[Leica] Re: Kudzu

[sonc.hegr at gmail.com (Sonny Carter)]

C'mon down, Greg, we'll give you all you cane tote away, and you can cherish
it as much as you want. ;-)


On Wed, Dec 31, 2008 at 4:15 PM, Lawrence Zeitlin
<lrzeitlin@optonline.net>wrote:

>
> On Dec 31, 2008, at 3:55 PM, Greg wrote:
>
>
>
> You all are giving kudzu no respect. In several parts of the world kudzu is
> cherished both as a food and medicine. Considering the date, I especially
> like that it is a cure for hangovers.
>
> Read the following excerpt from the Wikipedia article on kudzu:
>
> Food
>
> The non-woody parts of the plant are edible. The young leaves can be used
> for salad or cooked as a leaf vegetable, the flowers battered and fried
> (like squash flowers), and the starchy tuberous roots can be prepared as 
> any
> root vegetable. The starchy roots are ground into a fine powder, known as
> kuzu, and used for varieties of Wagashi and herbal medicines. When added to
> water and heated, kudzu powder becomes clear and adds stickiness to the
> food. It is sometimes known as "Japanese arrowroot", due to the similar
> culinary effect it produces.[3]
>
> Its leaves are high in vitamins A and C, as well as calcium and protein.
> Its roots are rich in starch and its flowers are an excellent honey
> source.[4]
>
> Jelly
>
> The purple flowers of Kudzu are also used to make a sweet jelly. This jelly
> is well known in the southern United States. This jelly has been described
> as tasting like either a cross between apple jelly and peach jelly or
> bubblegum.[citation needed] The viscous substance has a golden yellow 
> color.
>
> Medicine
>
> Studies have shown that kudzu can reduce both hangovers and alcohol
> cravings.[5][6][7] Persons who take kudzu will still drink alcohol; 
> however,
> they will consume less than if they had not taken kudzu.[8] 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. 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.[9]
>
> Kudzu also contains a number of useful isoflavones, including daidzein (an
> anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial agent), daidzin (a cancer preventive)
> and genistein (an antileukemic agent). Kudzu is a unique source of the
> isoflavone puerarin. Kudzu root compounds can affect neurotransmitters
> (including serotonin, GABA, and glutamate) and it has shown value in
> treating migraine and cluster headache.[10] It is recommended for allergies
> and diarrhea.[11]
>
> Research in mice models suggests that Kudzu is beneficial for control of
> some post-menopausal symptoms such as hypertension and diabetes type 
> II.[12]
>
> In traditional Chinese medicine, where it is known as g? g?n (??), kudzu is
> considered one of the 50 fundamental herbs. It is used to treat tinnitus,
> vertigo, and Wei syndrome (superficial heat close to the surface).
>
> Larry Z
>
> _______________________________________________
> Leica Users Group.
> See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information
>



-- 
Regards,

Sonny
http://www.sonc.com
http://sonc.stumbleupon.com/
Natchitoches, Louisiana
USA