A comment on kudzu got caught in the spam bucket and I just found it today.   Kudzu has some pretty interesting qualities as a medicine.  The Chinese used it 2000 years ago.  Alcohol treatment is one of it’s properties.  Below is the comment.   I did a google search on kudzu and medicine and it is quite well documented.   Here is just one of many links: http://www.peacehealth.org/KBASE/cam/hn-2119009.htm

1. Charlotte Fairchild Says:
   October 21, 2008 at 6:27 pm eYou didn’t mention much science. Kudzu has been listed as a medical plant for 2000 years, and Harvard has two peer reviewed medical articles they published in the last 5 years! They have a lot of catching up to do.

   The citations are on http://www.kudzus.blogspot.com in the links below the splash page.

   Great article. Please include http://www.kokudzu.com for people who want to know how to eradicate kudzu without poisons. Jim Miller supports this experiment station and the research.

Our first stop on this three day get away was at the Cherokee Nation Indian Reservation, two hours from our home.  We had visited there a couple years ago and wanted to return to go throught the museum. 

See http://www.cherokee-nc.com/index.php?page=56 and
wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cherokee  for more information.

The first part of the museum tells the story of the Cherokee from ancient prehistoric times until the white man came.  The transition from a hunting environment to a farming environment brought profound changes.  With less time being devoted to getting food they had more time for relaxation and time to make new tools and pottery.  A decade ago I have to admit I really didn’t see the value of history as it relates to today.  Now I get it.

The middle part of the exhibit tells about the treatment they received from the US government, the broken treaties and most horrible of all the Trail of Tears resettlement of the Cherokee and four other tribes from this area to Oklahoma.  Andrew Jackson arranged this in the early to mid 1830’s.  The loss of life was significant.  The Cherokee tribe lost 4000 of their 15000 people. My book club at the U of MN had read 13 Moons by Charles Frazier and so I was familiar with the story. 

Since I was a very little girl and read my first book and Lewis and Clark and their female Indian guide Sacajawea I have been interested in what the white man did to the Indians.  The behavior of our ancestors makes me feel very ashamed.   I wish now I had taken more time to learn about the Indians in MN because there is much history there also.  My friend Lester borrowed me a book awhile ago and when I find it again I will have to read it.

The last part of the exhibit tells the story of three Cherokee, Emissaries of Peace, who made a trip to England to see King George III in 1762 with British officer Lt. Henry Timberlake.  There journey is well documented both by the memories of Timberlake and the British newspapers and is delightful. 

My favorite memory of the exhibit was a section that had conversations between the English and the Cherokee on religion, politics, treatement of women, etc.   Here is one sample:

Timberlake: “…who would seek to live by labour, [if they can] live by amusement? The sole occupations of Indians, are hunting, and warring abroad, and lazying at home. Want is said to be the mother of industry, but their wants are supplied at an easier rate.”

Corn Tassel: “You say: Why do not the Indians till the ground and live as we do? May we not with equal propriety ask, Why the white people do not hunt and live as we do? The Great God of Nature has placed us in different situations …

On religion (and I don’t remember the exact quote but it went something like this):  The Indian Chief was asked about the bible and he replied “It seems to be a good book but I don’t understand why the white man is not better (more imprved) having had the book so long”.

You leave the exhibit on an upbeat note which was nice.  I want to go back next summer to see their outdoor play Unto These Hills.

The Trail of Tears broke the Cherokee nation into an eastern and western tribe.  in 1989 after 150 years they

After that we went for lunch and had Indian Fry Bread with Chili and Cheese.   Delicious!!!!!!!!!

On our first trips to this part of the country I loved the “vines” that covered all the trees. It sometimes made them look like sculptures or topiary. Kudzu is pronounced cud zoo.

This is the first of a two part blog about Kudzu.

Here is a little more information about a plant that is not found in the north from http://www.maxshores.com/kudzu/.

The Amazing Story of Kudzu

Love It, Or Hate It… It Grows On You!

