Healing Like Kudzu

In presentations about the benefits of globalization and diversity, I frequently include advances in medicine. Transnational practices such as Yoga and Tai Chi are often recommended to U.S. American patients to improve strength and balance. Now I can also include a plant in the discussion.

It appears that perhaps all the pain and suffering endured by plant lovers who have encountered Kudzu infestations can now feel that they have not sacrificed their foliage in vain. The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) has discovered health benefits of Kudzu. Kudzu, a plant that is indigenous to Japan, has gained a reputation of growing uncontrollably and strangling other plants. Alabamians often use the phrase, "...growin' like Kudzu" to refer to rapid growth. However, Kudzu may become synonymous with health.

Kudzu could be the key to controlling conditions that plague many southerns. In a UAB press release, Dr. Michael Wyess is quoted as saying, "Our findings showed that puerarin helps to lower blood pressure and blood cholesterol," ... "But perhaps the greatest effect we found was in its ability to regulate glucose, or sugar, in the blood."

So perhaps instead of thinking of Kudzu merely as parasitic vine introduced more than a century ago is the trend of the past. It will be known by future generations as a miracle plant.

More information about Kudzu:

The Amazing Story of Kudzu
Visit Kudzu World

UAB fosters cross-cultural interaction

A friend sent a copy of this AL.com article last week regarding student perceptions of their colleges and universities. UAB ranks highest among universities where students interact across cultures. It defies some of the stereotypes of Birmingham. Check it out. What do you think?

Soul Food in Japan, India and the Middle East might interest you as well. It is about some of the international students at UAB taking advantage of local culture.