**Disclaimer: I am not a doctor, nor do I pretend to be. This article is informative and only covers the traditional uses for forageable plants commonly found in the Appalachian region. It’s always best to consult a health care professional or medical doctor when suffering from any ailment, disease, illness, or injury before trying any traditional folk remedies. **
This summer, I’ve been having tons of fun on my days off playing with kudzu. As a child, I used to pretend that the dense patch of kudzu near my dad’s house was a city that had been swallowed by foliage. I’d hide in the patches and force him to find me, which he wasn’t particularly happy about.
However, even now that I’m an adult, I still see something akin to the lost city of Atlantis every time I spot kudzu. Although these vast vines may not be hiding ruined homes and abandoned towers, they have many secrets to share as long as you are willing to listen.
About Kudzu
Folk Names: Chinese arrowroot, Japanese arrowroot
Medicinal Properties: antioxidant
Here in the Appalachian south, most everyone has heard of how Kudzu is a dangerous and invasive plant that has threatened the entire ecosystem. However, there are more perspectives on this plant than just one, which is why I am so excited to talk about it today.
Kudzu, a Japanese-native trailing vine, first appeared in the USA at the 1876 World’s Fair in Philadelphia, PA. It then reappeared at the New Orleans Exposition from 1884 to 1886. Introduced as a novelty ornamental vine for trellises and pergolas, kudzu quickly became a desirable exotic plant similar to English ivy.
In the early 1900s, some farmers in Appalachia began to grow kudzu as a food source for their farm animals. As a rapid-growing plant, it was a cheap way to cut down on feed costs and also helped keep the soil moist and fertile for crops.
It remained an ornamental garden vine and animal food source until the US Soil Conservation Service (now called the Natural Resources Conservation Service) stepped in.
In the 1920s, overfarming had created dust storms in the American south, and the government was searching for a plant that could help fertilize fields and fight erosion. Their solution was Kudzu.
From the early 1920s to the 1950s, the Soil Conservation Service encouraged people to plant kudzu on any clear land they could, and the government even paid farmers up to $8 per acre to plant it. While planting this voracious vine ultimately resolved the dust storms and overharvesting issues in the South, it created another problem altogether.
The enthusiasm with which people had planted kudzu before the mid-century had gotten out of hand. Abandoned land falling into neglect made the ideal spot for kudzu to take over and eradicate the native plants.
However, with the proper amount of care, it is possible to eliminate or control kudzu’s growth. The overgrown fields “swallowed” by kudzu that have become such a common sight in southern Appalachia today are a symptom of improper care for the land.
The remedy for this overgrowth, however, is within sight. Kudzu has always been a useful plant, and it is edible. It also makes lovely fiber for sustainable and compostable textiles. To eliminate our kudzu problem, we just have to start harvesting it.
How To Identify and Harvest Kudzu
Kudzu leaves have three lobes and grow in clusters of three leaves. According to horticultural experts from The University of Alabama, kudzu vines can grow 1 foot per day in the summertime, and each vine can reach up to 60 feet long!
Kudzu vines have a deep green color and transparent to orange-colored hairs all over them. The young shoots are very floppy and have the most hair. On these shoots, you’ll notice that the young leaves look velvety.
How To Prepare and Use Kudzu
Eating Kudzu
Every part of the kudzu plant is edible except for its seed pods. Some scientific studies have tested and found evidence that kudzu:
- Helps curb cravings for alcohol in alcoholics.
- Helps to lower blood sugar.
- Aids the immune system.
However, the scientific studies behind kudzu’s medicinal benefits are scarce, and this plant needs more testing to discover the benefits that it has in store for us.
Still, as a member of the bean family of plants, kudzu is safe to eat for animals and humans alike — it just has a very bitter taste that many people do not appreciate.
Still, even for those who might not appreciate kudzu’s bitter, strong bean-like flavor, the root offers many promises. Kudzu’s roots are massive, and they look a bit like sweet potatoes. In Japan, these roots are ground into a powder, which you can use as a thickening agent, like wheat or corn.
Some popular dishes made with the root include kudzu glass noodles, sauces and stews thickened with kudzu, and desserts like puddings, jelly, and hot chocolate.
While the root seems like the best option for consumption, processing it and powdering it is a process that takes several repetitions of shredding and boiling. For that reason, most people choose to purchase kudzu powder, which is widely available at health food stores.
