Kudzu (クズ or 葛, Kuzu?), Pueraria lobata (syn. P. montana, P. thunbergiana), is one of about 20 species in the genus Pueraria in the pea family Fabaceae, subfamily Faboideae. It is native to southern Japan and southeast China in eastern Asia. The name comes from the Japanese word for this plant, kuzu. The other species of Pueraria occur in southeast Asia, further south.
Kudzu is a climbing, woody or semi-woody, perennial vine capable of reaching heights of 20–30 m (66-98 ft) in trees, but also scrambles extensively over lower vegetation. The leaves are deciduous, alternate and compound, with a petiole (leaf stem) 10–20 cm (4–8 in) long and three broad leaflets 14–18 cm (6–7 in) long and 10 cm (4 in) broad. The leaflets may be entire or deeply 2–3 lobed, and are pubescent underneath with hairy margins.
The flowers are borne in long panicles 10–25 cm (about 4–10 in) long with about 30–80 individual blooms at nodes on the stems (see image).
Each flower is about 1–1.5 cm (about 0.4–0.6 in) long, purple, and highly fragrant. The flowers are copious nectar producers and are visited by many species of insects, including bees, butterflies and moths. Flowering occurs in late summer and is followed by production of brown, hairy, flattened seed pods in October and November, each of which contains three to ten hard seeds. Seeds, however, are only produced on plants that are draped over vegetation, fences, and other objects. Only one or two viable seeds are produced in a cluster of seed pods.[1]
Once established, these plants grow rapidly, extending as much as 20 m (60 ft) per season at a rate of about 30 cm (12 in) per day. This vigorous vine may extend 10–30 m (30–100 ft) in length, with basal stems 1–10 cm (1–4 inches) in diameter. Kudzu roots are fleshy, with massive tap roots 10–20 cm (4–8 in) or more in diameter, reaching depths of up to 12 feet in older patches, and weighing as much as 180 kg. As many as thirty stems may grow from a single root crown.
Kudzu grows well under a wide range of conditions and in most soil types. Preferred habitats are forest edges, abandoned fields, roadsides, and disturbed areas, where sunlight is abundant. Kudzu grows best where winters do not drop below −15 °C (5 °F), average summer temperatures are regularly above 27 °C (80 °F), and annual rainfall is 1000 mm (40 in) or more. This fast growing plant does not do as well in less temperate areas.
Kudzu
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Natural Herbs:Kudzu
Natural Herbs for Alcohol Withdrawal
Alcoholism is a health condition that is affecting millions of people. In the contemporary times, the youngsters especially indulge in binge drinking, without even realizing its aftermaths. It is here where alcoholism home remedy treatment comes to play a major role in helping people get rid of their addiction to alcohol. But home remedy for alcoholism proves to be beneficial only for those individuals who genuinely have a desire to overcome their problem of alcoholism.
Here are presented a few alcoholism cure home remedies:
The first and foremost remedy for alcoholism is a strong willpower that makes you say that you will control your drinking.
Eating apples is a good practice to reduce your craving for alcohol, so consume as many apples as you can at frequent intervals. Also they help in flushing out the toxins from your body.
Grapes contain pure form of alcohol, so a person who wishes to quit alcohol drinking, should have a meal of grapes every 4-5 hours for about a month.
Consuming the juice of Bitter gourd leaves does wonders in clearing intoxication. In a glass of buttermilk add 3 tspns of this juice and drink it. It acts as a great home remedy to heal the damaged liver.
Herbs are popular as an alternative to standard Western allopathic medicine for a variety of problems, including alcoholism. This may be because mainstream pharmaceuticals such as Anabuse and Revia have violent side effects and hard on the already overworked liver of those who have a drinking problem. Herbal remedies do not offer a magical panacea for the painful withdrawal from addiction, but can help the healing process in two important ways: as a general strengthener of both the emotional and physical systems, and in specific treatment of the side effects of withdrawal.
There is some research to suggest that kudzu, considered an invasive weed in the south, can help to dampen the desire to drink. There is stronger evidence to suggest that kudzu acts as a liver tonic, increasing it's ability to fight off toxins.
Most of the herbs mentioned here help the recovery process by supporting and healing the liver, detoxifying the body. One of the best known and respected herbs for protecting the liver is milk thistle. The silymarin contained in the seeds acts to help the liver better eliminate toxins, including alcohol. In traditional Chinese medicine, Reishi mushrooms have been used as a tonic to prevent "fatty-liver" and cirrhosis due to alcohol abuse.
"Passionflower is the herbal remedy of choice for treating nausea and vomiting resulting from withdrawal from Vicodin, cocaine, heroin, or opiate painkillers and may also help withdrawal from alcohol.
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Using Colon Cleansing Tea To Clean The Colon
The process of maintaining the colon clean is described as an extremely crucial march toward a fine and vigorous health, and is certainly an essential factor to start certain halted activity in a dynamic manner. Several people are unaware of the simple and trouble free methods that are required to preserve the colon in its best condition, and the colon cleansing tea is one of them.
Benefits:
For cleansing the colon, there are several various products that are available in the market, but the colon cleansing tea is considered as the most popular. The colon cleansing tea ultimately helps to eradicate intestinal plaque and frees the body from the unessential harmful toxins.
Colon cleansing tea is an essential factor that improves the digestive system of a body, as it eradicates the unwanted mucoid plaque from the walls of colon that mounts up on the colon walls, at the time of the digestion process. It is quite easy to understand that whatever that is consumed is stored in these regions only, this is because the oily and sugary stuffs are more likely to glue on the walls of colon, which is not a good sign. Hence, it is suggested to maintain a vigorous health along with a fine intake of the colon cleansing tea.
The colon cleansing tea is of great use, as it helps to eliminate these unwanted stuffs that gets stored on the colon walls, if it is not treated for a long period of time. These stuffs transforms into a solid heavy matter, which is quite harmful, here the colon cleansing tea comes in action.
The colon cleansing tea is considered as a trouble free and a natural product to clean the colon, which effectively backs up the body to detoxify and create a healthy immune system. Hence, it is firmly suggested to consume the colon cleansing tea many times per day to successfully treat the colon disorders, even though the quantity of intake suggested by the doctor may differ.
Effects:
The colon cleansing tea primarily fights back the issues of body, as it successively wash outs or clears the immune system. Clearance of colon is the initial and crucial step, prior to its maintenance. To make a good impact, it is always suggested to maintain a vigorous and well-maintained diet chart, which includes protein rich vegetables, fruits, and intake of ample amount of water.
The intake of upright quantity of fiber along with colon cleansing tea will frequently assist the body to tackle the toxins and its unwanted creations from the walls of colon. But, it needs to be noted that the intake of fiber needs to be compensated by an equal or ample amount of drinking of water, to avoid any further problems.
Using Colon Cleansing Tea To Clean The Colon
By Jason Hobbs
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jason_Hobbs
