Kudzu is a vine that is common in Japan and China that when left uncontrolled will grow rapidly over any fixed objects likes buildings, cars and other vegetations. It has the tendency to kill trees because it has the ability to block the sunlight that is needed. Though the vine seems to give problems, people can benefit from this plant.

This fast growing vine is invading Southeastern United States if no one will find a way to get of it; it will spread rapidly in the thousands of acres in the South. But then the sweet smell of the flowers had captured the interest of gardeners and used the plant as ornaments in their garden. During the 1930′s the vine was planted to stop the erosion.

During the 1940′s, people would start forming their own clubs in honor of this vine and would call the plant as “Miracle Vine”. Researchers at Tuskegee University have found out that the goats that are grazed in the field of the vine produce more milk and better wool products. Ruth Duncan of Alabama discovered the vine as a good material for making baskets while Edith Edwards of North Carolina had come out with a recipe book of the vine including deep fried and quiche recipes.

For the past centuries, Japan and China uses the vine in their food and as medications and currently studies lead to the discovery of new medicines made from this vine. Kudzu extract can help people to drink less alcohol! The studies on the different treatments people can benefit from this vine found that it reduces the intake of heavy drinkers. The extract from the vine contains different kinds of isoflavones are the one that is responsible in reducing the intake of alcohol. More research is needed on this vine however, the extracts from the vine lack the side effects that are usually associated with certain medications, and this can give certain advantage over other drugs that are used in treating alcohol abuse.

With the discovery of the benefits of this vine, certain companies sell the extract from this vine in the form of capsules. The root from this vine is said to useful as aversion therapy in for hangover but has not been accepted as the active ingredient for hangover products.

Another great benefit a person can get from this fast growing vine is that the extracts from the roots help lower the blood pressure, cholesterol, insulin levels and blood sugar. It is beneficial as dietary supplement for metabolic syndrome the increases the risk of stroke, heart attack and other diseases. Research made at Alabama University concluded that the vine that was once used as erosion control is capable of providing dietary supplement that can lessen the severity of cardiovascular disease and stroke for the high risk individuals.

Various names were associated to this vine; some would call this the mile-a-minute vine, foot-a night vine, miracle vine and the vine that ate the South.