If you want to learn more about kudzu for culinary purposes, I recommend reading this book, The Book of Kudzu: A Culinary & Healing Guide By William Shurtleff, and Akiko Aoyagi. It has been my go-to source for everything kudzu, and I believe it deserves a spot on every Appalachian’s bookshelf.
Kudzu Fibers
My primary interest in Kudzu this season has been in the preparation of baskets and fibers (shoutout to my best friend Mary, who sparked my curiosity). As a fiber artist, I have always appreciated sustainable, compostable fibers, but these often come at a very high price. However, the kudzu surrounding almost every commercial property in Knoxville is abundant and cost-free.
Preparing kudzu for fiber can be as simple or complicated as you want it to be. First, you’ll need to strip the leaves. Then, you can make rope, mats, hats, or baskets from kudzu by splitting the woody runners (longer, thicker vines) into sections with a knife and twisting or weaving the sections as you see fit.
Here’s an example of a basket I made in just an hour or so. While I’m not the best at basket weaving yet, it’s quite a functional make, and the fiber dries out to be incredibly strong and sturdy.
However, if you want a strong, thin thread for spinning, sewing, or weaving, there are quite a few steps to follow before you get a workable material.
Kudzu contains a bast fiber, like flax, jute, and hemp. Bast fibers are closer to the plant’s thin bark, and these plants usually contain a spongy white center (pith). To separate these fibers from the pith, bark, and other parts, you need to ret them, which is a fancy word for letting them sit in a tub of water for about a week.
As you soak these plants, the fragile plant matter decays, leaving behind the tough fiber.
You can tell if the stems are done retting by running your fingers along the wet vines. If the outer bark feels slimy and rubs right off, it’s time to isolate and wash the fibers.
During this phase, you will want to pull the vines through your pinched fingers to remove the decaying plant matter and separate the fibers. As you do this, you will notice that you have two separate types of fiber to work with.
The first ones are very slimy, almost transparent, and very delicate. These are the bast fibers, and that’s what we are looking for if you want to make a thin thread with which you can sew or weave a functional cloth. These become tangled as you pull them off, so I recommend peeling them straight into a tub of water, then working out the tangles while they’re submerged.
The second type of fiber you might end up with is the dense, straw-like fiber from the plant’s xylem and phloem. These woody fibers are perfect for making baskets, hats, mats, or utilitarian twine. However, they become very brittle when dry, so they are best for projects that need a tough fiber, and that will have a dense weave/stitch pattern. They can also be quite challenging (but not impossible) to spin since they feel thick and woody.
From here on out, you will need to keep your fibers wet when working with them. Kudzu fibers, like linen, are stronger when wet, and the thicker fiber will be very brittle when it becomes dry. So, give the fibers a soak before working with them to make your life easier.
Once you have removed the gooey plant matter from these fibers, rinse them well. Traditionally, Japanese fiber workers would do this in a running stream, carrying away all of the gunk and helping them separate each fiber. However, you can use hose water and a plastic tub if you don’t have a stream in your backyard.
After this phase, you can separate each fiber. These fibers are all connected, but they are pretty easy to split with a fine comb or your fingers. However, ensuring that you split them all evenly might be challenging. Don’t worry about it too much if you end up with some pieces that are thicker than others. It’ll all even out eventually.
After this phase, you can do several things depending on how you want to use your fiber:
- Tie the ends of each fiber together to create one long string.
- Spin the fibers together and join as you would with any bast fiber.
- Leave your fibers in the state they are currently in and use them as a thread for sewing, weaving, crochet, knitting, or embroidery.
I went the spinning route and found that spinning your fiber will help to even out poorly-split threads. Spinning the bast fiber is simple, and the resulting material comes out incredibly soft and strong.
Here’s my finished result:
I am incredibly happy with the thread I produced and plan to weave some fabric once I refine my technique and accumulate enough fiber!
If you are interested in learning more about making cloth or other textiles with kudzu, please feel free to reach out to me at naturasumma@gmail.com. This is the beginning of a new practice for me, and I would love to share any knowledge I have or work together to spread awareness of how to use these techniques. Also, if you know anything I don’t, I’d love to hear about your experience processing natural fibers.
Sources
- Alabama Cooperative Extension System: History and Use of Kudzu in the Southeastern United States.
- Smithsonian Magazine: The True Story of Kudzu, the Vine That Never Truly Ate the South.
- Scientific American: The Secret Life of Kudzu.
- Alabama A&M and Auburn Universities Extension: The History and Use of Kudzu in the Southeastern United States.