In Georgia, the legend says
That you must close your windows
At night to keep it out of the house.
The glass is tinged with green, even so…

From the poem, “Kudzu,”
by James Dickey

There’s so much of this fast-growing vine in the Southeastern U.S., you might think it was a native plant. Actually, it took a lot of hard work to help kudzu spread so widely. Now that it covers over seven million acres of the deep South, there are a lot of people working hard to get rid of it! But kudzu is used in ways which might surprise you…

Kudzu’s History:
Up and Down the Power Pole

Kudzu was introduced to the United States in 1876 at the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Countries were invited to build exhibits to celebrate the 100th birthday of the U.S. The Japanese government constructed a beautiful garden filled with plants from their country. The large leaves and sweet-smelling blooms of kudzu captured the imagination of American gardeners who used the plant for ornamental purposes.

Florida nursery operators, Charles and Lillie Pleas, discovered that animals would eat the plant and promoted its use for forage in the 1920s. Their Glen Arden Nursery in Chipley sold kudzu plants through the mail. A historical marker there proudly proclaims “Kudzu Developed Here.” During the Great Depression of the 1930s, the Soil Conservation Service promoted kudzu for erosion control. Hundreds of young men were given work planting kudzu through the Civilian Conservation Corps. Farmers were paid as much as eight dollars an acre as incentive to plant fields of the vines in the 1940s.

“Cotton isn’t king in the South anymore.
Kudzu is king!”
Channing Cope

Kudzu’s most vocal advocate was Channing Cope of Covington, Georgia who promoted use of the vine to control erosion. Cope wrote about kudzu in articles for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and talked about its virtues frequently on his daily WSB-AM radio program broadcast from his front porch. During the 1940s, he traveled across the southeast starting Kudzu Clubs to honor what he called “the miracle vine.”

Cope was very disappointed when the U.S. government stopped advocating the use of kudzu in 1953.

Kudzu Control:
The problem is that it just grows too well! The climate of the Southeastern U.S. is perfect for kudzu. The vines grow as much as a foot per day during summer months, climbing trees, power poles, and anything else they contact. Under ideal conditions kudzu vines can grow sixty feet each year.

While they help prevent erosion, the vines can also destroy valuable forests by preventing trees from getting sunlight. This problem led Dr. James H. Miller of the U.S. Forest Service in Auburn, Alabama to research methods for killing kudzu. In eighteen years of research, he has found that one herbicide actually makes kudzu grow better while many have little effect. Miller recommends repeated herbicide treatments for at least four years, but some kudzu plants may take as long as ten years to kill, even with the most effective herbicides.

The USDA declared kudzu to be a weed in 1972!
Dr. Errol G. Rhoden, along with other researchers at Tuskegee University, has successfully raised Angora goats in fields of kudzu which would otherwise be considered wasted land. The goats keep the kudzu from spreading further while producing profitable milk and wool products. Rhoden says constant grazing will eventually eradicate kudzu. If kudzu is to provide a continuing food source, animals must be removed from the fields occasionally to allow the vines time to grow.

Uses for Kudzu:
It’s here. It’s free… Why not?

Basket makers have found that the rubber-like vines are excellent for decorative and functional creations. Ruth Duncan of Greenville, Alabama makes over 200 kudzu baskets each year and says she doesn’t mind that people call her the “Queen of Kudzu.”
Regina Hines of Ball Ground, Georgia, has developed unique basket styles which incorporate curled kudzu vines. She weaves with other vines as well, but says that kudzu is the most versatile.
Nancy Basket of Walhalla, South Carolina, makes paper from kudzu which she uses in colorful collages. Her designs vary from geometric shapes to images of rural life and Native American themes.
Diane Hoots of Dahlonega, Georgia has developed a company to market her kudzu products which include kudzu blossom jelly and syrup, kudzu baskets, and books. Her book, Kudzu: The Vine to Love or Hate, co-written with Juanita Baldwin, is an in-depth study of the South’s love/hate relationship with the vine. The book includes recipes and basket making instructions.
Henry and Edith Edwards of Rutherfordton, North Carolina have found many uses for kudzu over the past 30 years. Henry produces over 1,000 bales of kudzu hay each year on his Kudzu Cow Farm. The hay is high in nutritive value, but many people have found kudzu difficult to cut and bale. Henry says the secret is to “cut it low and bale it high.”
Edith Edwards makes deep-fried kudzu leaves, kudzu quiche, and many other kudzu dishes. She found recipes in The Book of Kudzu: A Culinary and Healing Guide by William Shurtleff and Akiko Aoyagi, and thought this was a good use for a plentiful resource. She has demonstrated kudzu cooking for clubs, schools, and visitors to the Knoxville World’s Fair.

