Kudzu, Kudzu, Kudzu

Kudzu near the Mississippi River Bridges at Vicksburg.

On the hills near the Mississippi River at Vicksburg.

The three pictures above were taken from the Vicksburg Chamber of Commerce building. The kudzu is on trees directly across the street. The magnolia tree seen in the above picture to the right is located on their property.

Kudzu is called, "The Vine That Ate the South" and is everywhere in Vicksburg. This vine could possibly lead to an inexpensive way to treat type 2 diabetes. The University of Alabama at Birmingham scientist have found that adding kudzu root extract to the diet of laboratory rats, the rats' cholesterol, blood sugar, insulin, and blood pressure levels were lower than those of rats that did not receive the extract, with no apparent side effects. I am interested in this because my brother is a diabetic and my father was. The next step is to test it on humans.

It's an Asian vine that can grow a foot taller every day and was brought to the American Southeast in the 1930s in an attempt to control erosion. Unfortunately, the little green visitor liked it here so much that in the decades since, it has colonized 10 million acres of farms, woods, and has become a massive and costly nuisance.

Kudzu is common in China and Japan and has long been used as a dietary supplement in Asian countries, most commonly as a tea or powder. Although the incidence of type 2 diabetes in those countries has increased as people have adopted Western-style diets high in processed sugars and carbohydrates, traditional East Asian societies have low rates of diabetes. It's possible that the consumption of kudzu extract could be a factor in that good fortune. (Some comments taken from DiabetesHealth.com)