzu root extract has traditionally been used to treat several diseases and conditions, which include but are not limited to the following:
1. Addiction
2. Cancer prevention (not yet scientifically proven, but some independent research works have shown the effects of the extract in cancer prevention)
3. Alcoholism
4. Cardiovascular conditions
5. Indigestion
As you can see, kudzu root extract marketers who have re-branded this ancient Chinese medicine have enormous possibilities to promote and sell the product. The benefits, unfortunately, are largely unknown to Westerners and people outside China in general since the multinational pharmaceutical companies have pretty much monopolized the global pharmaceutical market and for the same reason, many ancient Indian and Chinese herbs have still not gained wide currency among European and North American consumers. Some companies, however, have stood an exception and they have gone the extra mile to promote all sorts of traditional medicines, including the kudzu root extract.
How the remedy is prepared?
The dried root of Pueraria genus plants is used for making this wonderful medicine. Other common constituents of the medicine are calcium, ash, daidzein, genistein, riboflavin, etc.
How to use the medicine?
If you buy kudzu root extract online, chances are there that the product will come with directions for use and dosage information. You should read the information on the label to derive the benefits of kudzu root extract.
Benefits of kudzu root extract
Kudzu has been proven effective in treating several conditions, including reducing alcoholism. Scientific studies have shown that kudzu is highly effective in reducing the daily alcohol intake of a person. Also, it has shown positive results in reducing hangovers.
How does kudzu typically work? It increases the circulation of blood, which reduces muscle pain and muscle stiffness to a great degree. As the blood flow through the coronary arteries increases, the racing pulse which is induced by stress is reduced. Kudzu root extract is also used for treating respiratory infections. It contains a type of compound that is similar to estrogen in character. The compound can bind breast cancer cells by blocking estrogen. Estrogen, if you didn’t know, takes a major role in stimulating cancer cells.
The root of the kudzu plant is rich in carbs and it maintains a balance of acidic foods. It also has a soothing effect on the digestive tract. In Asian cuisine, kudzu has been traditionally used to thicken sauces.
A traditional Chinese medicine reinvented
Kudzu root extract is a traditional Chinese medicine. In China, it is known and pronounced as gat-gun ge-gan. It is one of the fifty fundamental herbs that have been used by Chinese physicians and herbal remedy scientists since time immemorial. It is traditionally used for treating high blood pressure, which causes dizziness and headache. Cold sores and genital herpes can also be treated with kudzu extract.
It was also imported to the southwestern United States from Japan and large-scale cultivation started as Americans believe that the extract is highly useful in preventing soil erosion, which is true. However, this woody and climbing perennial vine largely went unnoticed by American pharmacists who were not aware of the medicinal values of the root. Thanks to the new-age Chinese herbal medicine makers, the largely unknown medicinal properties of Kudzu root extract are now unearthed, rather rediscovered. You can now find kudzu root extract-based medicines in a select few drug stores and you can buy them online too.