Common names for kudzu include:
mile-a-minute vine,
foot-a-night vine,
and the vine that ate the South.

Current research may lead to new medicines made from kudzu, but for now only hamsters and mice can benefit from these drugs. Research with laboratory animals at Harvard Medical School has revealed that a drug extracted from kudzu root may help in the treatment of alcoholism. The drug is based on a 2,000 year old Chinese herbal medicine. Several years of testing may be required before the drug can be made available for human consumption.

In China and Japan, ground kudzu root (called kuzu) has been a common ingredient in foods and medications for centuries. Kudzu is respected and enjoyed there. It’s far more versatile than say, turnips. But kudzu grows better in the South than it does in its native lands. Its natural insect enemies were not brought to the U.S. with it.

That’s why visitors to the South are sometimes awe-struck by scenic vistas which reveal miles and miles of seemingly endless vines. Southerners just close their windows at night to keep the kudzu out.

Bob finally starts his last week at IBM.   His last day is Friday, March 29.  He sends his laptop, id, etc. back on Thursday.  As you all know, this has been quite an interesting time.  His severance package came out much better then we anticipated so that is great news.   He has to wait 30 days before he can work with old IBM clients (ING) so will start consulting for ING on May 5.   We think it might be close to full time for a while as ING transitions from IBM/ATT to Verizon and then will go to half time, I hope.   We figure we should take advantage of the opportunity while it is here.

We learned a few things about the simple process of putting out the trash.   They collect here twice a week, MN does only once, and they don’t recycle, at least not in this area.   We couldn’t figure out why everyone had covers on their garbage cans.  We also were not familiar with the big birds flying overhead.

It only took on misadventure by a neighbor who did not have the garbage covered to realize that the big birds were vultures and they make a BIG mess when they get in the garbage.   Worse then racoons. 

I had quite a surprise when I went to forward mail down here.   The place we are renting usually just rents by the week and so there is no mailbox.  We tried to forward it to a US Post Office but they had no boxes available.  They recommended a place called Pac Mail that is only a few miles away so we got a PO box there.  

I am amazed at the new truck stops.   Gone are the dirty restrooms and stale candy and bad coffee.  They are replaced by places the size of small department stores with very complete food choices.  If they don’t have it you don’t need it.  Some even sold liquor.   What a pleasure to stop and stretch your legs and get something to eat  and drink as as well as gas up the car.

We had our first minor glitch yesterday.  We are really aware of security so lock everything up good.  We left the house through the garage door, pulled it shut and it locked.   We ran our errands and came home to unlock the front door but because I has locked the dead bolt and there is no key for it we were locked out.  No key for the garage door either.  Fortunatly we had the phone number of the caretaker in Bob’s cell phone and she had a key for the garage door so we only were locked out for about 30 minutes.   We are so used to using the garage door opener at home that we never gave it a second thought that the front door was locked. 

A shorter day today just 10 am to 4 pm.  We stopped for the night in Valdosta, GA about 25 miles from the FL border.  Stayed at a very nice Country Inn and Suites.  Nice big room, little refrigerator, microwave, breakfast.  Our nicest room so far.  Too bad they don’t take pets!  It is finally 60 and feels like much warmer.   We celebrated Valentines day with a nice rib dinner and a bottle of wine.   Fay fell asleep, as usual, before 9 pm.  We are getting pretty excited now that the weather is warmer.

I know these shoes have been out for awhile but Bob and I just got ours a few days ago and they are the best travel shoes, even when it is 11 outside.