Besides giving shade for poaches in hot southern summers, the main uses of Kudzu in the United States have been for erosion control and as a forage crop. However, due to the fact that individual vines can grow “upwards of a foot per day” in the right conditions, Kudzu out-climbs and thus shading-outs its competitors, even onto the top of one-hundred-foot-tall trees. It became an enormous, invasive problem in the United States and other countries.
While Kudzu’s native countries like China, Japan and East Asia, people have wide variety of ways to use Kudzu in centuries. Kudzu roots (different from arrowroot) are among the largest in the world, ranging in length from three to seven feet and weighing between 200 over 400 pounds. Kudzu root starch, also called kudzu or Kuzuko, is a traditional starch widely used in Japan for its superior thickening properties. Kuzu root starch is natural and unprocessed.
Kudzu is far superior in jelling strength, taste, and texture. It produces bright, translucent sauces, adds a shiny gloss to soups and provides a smooth texture for sauces and gravies with no starch or interfering taste. Kuzuyu is a sweet Japanese beverage produced by adding Kudzu flour to hot water, traditionally served as a hot dessert drink in the winter month. Kudzu-mochi is a Japanese-style Kudzu starch cake.
Kudzu has medicinal properties and has been used for millennia in China and Japan to cure a wide range of common ailments. A variation of Kuzuyu called Kakkontou, which may also include cinnamon, is used as a remedy for hangovers in traditional Chinese medicine.
Young Kudzu vines are harvested to provide supple waterproof fibers for weaving sturdy wicker baskets. The cellulose fiber is used as the basic raw material for making fine traditional paper.
Kudzu’s Isoflavones are currently being investigated in a clinical study for the effectiveness on prevention of osteoporosis. (Floro Mercene)